SFU prepares for final home stand vs. Humboldt

Burnaby, B.C. – After a disappointing 18-15 loss to Dixie State this past weekend, the Simon Fraser University Clan return to the friendly confines of Terry Fox Field to host the Humboldt State Lumberjacks on Saturday (3 pm).

The Clan (1-6, 0-5 GNAC) are 3-2 all-time against Humboldt (6-2, 4-1 GNAC), having last played HSU in 2001, a game which Humboldt won 37-34.
Saturday will also mark the final home game for eight Clan seniors, the list includes Dan Chabot, Marc DesLauriers, Dan Martin, Blair West, Kevin Semenowich, Adam Johnson, Scott Puffer and Daniel Stanzel.

The Clan last week:
The Simon Fraser University Clan were 30 minutes away from their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory. Simon Fraser however was kept off the score sheet during the final two quarters, including missing a chance at a game tying field goal in the final seconds of regulation, as the Dixie State College Red Storm downed SFU 18-15 on Saturday afternoon. The loss drops SFU to 1-6 on the season.
The loss erased an outstanding offensive performance by SFU, who finished the game with a season high 504 yards, while the Clan’s defence held Dixie State to only 204 total yards offensively. It also negated another great rushing day for Bo Palmer, who posted 194 yards on the ground including an 80-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half to put the Clan up 15-10 at halftime.

Bowcott sparks offence
Freshman quarterback Greg Bowcott put forth the best passing effort of the year for the Clan, tossing a season high 233 yards en route to being named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week after his performance in the loss against Dixie State. The Clan now have the top offence in the GNAC in terms of yards per game, averaging 364.7 yards over seven games this season.

Who will run?
Gabe Ephard has a bum ankle. Bo Palmer suffered a stinger and has an issue with his right hand. Both have been tearing up the GNAC in terms of the Clan’s ground game, but if either runner can’t go against Humboldt, SFU head coach Dave Johnson was impressed with the performance two newcomers this past weekend, Brett Fabian and Cole Tudor, and either one could be getting an increased amount of carries depending on the health of Ephard and Palmer. With his 194 yards last week, Palmer climbed to fourth in the GNAC in rushing, while Ephard dropped out of first in the conference standings to third.

No.1 target
No matter who has been at quarterback this season for the Clan, the indisputable fact is Dusseldorf’s own Mathis Baumbach has been the go to receiver on the Clan. Baumbach is currently first in the GNAC in receiving yards per game averaging over 70.4, and is first in the conference in yards per catch, averaging 19.0. Baumbach’s four touchdowns place him third in the GNAC for receiving touchdowns.

Improving defence
The Clan’s defence is still ranked last in the GNAC, but the Clan allowed a season low 214 total yards against Dixie State. Safety Marc DesLauriers is currently ninth in the GNAC in tackles, averaging 7.3 per game, while Chris Seminoff is in a seven way tie for the lead in the conference with two fumble recoveries. Justin Capicciotti added another sack to his total last week, and leads the Clan with 3.5 through seven games, good for fourth in the GNAC.

The Lumberjacks last week
Humboldt State did Saturday what Central Washington’s last two opponents couldn’t – put points on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, the total wasn’t enough to spoil the Wildcats’ homecoming, a 26-18 win over the Lumberjacks.?
Central’s win avenged an earlier loss to HSU, leaving the squads tied on top the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with 4-1 record. It also ended the Jacks’ six-game winning streak, dropping them to 6-2 overall while Central Washington improved its overall record to 6-3.??Still, it was the Wildcats’ defense that kept the Jacks off its game, holding Humboldt State to 220 total yards, including only 38 on the ground. Humboldt State’s defense was also responsive; limiting the Wildcats to six points in the second half.

Lumberjack Notes? (Courtesy HSU Sports Information)
Heading into the final three games of the season, the Jacks top the GNAC statistical rankings in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Offensively, they average a league-best 29.0 points per game while holding opponents to 17.8 points per contest. …Despite HSU’s ranking at the top of the offensive scoring category, the Jacks have taken a down-turn while possessing the ball in their past two contests. They managed only two touchdowns by the offense in each of the two games. “For two weeks we haven’t played up to the level offensively that we need to be at,” HSU head coach Rob Smith said. “To be effective, we need to run the football better. That’s where it all starts with our offense.” …Despite missing last week’s game, Faraimo continues to top the Lumberjacks in tackles with 56. The junior transfer also has 4.5 tackles for a loss, a blocked kick and fumble recovery. …Earning the coaches’ awards this week were Chris Bolt, on offense, Chris Peterson, on defense, Tim McMullen, special teams, Tommy Darcey, offensive scout, and Kelly Mitchell, defensive scout. …Individually, the Lumberjacks have GNAC statistical leaders in Sergio Allen, Lyndon Rowells, Matt Bruder, Elzie Gatson and Justin Hornsby. Allen tops the league with a kickoff return average of 23.2 yards, while Rowells leads in all-purpose yards, averaging 131.9 per game. Bruder is best with 27 of 27 PAT kicks, Gatson averages 1.12 passes defended per game, and Hornsby ranks first in fumbles forced at .38 per game.

Dave Johnson’s thoughts on the game
“[Humboldt] has a great quarterback, he is incredibly athletic and a playmaker and we have to be very cognizant of where he is and what he is doing at all times.”
“The same goes for their defensive line, they have some incredible tackles that we will have to deal with and scheme around, they have a powerful front four.”
“[On Bowcott] I was impressed with Greg, it took him about a quarter to settle into the game, but every throw he made he had a reason for making, whether it was a pre-snap read, or reacting to something that a cornerback or safety was doing. I was very proud of his performance in his first start.”

Follow Saturday’s game live:
Live statistics for Saturday’s game are available at:
http://cgi.sfu.ca/~athlwww/livestats/football/xlive.htm

Clan TV broadcast of Saturday’s game is available at:
http://www.educationcdn.com/schools/clan/