Oct. 21, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -

THIS WEEK'S GAME: Western Washington University Vikings (3-4, 3-2) vs. Humboldt State University (2-6, 0-5) in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest Saturday, Oct. 25 (1 p.m.) at Civic Stadium (3,640 cap., FieldTurf) in Bellingham, Wash.

Playing before crowds of more than 12,000 each of the last two weeks, the Vikings fell 42-32 at NCAA Division I-FCS North Dakota last Saturday after being beaten 50-28 by arch-rival Central Washington in the sixth annual Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup at Qwest Field on Oct. 11.

Western opened its season by splitting two league contests, losing its home opener to Western Oregon, 36-27, on Sept. 6, and winning 30-14 at Humboldt State on Sept. 13.

The Vikings fell 52-31 at NCAA I-Football Championship Subdivision No.14-ranked Eastern Washington on Sept. 20 in a game that was tied 31-all with 13 minutes remaining.

They bounced back with a pair of GNAC victories, posting a dramatic home field 29-27 win over Dixie State on Sept. 27 that was decided on a 27-yard field goal with four seconds remaining and having a 24-13 triumph at Western Oregon on Oct. 4.

Humboldt State, which has lost its last two games, already has matched its win total of last season with victories over Southern Oregon, 15-14, and Azusa Pacific, 24-17. The Lumberjack losses have been to Sacramento State, 45-13; Western, 30-14; twice to Central Washington, 48-10 and 34-14 last Saturday; Western Oregon, 44-28; and Dixie State, 16-6.

SENIOR SALUTE: Sixteen Western seniors are playing in their final home game Saturday. They are offensive lineman Scott Allanson, fullback Matt Clark, offensive lineman Chris Corey, tight end Logan Cullen, defensive back Danny Cumming, defensive end Ami Faalevao, quarterback Tony Gardiner, offensive lineman Phil Hayes, defensive back Kevin Jones, wide receiver Pat McCann, wide receiver Travis McKee, offensive lineman Zach Myers, quarterback Adam Perry, defensive back Anthony Rosso, defensive lineman Shea Thorstad and offensive lineman Dan Trask. Cullen, Hayes, McKee and Rosso are all four-year letter winners, with Clark, Corey, Cumming, Perry, Thorstad and Trask all earning three letters

SERIES HISTORY: 17th meeting. Western leads series, 11-5. The Vikings have split the last two meetings, both at Arcata, Calif., winning 30-14 on Sept. 13, after losing, 28-23, in their 2006 season opener. The loss snapped a three-game series winning streak for Western, which has won 11 of the last 13 meetings, the only other setback during that span being 34-27 at Bellingham in 2004. HSU won the first three meetings of the series which began in 1956. The schools did not play from 1963 thru 1996.

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 13th consecutive season. The pre-game show with host and color commentator Mark Scholten begins at 10:30 a.m. The KBAI broadcast can also be heard on the Internet at wwuvikings.com.

AUDIO WEBCAST: Viking football is again on the Internet for 2008. 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. The audio stream is only available during event broadcast times.

2007 RESULTS: Western finished 2-8 and placed ninth in the NCC at 1-7. Humboldt State, competing as an independent, also had a 2-8 record.

NEW LEAGUE (KIND OF), NEW REGION: The Vikings spent the last two years as a football-only member of the North Central Conference, but when that league folded after an eight-decade history, WWU returned to the GNAC, which took a two-year hiatus from football. The top team in the conference not reaching the NCAA II playoffs earns a berth in the Rotary Bowl at St. George, Utah. The five GNAC schools will play each other home-and-home this season.

The five current GNAC football teams competed in the Northwest Region last season, but have been moved to the Southwest Region this fall. That region, which earlier this season was officially renamed Super Regional Four, also includes the Lone Star Conference and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

WESTERN REPORT: The Vikings are seeking to snap their first two-game losing streak of the season as they host Humboldt State.

Western games certainly haven't lacked for excitement this season, as they've featured an average of 62 points and 829 yards of offense a game. In five of the seven contests, the losing team has scored at least 27 points.

Part of that can be attributed to a high-powered Viking offense that has yet to be held below 24 points this season and leads the Great Northwest Athletic Conference at 414.9 yards a game. Triggering that attack is senior quarterback Adam Perry, who has thrown for at least 300 yards in four of the last five games and who last week became the 10th player in school history to reach 4,000 yards in career passing.

On the year, Perry has completed 151-of-239 passing attempts (63.2 percent) for 2,173 yards with 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The yardage total is the ninth-best single-season mark in school history, and he is just 213 yards short of moving into the top five. He also leads the GNAC in passing yardage at 310.4 yards a game and ranks ninth nationally in total offense at 316.4 yards per contest and 15th in pass efficiency at 160.2.

Perry's top targets have been wide receivers Pat McCann and Travis McKee. McCann has 36 receptions for 715 yards and eight touchdowns, McKee 33 grabs for 498 yards and one score. Junior tight end Zach Hekker has been a key red-zone threat, with four touchdowns among his 11 receptions. McCann's 102.1 receiving yards per game ranks 12th nationally.

Keying the ground game is junior running back Randall Eldridge, who has 504 yards and two touchdowns on 134 carries and leads the GNAC in rushing (84.0 avg.). Eldridge has also added 25 catches for 332 yards and two scores.

The offense is anchored by an experienced line that returned four starters, led by senior center Dan Trask, an honorable mention all-North Central Conference pick last season.

On defense, junior linebacker Caleb Jessup has 86 tackles, including 5.5 for loss, He ranks fourth nationally and leads the GNAC in tackles per game (12.3 avg.) and has double-figure stops in all seven games. Sophomore linebacker Nick Cragin has 60 tackles, including a team-high six for loss. Sophomore end Nick Rocco and sophomore tackle Don Thomas share the sack lead with 2.5 each.

In the secondary, sophomore safety Zach Schrader has 54 tackles and a team-high two interceptions. Sophomore cornerback Anthony Zackery has a team-high four passes defensed and 23 tackles.

On special teams, junior Josh Lider is 22-of-24 on extra points and 7-of-10 on field goals, including a game-winning 27-yarder with four seconds left in the first meeting against Dixie State. The Vikings have blocked three punts this season, with Kevin Sampson getting two of them and returning a block against Western Oregon for a touchdown. Senior Rick Copsey is averaging 19.7 yards on 23 kickoff returns.

This week's team co-captains are Rick Copsey, C.J. Green, Phil Hayes and Dan Trask.

VIKING NOTES: Perry's four 300-yard passing games this season ties the school record set by Scott Mitchell in 2001 ... Perry ranks 10th among school career passing leaders with 3,817 yards and needs 303 yards to move into ninth. His 423 yards passing in a 29-27 victory over Dixie State were the third-most in school history ... McCann's 96-yard touchdown grab against Dixie State was a GNAC record and the second-longest in school history. His yardage total of 232 was the second most in school history and his three touchdown catches tied a school record ... In 2007, Perry threw for 1,587 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions ... Eldridge redshirted last year after being the Golden Gate Conference Offensive Player of the Year at Chabot JC in 2006, rushing for 1,277 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games ... Senior wide receiver Travis McKee had 43 catches and was an honorable mention all-NCC pick a year ago. He has been the Vikings' leading receiver in each of the last two seasons ... Jessup earned all-NCC honorable mention in 2007.

SCOUTING HUMBOLDT STATE: The Lumberjacks, who lost 34-14 at home last week to nationally No.11-ranked Central Washington, have continued to show improvement throughout a rebuilding season.

In his first year as the Humboldt State head coach is Rob Smith, who earned seven Coach-of-the-Year awards during his 17-year tenure as head coach at Western. He took over a team that returned just eight starters, the fewest in the GNAC.

Smith's offensive coordinator is Eric Tripp, who was a Western assistant for 14 seasons, 13 under Smith and one with current Viking head coach Robin Ross. Ross was Smith's defensive coordinator in 1994 and 1995.

Directing Humboldt State's offense is redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Proulx, who got his first collegiate start in a 30-14 loss to Western on Sept. 13 at Arcata, Calif.

Proulx has thrown for 904 yards and four touchdowns, completing 73 of 134 passes with six being intercepted. His top two targets are senior Matt Smith, who has 35 catches for 477 yards and three touchdowns, and sophomore Kevin Miles, who has 30 grabs for 241 yards and three touchdowns.

Junior running back Bobby Thomas is averaging 5.3 yards per carry with a total of 323 ground yards.

Anchoring the offensive line is senior Bryant Kendall, who was a third-team D2football.com all-independent selection.

On defense, sophomore inside linebacker Michael Lynch has 9.5 tackles for loss and 70 stops, leading the team in both categories.

Sophomore strong safety Guy Ricciardulli, a transfer from San Diego Mesa, tops the GNAC with six pass interceptions and has nine passes defensed. Junior inside linebacker Bubba Reynolds has 61 tackles.

Junior Kyle Schierholt paces the GNAC in punting with 40.5 average, putting 10 inside the 20 with a long of 57.

Senior placekicker Enrique Leyva has made 4-of-7 field goals with a long of 44 yards and connected on all 11 of his PAT tries.

WWU INJURY REPORT: WWU lost two top reserves during the first three weeks, strong safety Jordan Carey and cornerback Reggie Christor both suffering season-ending shoulder injuries.

GNAC PRESEASON POLL: WWU was picked to finish third among five teams in the 2008 Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll. Arch-rival Central Washington was the first-place pick with Western Oregon second. Dixie State was fourth and Humboldt State fifth.

HEAD COACHES: Robin Ross (Washington State, 1977) is in his third year (10-18) as head coach at WWU 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 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, 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 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 initially 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. In 1995, Western finished 9-1, going 9-0 for the school's first undefeated regular-season 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.

Ross, 53, is a graduate of Washington State, where he 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.

Rob Smith (Washington, 1981) is in his first season (2-6) as head coach at Humboldt State. He returns to the sidelines after a two-year absence, following a 19-year coaching career at Western Washington, the last 17 as head coach. Smith led the Vikings to 109 wins, which ranks third among collegiate coaches in the state of Washington behind only Frosty Westering (Pacific Lutheran) and Don James (Washington). Smith was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

At WWU, Smith earned conference Coach of the Year honors seven times - five in the Columbia Football Association and two in the GNAC. He was the American Football Coaches Association College Division Region V Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996. Smith led Western to five playoff berths, the only ones in school history. The Vikings reached the NAIA Division II national championship game in 1996, winning a school-record 11 games. In 1995, Western was 9-0 in the regular season, its first undefeated regular season since 1938, and was ranked No.1 in the NAIA II National Poll for five weeks, including in the final poll of the season.

LAST MEETING: Western scored the final 16 points to pull away from a tie score and claim a 30-14 victory over Humboldt State in a GNAC game on Sept. 13 at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, Calif.

The score was tied 14-14 at halftime, but the Vikings took a 17-14 lead on a 23-yard field goal by Josh Lider late in the third quarter. The Western defense then forced Humboldt State to punt, with Caleb Jessup getting a third-down sack on the final play of the period.

Western then opened the fourth quarter with a 11-play, 62-yard drive that took more than five minutes off the clock, capped by a 1-yard plunge by fullback Matt Clark.

The Viking defense took over from there, forcing two three-and-outs from the Humboldt State offense. The Lumberjacks did not have a first down from the middle of the third quarter until the final minute of the game, and had just 53 yards of offense in the second half, and more than half of those came in the final minute.

Western closed the scoring in the final minute as quarterback Adam Perry, who completed 17-of-27 attempts for 188 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, connected with tight end Zack Hekker on a fourth-and-two play that capped an eight-play, 45-yard drive.

Each team scored on their opening possession. The Vikings went 75 yards in 13 plays, capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by freshman Domenique Hill. But Humboldt State returned the kickoff across midfield and evened the score seven plays later on an eight-yard pass from Mike Proulx to Kevin Miles.

Proulx then connected with Matt Smith for a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter, giving the Lumberjacks a 14-7 lead. But the Vikings tied the score when following a blocked punt by David Johnson deep in Humboldt State territory, wide receiver Pat McCann caught an 11-yard pass from Perry with 51.5 seconds left in the first half.

Randall Eldridge rushed for 78 yards on 23 carries for the Vikings, who had a 333-227 edge in total offense, including a 200-53 advantage in the second half. McCann had eight receptions for 88 yards for Western.

Jessup led Western's defense with a game-high 15 stops, including 2.5 for losses.

Jessup and Johnson were named the respective GNAC defensive and special teams Player of the Week.

LAST WEEK: Running back Josh Murray rushed for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and quarterback Danny Freund threw three touchdown passes as North Dakota defeated Western, 42-32, in its Homecoming game at Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D., before a crowd of 12,164.

The Vikings fell to 3-4 overall with their second straight loss. Quarterback Adam Perry completed 24-of-37 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to wide receiver Pat McCann.

North Dakota, which is in its first season as a NCAA Division I-Football Championship Subdivision member, improved to 5-1. The Fighting Sioux, who had not played for the last two weeks, won their sixth consecutive Homecoming game.

The Vikings were within seven, 28-21, midway through the third quarter after a 2-yard touchdown catch by tight end Zach Hekker, a score set up by running back Randall Eldridge, who had six rushes for 48 yards in the drive.

But Ismael Bamba returned a kickoff 75 yards to the Western 17, and three plays later, Freund connected with Brady Trenbeath for a 2-yard score.

Western closed to within 11, 35-24, on a 41-yard field goal by Josh Lider, but UND responded again, using a nine-play, 54-yard drive capped by Catlin Solum's 2-yard run.

That put the Fighting Sioux in control at 42-24 with 11:25 left. The Vikings did score once more, as fullback Matt Clark caught a 1-yard pass from Perry with 6:03 to play and a two-point conversion pass to Travis McKee narrowed the margin to 10, but UND's next drive ran the clock inside two minutes, and the Vikings reached only the UND 29 on their final possession in the dying seconds.

Western completed the game with a 481-429 advantage in total offense. Eldridge had 110 yards on 26 rushes, and added six receptions for 88 yards. McCann had six catches for 179 yards, his 29.83 per catch average setting a Great Northwest Athletic Conference record. The old mark was 29.80 by Humboldt State's Dustin Creager in 2001.

Freund completed 14-of-22 passes for 181 yards for UND. Alex Nicholas had four catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns, grabbing a 33-yarder to open the second-half scoring.

The Fighting Sioux are 47-6 at home since the Alerus Center opened in 2001 and have won 37 of their last 39 games there.

Murray opened the scoring just six minutes in with a 24-yard run, but Western took a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter on a pair of Perry-to-McCann touchdown passes just 17 seconds apart.

The first score, a 26-yard pass, capped a 10-play, 79-yard drive. The Vikings then recovered a fumble on the kickoff, and after an illegal substitution penalty, Perry and McCann connected on a 52-yard touchdown.

UND regained the lead with a two second-quarter touchdowns. First, Freund connected with Nicholas for a 31-yard scoring pass, and on the following Fighting Sioux possession, Murray scored on a 6-yard run with 63 seconds left in the half, giving UND a 21-14 lead at halftime.

Middle linebacker Caleb Jessup, who entered the game third nationally in NCAA II in tackles per game (12.5), had 11 stops and has reached double figures in every game this year.

Late in the third quarter, Perry became the 10th Western player to surpass 4,000 career passing yards, finishing the contest with 4,137.

WWU PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

Sept. 6 - Western OregonOffense - Logan CullenDefense - Zach SchraderSpecial Teams - Kevin SampsonScout Team Offense - Tony GardinerScout Team Defensive - David JohnsonScout Team Special Teams - Kyle Tunney
Sept. 13 - at Humboldt StateOffense - Phil HayesDefense - Caleb JessupSpecial Teams - David JohnsonScout Team Offense - Kirt Terry-SpringsScout Team Defense - Jonathan Ve'eScout Team Special Teams - Tim Satterwhite
Sept. 20 - at Eastern WashingtonOffense - Adam PerryDefense - Zach SchraderSpecial Teams - Rick CopseyScout Team Offense - Kelly KurisuScout Team Defense - Chad TesterScout Team Special Teams - Chad Tester
Sept. 27 - Dixie StateOffense - Pat McCannDefense - Nick RoccoSpecial Teams - Josh LiderScout Team Offense - Kirt Terry-SpringsScout Team Defense - Chad TesterScout Team Special Teams - Kyle Tunney
Oct. 4 - at Western OregonOffense - Adam PerryDefense - Nick RoccoSpecial Teams - NoneScout Team Offense - Kyle TunneyScout Team Defense - Will DavisScout Team Special Teams - Hunter Spencer
Oct. 11 - Central Washington (BIS)Offense - Randall EldridgeDefense - C.J. GreenSpecial Teams - Domenique HillScout Team Offense - Tony GardinerScout Team Defense - Alex McVeyScout Team Special Teams - Keith Reynvaan
Oct. 18 - at North DakotaOffense - Randall Eldridge & Rick CopseyDefense - Zach SchraderSpecial Teams - Rick CopseyScout Team Offense - Tony GardinerScout Team Defense - Nick WallaceScout Team Special Teams - Kyle Kennaw

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 $33.

CIVIC STADIUM: Western is in its 47th year of playing home games at Bellingham's Civic Stadium. The Vikings have a 123-90-7 (.575) record at that facility which was built in 1961. Last year, Western finished 1-3 at home, the second time in three years after not having a losing record at Civic Stadium since 1990.

NEXT GAME: Western is back on the road, traveling to St. George, Utah, for a GNAC contest with Dixie State on Saturday, Nov. 1 (1 p.m.) at Hansen Stadium.

WEBSITE: For the latest results, statistics and updates, including reports on all WWU athletic events, visit the Vikings website at wwuvikings.com.

PROBABLE TWO DEEPS
WESTERN WASHINGTON
OFFENSE
TE  86 Logan Cullen (6-3, 245, Sr., Anacortes, WA)    83 Zach Hekker (6-4, 240, Jr., Bothell, WA)LT  56 Nick Bassett (6-4, 290, So, Gig Harbor, WA)    63 Jason Paull (6-3, 270, Jr., Vancouver, WA)LG  72 Russell Piette (6-4, 300, So., Vancouver, WA)    76 Scott Allanson (6-4, 280, Sr., Everett, WA)C   66 Dan Trask (6-3, 275, Sr., Aberdeen, WA)    67 Mike Spears (6-1, 285, R-Fr., Vancouver, WA)    57 Zach Myers (6-2, 280, Sr., Sammamish, WA)RG  78 Phil Hayes (6-4, 330, Sr., Renton, WA)    52 Travis Pierce (6-2, 305, Jr., Redmond, WA)RT  68 Chris Corey (6-4, 285, Sr., Federal Way, WA)    70 Chris Awambu (6-6, 350, Jr., Hayward, CA)WR   7 Pat McCann (6-2, 205, Jr., Olympia, WA)     4 Rick Copsey (5-8, 175, Jr., Camas, WA)WR   3 Travis McKee (6-5, 210, Sr., Bothell, WA)    87 Augustine Agyei (6-0, 185, Jr., Aurora, CO)TB  10 Randall Eldridge (5-10, 200, Jr., Lynnwood, WA)    27 Kevin Sampson (5-9, 170, R-Fr., Seattle, WA)    40 Domenique Hill (6-0, 215, Fr., Portland, OR/Mountain View)QB   6 Adam Perry (6-0, 190, Sr., Longview, WA)    17 Cole Morgan (6-3, 205, Jr., Seattle, WA)    18 Chris Bolt (6-5, 225, R-Fr., Lynden, WA)FB  42 Matt Clark (6-1, 240, Sr., College Station, TX)    32 Dan Winter (6-0, 220, Jr., Lacey, WA)
DEFENSE
LE  93 Nick Rocco (5-11, 225, So., Sammamish, WA)    92 Danny Hawkins (6-2, 240, R-Fr., Seattle, WA)T   58 William Jackson (6-1, 260, Jr., Seattle, WA) or    79 Don Thomas (6-0, 245, So., Kent, WA)N   53 Shea Thorstad (6-0, 265, Sr., Stanwood, WA)    96 Justin Mundell (5-9, 230, Jr., Maple Valley, WA)RE  91 Casey Hamlett (6-3, 235, So., Edmonds, WA)    95 Amitoelau Faalevao (6-3, 235, Sr., American Samoa)    54 David Johnson (6-2, 215, Fr., Odessa, WA)OLB  5 C.J. Green (5-8, 190, So., Jr., Federal Way, WA)    36 Derek Diaz (5-11, 240, Jr., Antioch, CA)MLB  9 Caleb Jessup (6-0, 220, Jr., Kenmore, WA)    43 Erick Cheadle (6-1, 210, Fr., Spokane, WA)OLB 34 Nick Cragin (5-10, 210, So., Sammamish, WA)    29 Jared Young (5-8, 185, So., Kennewick, WA)LC   1 Kevin Jones (5-9, 175, Sr., Seattle, WA)    28 Anthony Rosso (5-11, 180, Sr., Walla Walla, WA)    23 Jabari Mu'ied (5-10, 155, So., Redmond, WA)FS  11 Zach Schrader (6-1, 195, So., Issaquah, WA)    30 Danny Cumming (6-0, 180, Jr., Friday Harbor, WA)SS  31 Joshua Gray (5-11, 195, So., Tacoma, WA)    41 McKenzie Murphy (5-9, 175, Fr., Spokane, WA/Ferris)RC   2 Anthony Zackery (5-11, 200, So., Spokane, WA)    33 Dustin Adams (5-10, 175, Fr., Lakes Stevens, WA)
SPECIAL
P   26 Josh Lider (6-2, 195, Jr., Bellevue, WA)    16 Ace Younggren (6-0, 195, Jr., Snohomish, WA)PR   4 Rick Copsey (5-8, 175, Jr., Camas, WA)     1 Kevin Jones (5-9, 175, Sr., Seattle, WA)    87 Augustine Agyei (6-0, 185, Jr., Aurora, CO)KO  16 Ace Younggren (6-0, 195, Jr., Snohomish, WA)    26 Josh Lider (6-2, 195, Jr., Bellevue, WA)FG/ 26 Josh Lider (6-2, 195, Jr., Bellevue, WA)PAT 16 Ace Younggren (6-0, 195, Jr., Snohomish, WA)KOR  4 Rick Copsey (5-8, 175, Jr., Camas, WA)     1 Kevin Jones (5-9, 175, Sr., Seattle, WA)     2 Anthony Zackery (5-11, 200, So., Spokane, WA)    87 Augustine Agyei (6-0, 185, Jr., Aurora, CO)H    8 Tony Gardiner (5-10, 200, Sr., Bothell, WA)    17 Cole Morgan (6-3, 205, Jr., Seattle, WA)LS  32 Dan Winter (6-0, 220, Jr., Lacey, WA)    89 J.D. Neumeister (6-3, 230, So., Gig Harbor, WA)SS  56 Nick Bassett (6-4, 290, So, Gig Harbor, WA)    32 Dan Winter (6-0, 220, Jr., Lacey, WA)
HUMBOLDT STATE
OFFENSE
QB  16 Mike Proulx (6-0, 195, RSFr., Castro Valley, CA)     8 Garrett Hubrich (6-2, 215, Sr., Hillsboro, OR)    15 Brian Hildebrand (6-2, 212, Sr., Corona, CA)RB   3 Bobby Thomas (5-7, 195, Jr., Lancaster, CA    33 Joevany Cueva (5-9, 200, Sr., Santa Ana, CA)LT  62 Lorenzo Arenas (6-2, 270, Sr., Medford, OR)    72 Brett Frydendahl (6-4, 270, Fr., Corona, CA)LG  54 Bryant Kendall (6-2, 265, Sr., Modesto, CA)    55 Chris Vicory (5-11, 295, Sr., Rio Linda, CA)C   50 Taylor Boggs (6-3, 278, So., Pasadena, CA)    54 Bryant Kendall (6-2, 265, Sr., Modesto, CA)RG  67 Chris Holmes (6-2, 271, So., Anchorage, AK)    55 Chris Vicory (5-11, 295, Sr., Rio Linda, CA)RT  65 David Looney (6-4, 290, Sr., Denair, CA)    50 Taylor Boggs (6-3, 278, So., Pasadena, CA)TE  84 Matt Devlin (6-3, 235, So., Chugiak, AK)    86 D'Andre Henry (6-1, 215, Jr., Los Angeles, CA)WR   5 Kevin Miles (5-8, 175, So., Sacramento, CA)    83 Lance Walkup (6-2, 208, Jr., Santa Cruz, CA)WR  23 Matt Smith (6-5, 200, Sr., San Francisco, CA)    82 Mike  Streck-Woodard (5-11, 196, R-Fr., East Palo Al to, CA)WR  18 Devin Stearns (6-2, 195, Jr., Gardena, CA)     2 Tim Simmons (6-1, 205, Sr., Compton, CA)
DEFENSE
LE  49 Brad Hunkins (6-2, 250, Sr., Sutter Creek, CA)    77 Justin Rose (6-4, 262, Sr., Juneau, AK)T   99 Desmond Maxwell (6-0, 285, Sr., Pomona, CA)    64 Chris Arevalo (5-11, 255, Fr., Medford, OR)T   58 Luke Swangler (6-1, 270, Jr., Paso Robles, CA)    69 Jacob Accetta (6-0, 290, Sr., San Pedro, CA)RE  87 Derrick Garrett (6-5, 285, Jr., Los Angeles, CA)    43 Justin Hornsby (6-3, 230, Jr., Jamul, CA)OLB 37 Michael Lynch (5-10, 225, So., Sacramento, CA)    48 Calvin Robinson (5-11, 215, Jr., Fresno, CA)ILB 45 Bubba Reynolds (5-11, 220, Jr., Huntington Beach, CA)    38 Ian Cossar (6-0, 220, Jr., Novato, CA)OLB 29 Kevin Duley (6-0, 185, R-Fr., Goleta, CA)     1 Justin Calcote (5-11, 223, Sr., Los Angeles, CA)LC   6 Barry Davis (6-1, 197, Jr., Los Angeles, CA)    41 Devyn Clayborn (5-8, 180, Jr., Los Angeles, CA)FS  21 Jeff Williams (5-10, 200, Sr., Inglewood, CA)    31 Blyth Colbert (5-9, 210, Jr., Los Angeles, CA)SS  11 Guy Ricciardulli (5-11, 200, So., San Diego, CA)    32 Adam Reyes (5-9, 185, So., Newhall, CA)RC  25 Justin Price (5-11, 185, Jr., Los Angeles, CA)    24 Corey Green (5-9, 165, R-Fr., Cerritos, CA)
SPECIAL TEAMS
P   44 Kyle Schieholt (5-10, 190, Jr., Chugiak, AK)    14 Enrique Leyva (5-10, 190, Sr., Vista, CA)PR   5 Kevin Miles (5-8, 175, So., Sacramento, CA)    11 Guy Ricciardulli (5-11, 200, So., San Diego, CA)KO  44 Kyle Schieholt (5-10, 190, Jr., Chugiak, AK)    14 Enrique Leyva (5-10, 190, Sr., Vista, CA)PK  44 Kyle Schierholt (5-10, 190, Jr., Chugiak, AK)    14 Enrique Leyva (5-10, 190, Sr., Vista, CA)KOR 20 Corey Stollmeyer (6-1, 185, Jr., Morroo Bay, CA)    18 Devin Stearns (6-2, 195, Jr., Gardena, CA)H   16 Mike Proulx (6-0, 195, R-Fr., Castro Valley, CA)     8 Garrett Hubrich (6-2, 215, Sr., Hillsboro, OR)LS   2 Tim Simmons (6-1, 205, Sr., Compton, CA)     8 Garrett Hubrich (6-2, 215, Sr., Hillsboro, OR)

Humboldt State Football Weekly Preview

Smith takes troops to Bellingham this weekend

ARCATA, Calif. -- Returning to the scene of his success, HSU head coach Rob Smith hopes to bring a victory to the other side of the field when he takes the Lumberjacks to Bellingham, Wash. this week. At 1 p.m. Saturday, they'll go up against the Western Washington University Vikings, the same program Smith coached to 109 victories during his 17 years as head coach.

Media: All Humboldt State football games are broadcast live on KATA, 1340 AM radio, the North Coast's ESPN affiliate. J.B. Mathers calls the action, and is joined by HSU Hall-of-Famer Burt Nordstrom, who adds commentary. The audio will also be streamed live on the hsujacks.com web site. ...Another feature allowing fans to track the game's progress is the LiveStats component of hsujacks.com.

Coaches Show: For insight on the Jacks' football program and information on all of Humboldt State's athletics activities, catch "Humboldt State Tonight" on Fox Channel 2 local cable television at 6 p.m. Wednesdays. J.B. Mathers hosts the show, which features interviews with Coach Rob Smith, student-athletes, and other HSU Athletics staff members.

Head-to-Head: Western Washington holds an 11-5 advantage in the all-time series after earning a 30-14 win over HSU on Sept. 13 in Redwood Bowl. The Jacks most recent win was a 28-23 victory in 2006. ...The series began in 1956.

Coaches: In his first season directing the Lumberjacks, Coach Rob Smith stands at 2-6 overall and 0-5 in conference games. As head coach at Western Washington for 17 seasons, Smith's programs achieved a 109-62-1 record. ...Robin Ross, Smith's successor at WWU, is 10-18 in his third season directing the Vikings' program.

Injury Report: Senior placekicker Enrique Leyva (thigh) continues to be evaluated on a day-to-day basis after sustaining the injury three weeks ago. ...Linebacker Allen Brunner, who has made only one appearance since suffering a knee injury in the season-opener, will not play again this season.

Lumberjack Notes: Many positives emerged from Saturday's loss to Central Washington, especially on the defensive side of the ball. On the other hand, the offensive production is still far below what the HSU coaching staff expects, and many personnel changes will be considered this week. "I'm undecided on quarterback and running back, and the starting wide receivers may change, too," Smith said. "Based on last week's performance, we have to consider some moves. Forutnately, we've avoided the injuries that often forced you to make changes." ...Back to the defense, Smith felt the Lumberjacks put forth perhaps their best effort last week. Supporting that assessment were the team's season-high sack total of three quarterback sacks for -20 yards. Also excelling was the linebacking corps of Michael Lynch (16 tackles), Bubba Reynolds (10 tackles), and Justin Calcote (nine tackles). "The defense had a great game, and that starts up front with our linemen," Smith said. "(Defensive tackles) Desmond Maxwell had his best game. We're also starting to see some real leaders emerge in sophomores Michael Lynch and (safety) Guy Ricciardulli." ... Trying to carry over the effort, defensively, will be a key to this week's success, as will a more cohesive offensive performance. Last week, Smith saw mistakes and problems spread throughout the unit, which managed ony 14 points again and averages just 15.5 per game for the season. "The players and the coaches are frustrated with the offense," Smith said. "There have been breakdowns at all positions. We have to continue to work on everybody's role. The players and coaches have a great deal of pride, and they all sincerely want to make the necessary changes."

Opponent Notes: Western Washington has posted a 3-4 record overall thus far, and stands at 3-2 in GNAC games. The Vikings have put points on the board, averaging 28.7 points per game, but also giving up 33.4 on average. ...Western's last two wins have been exciting, the first a 29-27 win over Dixie State on Sept. 27 that was decided on a 27-yard field goal with four seconds remaining and then a 24-13 triumph at Western Oregon on Oct. 4. Last week, the Vikings dropped a 42-32 decision to first-year NCAA Division I-FCS North Dakota. ...Western Washington's offense is directed by fifth-year senior quarterback Adam Perry, who was originally recruited to play for the Vikings by Jacks' head coach Rob Smith. Perry eclipsed the 4,000 yard career passing mark last week, and has thrown for more than 300 yards in three of the team's last four games. He has connected on 18 touchdown passses this fall, including eight to wide receiver Pat McCann.... Junior linebacker Caleb Jessup leads the defense with a team-high 86 tackles, including 5.5 for lost yardage....Along with honoring its 16 seniors on Saturday, the Vikings will welcome back program alumni.

Smith Says: "It's their alumni weekend, and I'm sure many of my former players will attend. (Bellingham) was my home for 20 years, and both of my children were born there. But this isn't about me going back. It's about us needing to get a win. Standing on the far side of the field will be different for me, but I'll make sure we focus on a 60-minute effort and finding a way to be successful."