Comeback falls short, Clan loses 23-16 to Humboldt State

QB Miles Richardson directed the Clan offence to 434-yards and the team scored on three of its four red zone possessions

Game recap: Steve Frost, Associate Director Marketing & Communications ([email protected])

Box Score

ARCATA, CA – Senior Miles Richardson returned to his starting spot at quarterback and almost led Simon Fraser University to a come-back win over Humboldt State. But Richardson and the Clan misfired on four tries inside the 10-yard line with three minutes remaining in the game, losing 23-16 to the Lumberjacks in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference football game Saturday at the Redwood Bowl.

Simon Fraser had the advantage in almost every area of the game but couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone when it mattered most. Richardson, who started at quarterback and went 24-of-44 for 321 yards after playing receiver last week, led the Clan 60 yards in nine plays to the Humboldt nine yard line. After a quick pass to receiver Robert Meadors on first down picked up a yard, Richardson threw three straight incompletions to three different receivers.

SFU never had another chance as HSU took over on downs and ran the clock down to one second before the Clan got the ball back at its own 49-yard line. Richardson threw a strike to Devin O’Hea to the HSU 35-yard line but he fumbled the ball trying to keep the play alive and the ‘Jacks recovered.

The loss dropped the Clan to 1-5 overall and 0-4 in conference play. Humboldt State, which will discontinue its football program after this season, improved to 1-4 overall, 1-3 in conference play. Announced attendance was 5,761 at the Redwood Bowl. Simon Fraser will host Humboldt State in its final game on Nov. 10 at Terry Fox Field.

Richardson directed the Clan offence to 434-yards and the team scored on three of its four red zone possessions. HSU amassed 300 yards of offence with 179 coming along the ground.

1^st Quarter | Humboldt State scored touchdowns on two of its four possessions to start the game. A four-yard pass from HSU quarterback Andrew Tingstad to Leo Wagner opened the scoring. The Jacks picked up a safety after they decided to punt on the Clan 35-yard line and placed the ball at the 1-yard line. On SFU’s first play RB Jason Nelson was stopped behind the goal line. The Jacks got possession of the ball after the Clan punt and went 48-yard in three plays, capped by a QB 1-yard run for a TD and 16-0 lead.

2nd Quarter | Richardson took the Clan 68-yards in 8 plays, aided by three pass interference calls, before scoring on a four-yard pass to receiver Rysen John to cut the lead to 16-7.

3^rd Quarter | Simon Fraser scored on a 27-yard field goal by Kees Metselaar after a 9-play 63-yard drive, cutting the lead to 16-10. A turnover on SFU’s next possession gave the Jacks a 23-10. Richardson’s pass was intercepted by Evan Camarena and returned 50 yards to the SFU 5, before he fumbled into the end zone and the Jacks recovered for the touchdown. SFU got back to within a touchdown after Richardson found tight end Christian Phillips on a 17-yard pass and run for a touchdown to end the quarter.

Stats | SFU’s defence held Tingstad to just 8 completions on 23 attempts but the Jacks averaged 5.3 yard per run, gaining 179 yards along the ground on 34 carries. SFU running back KC Kircher had 53 yards on 13 carries while Nelson rushed for 30 yards on 10 carries. Meadors led all receivers with 6 catches and 98 yards while Kester Iwunze caught 4 passes for 52 yards for SFU.

Turnaround | Humboldt State defeated Simon Fraser twice last season by a combined score of 119-21.

Up Next | Tickets are on sale now for the Clan’s Socktoberfest home game vs Azusa Pacific on Oct. 13. Socks will be given away to fans at the game. Fans who purchase tickets online in advance will save money.  Tickets purchased online are $10 for adults and $5 for youth 14-and-under, visiting students & seniors. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for youth 14-and-under, visiting students & seniors when purchased at the gate. Children under 6 are admitted free.

Parking | Free parking is offered with admission in the Visitor West Parkade or Visitor North during all varsity home events again this season using the varsity18 code at parking meters.