Lumberjacks rush over Clan (VIDEO)

Burnaby, B.C. – Lyndon Rowells and Daniel Wyatt combined for 366 yards rushing, as the Humboldt State University Lumberjacks ran all over the Simon Fraser University Clan, en route to a 35-14 win on Terry Fox Field on Saturday afternoon. The win moves Humboldt State into a first place tie with a 7-2 overall record, including a 5-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference mark. The loss drops SFU to 1-7 (0-6 GNAC) on the year.

“[SFU coaches] just didn’t do our jobs today, we didn’t put our players, either on offence or defence, in a spot to win this game,” said SFU head coach Dave Johnson following the game. “I thought our players played hard, which is good to see and Humboldt is a team that just doesn’t take any plays off.”

Simon Fraser had the first opportunity to score, moving the ball 73 yards behind Greg Bowcott’s passing efforts. On third and goal, Bowcott’s pass into the endzone was picked off by HSU defensive back Jerry Maluia, however, keeping the Clan off the scoreboard.

On their second series, Proulx and the Lumberjacks engineered an 84-yard drive, picking apart the Simon Fraser defense with efficiency. On third and goal from the 9-yard line, Proulx found Pat Gondkoff in the endzone to give the Jacks a 7-0 lead.

Multiple mistakes proved costly on the Lumberjacks next drive of the second quarter. After penetrating SFU territory, two penalties pushed the Jacks backwards. On second and 20, the Clan’s Adam Berger picked off Proulx’s pass, returning it 65 yards for a game-tying touchdown with 6:57 remaining until halftime.

Rowells powered the Lumberjacks to a rapid answer, rushing the ball four times during the Jacks’ 6-play, 58-yard drive. His final carry was for eight yards into the endzone to put HSU ahead, 14-7 with 3:51 on the clock.

After the defence stuffed Simon Fraser to open the second half, the Jacks needed only one play to put more points on the board. Wyatt took the pitch, followed his blockers and eluded tacklers before breaking loose on a 72-yard touchdown scamper that gave the Jacks a 21-7 lead.

The teams exchanged punts for much of the third quarter, but SFU found their rhythm as the period wound down. Gabe Ephard’s running and a series of successful short passes by Bowcott moved the ball all the way to the HSU 2-yard line. Ephard finished the 13-play, 70-yard march with a surge up the middle that cut the Jacks’ lead to 21-14.

On Humboldt State’s ensuing possession, Wyatt cut loose for another long run, exploding for a 53-yard pick-up to the SFU 31-yard line. Simon Fraser appeared to stop the drive, but on fourth-and-one Rowells broke lose for a 23-yard touchdown run that gave the Jacks a 28-14 lead.

Humboldt State’s defense forced another punt, and the offense did its job again. Rowells exploded for the final 34 yards, scoring his third touchdown of the day and going over the 200-yard barrier to give HSU a 35-14 lead with 6:14 remaining.

HSU quarterback Mike Proulx finished the game with 15 completions in 27 attempts for 173 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His totals added to the running numbers gave HSU a season-high 593 yards of total offense. Rowells finished with 212 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns, while Wyatt added 154 yards on 11 carries with one touchdown.

For the Clan, Bowcott finished the game 15-for-28 for 137 yards and one interception. Ephard finished with 38 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown, while Taylor Wilkinson was SFU’s leading receiver with six catches for 52 yards.

Andrew Marshall and Derek Jones led the Clan with nine tackles each, while Scott Puffer added a sack.

The Clan are back in action next Saturday when they face Central Washington in Ellensburg.