Oct. 9, 2007
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BELLINGHAM, Wash. -
UPCOMING GAME: Western Washington University Vikings (2-3, 1-3) vs. University of South Dakota Coyotes (3-3, 2-1) in a North Central Conference contest Saturday, Oct. 13 (2 p.m. CT) at the DakotaDome (10,000 cap., Artificial) in Vermillion, SD.
Western snapped a three-game losing streak with a last-minute 18-15 win at home over St. Cloud State. It had lost 22-14 at Minnesota Duluth the previous week.
The Vikings began the season with arguably the toughest opening three games of any NCAA Division II team in the country. They opened with a 28-21 victory at NCAA I-FCS UC Davis, then fell 45-10 at No.8 Nebraska-Omaha, and in their home opener lost 63-42 to No.2-ranked North Dakota in the highest-scoring game in school and NCC history.
USD, not listed among the American Football Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Coaches Top 25 for the first time this season, has a 21-game home winning streak and is 20-0 at the DakotaDome under coach Ed Meierkort.
The Coyotes have dropped two straight for the first time since 2003, losing 45-40 last Saturday at Central Washington in a game that featured a NCC-record 1,170 yards of offense. Two weeks ago, they fell 31-7 at NCAA I-FCS McNeese State.
USD opened its season with a 55-44 loss at No.24 West Texas A&M. The Coyotes rebounded with three straight victories, 49-28 over Winona State, 36-22 at Minnesota Duluth and 31-0 over St. Cloud State.
SERIES HISTORY: Second meeting. Western trails 1-0, losing 42-10 last year at Bellingham.
RADIO: KBAI (930 AM-Bellingham) is broadcasting all Western football games live this season with sports director Doug Lange handling the play-by-play duties for the 12th consecutive season. The pre-game show with host Mark Scholten begins at 1:35 p.m. CT. The KBAI broadcast can also be heard on the Internet at wwuvikings.com.
COACHES SHOW ON KVOS TV 12 WEBSITE: The Western Vikings Report-Football Edition will be available each week at kvos.com. KVOS also will air a pre and post season WWU Football Special.
WEBCAST INFORMATION: Viking football is back on the Internet for 2007. To listen to the live broadcast via the web, go to www.wwuvikings.com and follow the links. The web provides streaming audio of the KBAI 930 AM radio broadcast of Western athletic events. The audio stream is only available during event broadcast times.
2006 RESULTS: Western finished 5-6 overall, winning its last three games, and tied for fifth place in the NCC at 3-5. USD was 9-4 overall, reaching the second round of the national playoffs, and placed third in the NCC at 6-2.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for Viking football cost $12 for reserved seating, $10 for general admission adults, $6 for students and seniors and $3 for Western students. For ticket information, contact the WWU Athletic Department at 360-650-2583 (BLUE). Season tickets are available for $44.
CIVIC STADIUM: Western is in its 46th year of playing home games at Bellingham's Civic Stadium. The Vikings have a 122-87-7 (.581) record at that facility which was built in 1961. Last year, Western finished 3-3 at home after having a 1-3 record at Civic Stadium in 2005, its first losing mark at home since 1990 (2-3). The Vikings are 1-1 at home this season.
VIKING REPORT: Western seeks to string together its first back-to-back wins of the season as it visits South Dakota, and does so coming off one of its finest defensive efforts of the year.
Western's defense had probably its strongest performance of the season in the victory over St. Cloud State, allowing season-lows of 307 yards and 15 points, as well as forcing four turnovers. For the year, the Vikings are allowing 33.2 points and 470.2 yards of total offense a contest. Turnovers have been a key indicator of success, as Western has forced seven turnovers in its two victories, but just two in its three losses.
Leading the Viking defense, which has had more than half its projected pre-season starters miss time with injuries, is senior middle linebacker Shane Simmons, a 2007 second-team D2football.com pre-season All-American. Simmons, a second-team all-NCC pick last year, leads the conference in tackles with 65, including four for loss. He had 14 tackles last week, as well as a critical forced fumble in the dying seconds to preserve the victory.
Junior outside linebacker Caleb Jessup has 33 tackles, and redshirt freshman strong safety Allan Denton has 30 stops. The defense also got a lift last week from redshirt freshman free safety Zach Schrader, who saw his first action of the year last week after returning from a broken arm and had an interception, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
On offense, the Vikings are averaging 22.4 points and 349.4 yards a contest. Western leads the NCC in red-zone efficiency at 89.5 percent with 10 touchdowns and seven field goals in 19 trips inside the 20-yard line.
Triggering the attack is junior quarterback Adam Perry, who has completed 92-of-160 passes (57.5 percent) for 1150 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. In Western's season-opening victory at UC Davis, Perry threw for 362 yards, the seventh-highest total in school history, connecting on 31-of-46 attempts, including two for touchdowns. That earned him College Sports Report National Division II Football Performer of the Week and NCC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Sophomore running back Craig Garner missed last week with a bruised knee, but is likely to return. Garner has rushed for 420 yards and five touchdowns on 114 carries, ranking fourth in the NCC in rushing at 105.0 yards a game. Sophomore Tyler Roberts filled in for Garner against St. Cloud State, rushing for 87 yards on 23 attempts.
The receiving corps is led by junior Travis McKee and sophomore Rick Copsey. McKee has 22 receptions for 212 yards and two touchdowns, Copsey has 20 grabs for 273 yards and one score. Senior Casey Dell has been a threat with 17 catches for 178 yards, as has freshman Rocki Sandusky, who has four grabs of 40 yards or more among his six receptions.
Sophomore placekicker Josh Lider is perfect in eight field-goal attempts, tying a school-record for consecutive successful field goals also held by current Atlanta Falcons punter Michael Koenen. Lider was 4-for-4 last week, including a 35-yard game-winner with 21 seconds left as he was named NCC and D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week. Senior punter Corbin Anderson is averaging 37.7 yards on 26 boots, including a school-record effort of 79 yards against UC Davis when he was named NCC Special Teams POW. Dell is averaging 9.8 yards on nine punt returns.
SOUTH DAKOTA REPORT: The Coyotes, who reached the second round of the national playoffs last year, have one of the top-ranked offenses in the country, averaging 545.0 yards per game.
Directing the attack is sophomore quarterback Noah Shepard, who is second among NCC leaders in total offense at 333.8 yards per contest. He ranks third in the league in passing with 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns, completing 107-of-185 attempts (57.8 percent) with just three interceptions. Shepard also is eighth among the league's rushing leaders with 322 yards (5.0 per carry) and two touchdowns.
Shepard was named D2Football.com National co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against West Texas A&M, throwing for five touchdowns and having 506 of the team's 693 total yards of offense.
Sophomore running back Amos Allen ran for 247 yards (35 carries) and three touchdowns, one covering 89 yards, against Central Washington and leads the NCC in rushing with 1,073 yards (178.8 per game and 8.0 per carry). Allen, who has eight rushing touchdowns and two receiving, is following in the footsteps of graduated All-American Stefan Logan, a 2006 Harlon Hill Trophy finalist who had four 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Shepard's top receiver is senior Brooks Little with 35 catches for 506 yards and four touchdowns. He is tied for first among USD career leaders in receptions (150), while being third in receiving yards (2,126, record in 2,557) and fifth in touchdown catches (15, record is 18).
Another key target is sophomore Dan Skelly, who has five touchdown catches and 382 receiving yards.
Anchoring an offensive line that averages 290 pounds and has allowed just nine quarterback sacks is senior Christian Morton (6-5, 290), who was the 2006 Rimington Award winner as the top Division II center. Morton, who was named to three All-America teams, also was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Football Lineman of the Year Award.
A top defender for USD is junior inside linebacker Blake Hojer, a second-team NCC all-star who led the Coyotes in tackles in 2006 with 65. This season, Hojer paces the team with 45 stops.
Next fall, USD is moving up to the NCAA I-FCS ranks and is joining the Great West Football Conference.
LIDER IN ELITE COMPANY: Sophomore placekicker Josh Lider has made all eight of his field-goal attempts this season, tying the school record for consecutive three pointers also held by current Atlanta Falcons punter and long field goal kicker Michael Koenen during the 2001-02 seasons. Lider was the D2Football.com National and NCC Special Teams Player of the Week as he kicked four field goals in the Vikings' victory last Saturday over SCSU, including a 35-yard game-winner with 21 seconds left. Lider connected on three field goals in Western's season-opening win at NCAA I-FCS UC Davis. He has booted four field goals from 30 or more yards with a long of 47. Lider was on the squad last year, but did not see any action, after being a redshirt in 2005.
VIKING NOTES: Middle linebacker Shane Simmons, a second-team preseason D2Football.com All-America, has had double-figure tackles in nine of the 10 games he has played for Western since transferring from Idaho. He had a career-high 18 tackles versus Minnesota Duluth, earning NCC co-defensive Player of the Week honors. Last year, Simmons was leading NCAA II in solo tackles per game (9.8) until having his season end after five games because of a shoulder injury ... Running back Craig Garner, who missed last week's game with a bruised knee, has had 100-yard rushing performances in six of his last eight games. He had a career-high 192 rushing yards against North Dakota, tying a school record with four touchdowns ... WWU's four-game winning streak snapped by Nebraska-Omaha was the Vikings' longest since 2002 when they opened with four wins ... Western quarterback Adam Perry and punter Corbin Anderson were NCC co-offensive and co-special teams Players of the Week, respectively, for their performances in the Vikings' 28-21 win at NCAA Division I-FCS UC Davis on Sept. 1. Perry also was named the College Sports Report Division II Football Performer of the Week.
WWU INJURY REPORT: Sophomore running back Craig Garner missed last week's game with a bruised knee and his status Saturday is indefinite.
BATTLE IN SEATTLE: The fifth annual Wells Fargo Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup between arch-rivals Western and Central Washington takes place Oct. 20 (6 p.m.) at Qwest Field. The contest has surpassed 11,000 all four years with the 2003 meeting being played before 16,392, a record for a non-NCAA Division I collegiate football game in the state of Washington.
NCC PRESEASON POLL: Western is picked to finish ninth among nine teams in both the 2007 preseason North Central Conference coaches and media polls. Defending co-champion North Dakota was the first-place pick in both polls.
HEAD COACHES: Robin Ross (Washington State, 1977) is in his second year (7-9) as head coach at Western and has three decades of coaching experience. He was the defensive coordinator for two of the finest Viking teams in school history in the mid-1990s.
Ross has spent most of his career as an assistant at the NCAA Division I-A level. He also coached in the National Football League, being the linebackers coach with Oakland for two seasons, helping the Raiders have the ninth-ranked defense in the NFL in 2000, when they were 12-4 and reached the AFC Championship Game.
In 2005, Ross was linebackers coach at Oregon State University, where the Beavers led the PAC 10 in run defense, allowing 108.0 yards per game. He spent the previous four seasons as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at University of Oregon. The Ducks won the 2001 PAC 10 championship, finishing second in the ESPN Coaches Poll after defeating Colorado in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. He was also at Oregon as an assistant during the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
Ross came to Western in 1994 and in his first season the Vikings led the NAIA Division II in scoring defense, allowing just 11.5 points a game and five times holding opponents without a touchdown. Western, which posted its first national playoff victory that season with a 21-2 triumph at No.1-ranked Linfield, ranked third nationally in rushing defense at 76.0 yards a contest and fifth in total defense (260.3) with 42 takeaways (26 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries).
In 1995, Western finished 9-1, going 9-0 for the first undefeated regular-season for the school in 57 years and being ranked No.1 nationally in NAIA II for five weeks. The defense allowed 13.7 points a game, ranking seventh nationally in that category.
Immediately prior to coming to Western, Ross had been defensive coordinator at Iowa State University from 1987 to 1993. He has also been a defensive coordinator at Fresno State University (1996) and University of Cincinnati (1984 and 1985).
Ross, 53, began his coaching career at Long Beach State University in 1977. A graduate of Washington State University, where he also spent one season as a defensive line coach, Ross was a second-team all-PAC-8 pick as an offensive lineman. He was a 10th round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 1976, and spent one preseason with the Seattle Seahawks.
Ross, who is the 13th head coach in the 96-year history of Western football, is a graduate of El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, Calif. He and wife Jean have been married for 26 years.
>b>Ed Meierkort (Dakota Wesleyan, 1982) is 30-11 in his fourth season at South Dakota and 85-65 in 14 years overall. He has directed the Coyotes to three straight nine-win seasons. Last year, the Coyotes earned a berth in the national playoffs, reaching the second round, and in 2006 they finished in a four-way tie for the NCC title, which was USD's first league crown since 1978. Meierkort has a 20-0 record at the DakotaDome.
VIKINGS ARE FOOTBALL-ONLY MEMBER OF NCC: Western is a football-only member of the North Central Conference, one of the nation's most prestigious NCAA II alignments. The Vikings, along with arch-rival Central Washington, begin playing a full slate of eight NCC games last fall. The two schools had been competing as part of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The NCC, founded in 1921, currently has nine members in all, the others being Augustana SD, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State Mankato, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State MN and South Dakota. This is the final year of the NCC, which placed three teams in the 2006 national playoffs, as two schools are leaving NCAA Division II for Division I-FCS after this season.
WWU FOOTBALL RETURNS TO GNAC IN 2008: Western will move to a new five-team football alignment as part of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference beginning in 2008. The Vikings, who already compete in the GNAC in five men's and seven women's sports, will return to the loop for football after a two-year absence. They won GNAC gridiron titles in 2001 and 2003.
Humboldt State, located in Arcata, Calif., and Dixie State in Saint George, Utah, will join Western and its fellow GNAC members Central Washington and Western Oregon in the GNAC football league. Humboldt State and Dixie State, currently members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association and the PacWest Conference, respectively, will be granted affiliate membership in the GNAC for football and the football conference will operate under the auspices of the GNAC. Neither the CCAA nor the PacWest sponsors football.
The new league will involve all five NCAA Division II schools in the West that sponsor football. The schools will play a home-and-home format, providing eight conference games each year.
Humboldt State, Central Washington, Western and Western Oregon previously competed in the GNAC in football between 2001 and 2005. The GNAC, however, dropped its sponsorship of football following the 2005 season when Central and Western elected to move their football programs to the NCC and Humboldt State left the GNAC to become a member of the CCAA.
Dixie State is currently in its second season as a NCAA Division II member.
LAST WEEK'S GAME:
Oct. 6 at Bellingham, Wash. - Western 18, St. Cloud State 15
Josh Lider kicked four field goals, including a 35-yard game-winner with 21 seconds left, lifting Western to an 18-15 victory over St. Cloud State in a NCC contest Saturday at Civic Stadium.
Western, which improved to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in the NCC, snapped a three-game losing streak. The Vikings were without leading rusher Craig Garner, who missed the contest with a bruised knee.
SCSU fell to 3-3 overall and 0-3 in the NCC with its third consecutive loss.
Lider's winning kick was set up after safety Zach Schrader recovered a fumble with 2:33 left, giving Western the ball at the SCSU 48. On third-and-2, quarterback Adam Perry scrambled for a 17-yard gain to the 23, leading to Lider's kick four plays later.
The Huskies did have a last chance to score after a short kickoff went out-of-bounds, giving them the ball at the 50. Quarterback Jon Quesnel completed one pass for 12 yards, then after an incompletion, Quesnel hit Fred Williams over the middle. Williams got inside the 25, but Western linebacker Shane Simmons popped the ball loose and cornerback Anthony Zachary recovered to preserve the Viking triumph.
SCSU running back Michael Graham rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. Graham entered the game having just seven rushing attempts for 17 yards on the season.
SCSU, which hadn't scored in its last nine quarters of action, scored on its first two possessions. On their opening drive, the Huskies marched 67 yards in eight plays, capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass from Quesnel to Cody Rysewyk. Graham had four rushes for 45 yards in the drive, including a 26-yard run on the opening play.
The Huskies scored again on their next series, taking 7:28 off the clock in a 17-play, 85-yard drive. Graham's 3-yard touchdown run gave SCSU a 13-0 lead in the final minute of the first quarter.
Western reached the scoreboard midway through the second quarter with an 85-yard drive of its own that lasted eight plays. Perry hit tight end Logan Cullen for a 7-yard touchdown, but the extra-point kick was blocked, and SCSU's Phillip Hedlof returned the ball to the other end zone for a defensive 2-point conversion, giving the Huskies a 15-6 lead.
The Vikings narrowed the margin to 15-12 on Lider field goals of 47 and 34 yards just before and just after halftime, then tied the game on Lider's 20-yard three-pointer with 8:02 left in the game.
SCSU had a 307-295 edge in total offense, but committed four turnovers, three in the fourth quarter. Simmons, who leads the NCC in tackles, had a game-high 14 stops, and Schrader, seeing his first significant action after returning from a broken arm, had five tackles, an interception, a pass broken up and a fumble recovery.
Perry completed 17-of-27 passes for 224 yards with one touchdown. Rick Copsey had five catches for 93 yards, and running back Tyler Roberts, filling in for Garner, rushed for 87 yards on 23 carries. Lider was named NCC Special Teams Player of the Week.
The contest was the Hall of Fame game for Western, with career rushing leader Jon Brunaugh, longtime assistant coach Terry Todd and winningest head coach in school history Rob Smith all being inducted.
LAST YEAR'S MEETING WITH USD:
Oct. 14, 2006 at Bellingham, Wash. - South Dakota 42, Western 10
Quarterback Noah Shepard accounted for 263 yards of offense and running back Stefan Logan rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns, as nationally ranked South Dakota scored touchdowns on all three of its first-half possessions and defeated Western, 42-10, in a NCC game at Civic Stadium.
South Dakota, ranked No.14 in the AFCA Top 25, improved to 6-1. Shepard, a redshirt freshman making his first career start, completed 11-of-15 passes for 204 yards and rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, scoring on an 8-yard run early in the second quarter.
Logan opened the scoring on a 3-yard run less than nine minutes into the game. He rushed for 121 yards on nine carries after halftime, including touchdown runs of 32 and 44 yards.
South Dakota's other touchdowns came on a 59-yard run in the second quarter by fullback Tyler Evans, who busted up the middle on a third-and-one play, and a 28-yard pass from Shepard to wide receiver Jordan Murphy midway through the fourth quarter.
South Dakota had a 548-276 edge in total offense. The Coyotes rushed for 344 yards on 46 attempts.
Western quarterback James Monrean, who completed 18 of his first 21 passing attempts, finished the contest 23-of-34 for 209 yards, but the Vikings ran for just 58 yards on 23 carries.
Western moved inside the USD 20 on each of its three possessions after the Coyotes' first-half touchdowns. But the first two drives failed to produce points because of a missed field goal and a fumble before the Vikings finally reached the scoreboard with a 34-yard field goal by Robby Smith on the final play of the first half.
Western's lone touchdown came late in the third quarter. After a 47-yard kickoff return by Craig Garner, the Vikings moved 43 yards in nine plays, capped by a 1-yard run by Garner. Monrean set up the score with a 14-yard scramble.
Garner had four kickoff returns for 145 yards, and Brett Upchurch had six catches for 105 yards.
NEXT GAME: The Vikings meet arch-rival Central Washington (4-1 overall, 3-1 NCC) in the fifth annual Wells Fargo Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup presented by Comcast on Sat., Oct. 20 (6 p.m.) at Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash. The Wildcats are at Western Oregon for a non-conference game Saturday (1 p.m.).
WWU TEAM CAPTAINS FOR SOUTH DAKOTA GAME: Adam Perry, Josh Lider, Shane Simmons and C.J. Green
PROBABLE TWO DEEPS WESTERN WASHINGTON
OFFENSE
TE 86 Logan Cullen (6-3, 245, Jr.-2V, Anacortes, WA) 83 Zach Hekker (6-4, 240, So.-TR, Bothell, WA/Weber State)LT 53 Chris Miller (6-3, 270, So.-1V, Everett, WA/Mariner) 56 Nick Bassett (6-4, 275, Fr.-RS, Gig Harbor, WA/Peninsula)LG 76 Scott Allanson (6-4, 280, Jr.-SQ, Everett, WA/Jackson) 72 Russell Piette (6-4, 290, Fr.-RS, Vancouver, WA/Columbia River)C 66 Dan Trask (6-3, 275, Jr.-1V, Aberdeen, WA) 69 Dincer Kayhan (5-8, 320, So.-SQ, Gig Harbor, WA)RG 78 Phil Hayes (6-4, 330, Jr.-2V, Renton, WA/O'Dea) 57 Zach Myers (6-2, 295, Jr.-SQ, Sammamish, WA/Skyline/CWU)RT 68 Chris Corey (6-4, 285, Jr.-1V, Federal Way, WA/Decatur) 63 Jason Paull (6-3, 270, So.-SQ, Vancouver, WA/Mountain View)(H) 14 Rocki Sandusky (6-1, 160, Fr.-TR, Ferndale, WA/Ferndale/UNLV) 84 Blake Ferguson (5-9, 180, So.-TR, Seattle, WA/Issaquah/WSU) 19 Brett Upchurch (6-1, 175, Sr.-3V, Sammamish, WA/Eastlake)WR 18 Travis McKee (6-5, 210, Jr.-2V, Bothell, WA) 81 Casey Dell (6-0, 200, Sr.-3V, Moxee, WA/East Valley)WR 4 Rick Copsey (5-8, 185, So.-1V, Camas, WA) 88 Umi Grant (6-0, 175, Jr.-TR, Oakland, CA/Pacific Hills-L.A.)RB 20 Craig Garner (5-6, 160, So-1V., Tacoma, WA/Lakes) 17 Tyler Roberts (6-0, 200, So.-1V, Friday Harbor, WA)QB 6 Adam Perry (6-0, 195, Jr.-1V, Longview/R.A. Long) 8 Tony Gardiner (5-10, 195, Jr.-SQ, Bothell, WA)(FB) 42 Matt Clark (6-1, 225, Jr.-1V, College Station, TX, A&M Consolidated) 38 Jeff Twining (6-0, 225, Fr.-RS, Shoreline, WA/Seattle Prep)
DEFENSE
LE 58 William Jackson (6-1, 265, So.-1V, Seattle, WA/O'Dea) 93 Nick Rocco (5-11, 225, Fr.-RS, Sammamish, WA/Skyline)T 79 Don Thomas II (6-0, 255, Fr.-RS, Kent, WA/Kentwood) 71 Junior Aumavae (6-2, 310, Jr.-2V, Palmer, AK/Palmer) 96 Justin Mundell (5-9, 225, So., Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma)T 55 Shea Thorstad (6-0, 265, Jr.-1V, Stanwood, WA/Adams State) 95 Phil Urlacher (6-2, 245, Fr.-RS, Pasco, WA)RE 99 Ryan Conwell (6-5, 250, Sr.-3V, Kent, WA/Kentwood) 36 Jake Youngren (6-1, 215, So.-1V, Mount Vernon, WA/MVHS)LB 40 Taylor Wade (6-0, 205, Sr.-1V, Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) 54 Nick Warren (5-10, 210, Sr.-1V, Bellevue, WA) 32 Dan Winter (6-0, 225, So.-1V, Lacey, WA/North Thurston)LB 9 Shane Simmons (6-1, 230, Sr.-2V, Kent, WA (Kentlake/Idaho) 46 Andre Davis (6-3, 235, Fr., Seattle, WA/Franklin) 50 Mike Braund (6-0, 215, Sr.-SQ, Bellevue, WA)LB 43 Caleb Jessup (6-0, 215, So.-1V., Kenmore, WA/Inglemoor) 11 James Day (5-10, 195, Sr.-3V, Vancouver, WA/Mountain View)LC 16 C.J. Green (5-8, 185, So.-SQ, Federal Way, WA) 41 Chayce Elliott (5-10, 180, So.-1V, Burnaby, B.C./Centennial Secondary) 1 Jabari Mu'ied (5-10, 160, Fr., Redmond, WA/Redmond)FS 13 Maurice Jones (5-9, 185, Jr.-1V, Tacoma, WA/Spanaway Lake) 7 Zach Schrader (6-1, 190, Fr.-RS, Issaquah, WA/Skyline)SS 22 Allan Denton (6-1, 190, Fr.-RS, Los Angeles, CA/Upland) 5 Noah Jiles (6-1, 195, So.-SQ, Yakima, WA/Eisenhower)RC 28 Anthony Rosso (5-11, 185, Jr.-2V, Walla Walla, WA/Walla Walla) 2 Anthony Zachary (5-11, 195, Fr., Spokane, WA/Ferris) 89 David McMurray (5-10, 160, Fr., Granite Falls, WA/Lake Stevens)
SPECIAL
K 26 Josh Lider (6-2, 185, So., Bellevue, WA/Sammamish) 10 Ace Younggren (6-0, 195, So-1V, Snohomish, WA/Snohomish)P 45 Corbin Anderson (6-0, 205, Sr.-2V, Veradale, WA/University/EWU) 26 Josh Lider (6-2, 185, So., Bellevue, WA/Sammamish)H 8 Tony Gardiner (5-10, 195, Jr., Bothell, WA/Bothell) 19 Brett Upchurch (6-1, 175, Sr.-3V, Sammamish, WA/Eastlake)LS 99 Ryan Conwell (6-5, 250, Sr.-3V, Kent, WA/Kentwood) 32 Dan Winter (6-0, 225, So.,-1V, Lacey, WA/North Thurston)SS 56 Nick Bassett (6-4, 275, Fr.-RS, Gig Harbor, WA/Peninsula) 99 Ryan Conwell (6-5, 250, Sr.-3V, Kent, WA/Kentwood)PR 81 Casey Dell (6-0, 200, Sr.-3V, Moxee, WA/East Valley) 84 Blake Ferguson (5-9, 180, So.-TR, Seattle, WA/Issaquah/WSU)KO 4 Rick Copsey (5-8, 185, So.-1V, Camas, WA/Camas) 20 Craig Garner (5-6, 160, So.-1V, Tacoma, WA/Lakes)
SOUTH DAKOTA TWO DEEPS
OFFENSE
QB 16 Noah Shepard (6-2, 210, So., Thornton, CO/Legacy) 19 Tyler Robinson (6-2, 208, Fr., Elkhorn, NE/Elkhorn)FL 25 Alex Perkowski (5-10, 176, Sr., Hinsdale, IL/Central) 1 David Robinson (5-6, 162, Sr., DeSoto, TX/Univ. of Oklahoma)SR 87 Brooks Little (6-2, 218, Sr., Castlewood, SD/Castlewood) 84 London Landry (6-3, 220, So., Lancaster, CA/Lancaster) 11 Dan Skelly (6-1, 178, So., Champlin Park, MN/Champlin)SE 10 Jordan Murphy (6-1, 198, Sr., Aberdeen, SD/Central) 11 Dan Skelly (6-1, 178, So., Champlin Park, MN/Champlin Park)TE 85 David Cronin (6-5, 243, Sr. Holstein, IA/Galva-Holstein) 89 Mitch Mohr (6-5, 239, R-Fr., Genoa, NE/Twin Rivers) 86 Brandon White (6-3, 240, Fr., Chester, SD/Chester)RB 2 Amos Allen (5-8, 180, So., Miami, FL/Dixie State) 31 Matt Lee (5-6, 149, So., Oznard, CA/St. Bonaventure) 33 Dion Foster (5-9, 208, Fr., Robbins, IL/Wisconsin)FB 5 Tyler Evans (5-11, 250, Sr., Stewart, MN/McLeod West) 35 Jim Williams (6-0, 201, R-Fr., Alexandria, SD/Hanson)RT 73 Jacob Arthur (6-6, 304, So., Clark, SD/Clark) 72 Jake Wilkinson (6-5, 288, Jr., North Platte, NE/ North Platte)RG 79 Nick Walters (6-4, 280, Sr., Parkersburg, IA/Aplington-Parkersburg) 70 Jim Moore (6-4, 291, R-Fr., Oaklawn, IL/Richards)C 69 Christian Morton (6-5, 290, Sr., Norfolk, NE/Norfolk) 52 Ben Wampler (6-4, 295, So., Spencer, IA/Spencer)LG 60 Luke Nordquist (6-5, 280, So., Lake City, SD/Britton-Hecla) 78 David Hedges (6-5, 300, Jr., Colorado Springs, CO/Sand Creek)LT 77 Tim Schneider (6-7, 295, Sr., Adams, MN/Southland) 66 Josh Shorley (6-6, 311, So., Watertown, SD/Watertown)
DEFENSE
E 90 Zach Johnson (6-1, 262, Sr., Brookings, SD/Brookings) 47 Lawrence Curry (6-3, 220, So., Tampa, FL/Chamberlain)NG 97 Ko Quaye (6-1, 290, So., Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin) 56 Joe White (6-2, 274, Fr., Crooks, SD/Tri-Valley)E 92 John Morales (6-1, 250, Sr., Martinez, CA/Diablo Valley JC) 94 Abraham Booker IV (6-3, 253, So., Bloomington, MN/Kennedy)ILB 43 Blake Hojer (6-1, 237, Jr., DeSmet, SD/DeSmet) 55 Nick Williams (6-0, 220, Jr., Rancho Couchamonga, CA/Citrus College)ILB 21 Tyler Bergan (6-0, 224, Sr., Grinnell, IA(St. Albert's) 54 Greg Meher, 6-3, 215, R-Fr., Scotland, SD/Scotland)OLB 46 Tyler Spease (6-1, 194, Jr., Rapid City, SD/Central) 7 Byron Thomas (5-11, 200, Jr., Palmdale, CA/Little Rock)OLB 4 Justiss Scales (6-3, 218, Jr., Columbus, OH/Minn. West CC) 17 Martell Mabry (6-3, 190, Jr., Bollingbrook, IL/College of DuPage)CB 6 Isaiah Dixon (5-11, 172, Jr., Minneapolis, MN/Edison) 29 Travis Motley (6-1, 196, Sr., Bellevue, WA/Diablo Valley JC)FS 22 Joel Gentile (5-10, 190, Jr., Council Bluffs, IA/St. Alberts) 38 Justin Harper (5-8, 170, So., Chandler, AZ/Hamilton) 28 T.J. Simmons (5-11, 172, Jr., Houston, TX/Stratford)SS 24 Ryan Routh (6-1, 202, So., Sioux Falls, SD/Washington) 9 Byron Bullock (6-0, 210, Jr., Englewood, CA/College of the Canyons)CB 28 T.J. Simmons (5-11, 172, Jr., Houston, TX/Stratford) 39 Mychal Bogan (5-11, 162, So., Los Angeles, CA/Antelope Valley)
SPECIAL
K 23 Frank Leibfarth (6-0, 220, Sr., Yankton, SD/Yankton)P 48 Tim Stanek (6-1, 205, So., Walthill, SD/MSU-Moorhead)KR 1 David Robinson (5-6, 148, Jr., DeSoto, TX/Univ. of Oklahoma)PR 24 Ryan Routh (6-1, 202, So., Sioux Falls, SD/Washington)SN 74 Dennis Reicks, (6-5, 295, R-Fr., Albion, NE
