Burnaby, B.C. – It’s been a challenging season for the Simon Fraser University Clan football team and the Clan are down to their final opportunity to get their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory when they play the Humboldt State Lumberjacks this Saturday in Arcata, California (1 pm) to close out the 2010 regular season. SFU is 1-8 (0-7 GNAC) on the year, and faces a Humboldt State team that still has an opportunity to earn a share of the GNAC title depending on the outcome of the Western Oregon and Central Washington game.
Remembering Bernie:
SFU will be leaving on their 14-hour bus ride to Arcata on Thursday, but not before placing a football on the 50-yard line of Terry Fox Field at 6:30am to honour the memory of Bernd Dittrich. The Clan quarterback passed away on November 11, 2009, and the field will be closed to the public that day beginning at 6:30am in Bernie’s honour.
Since it was established, the Bernd Dittrich Memorial Scholarship has raised over $20,000 towards an international student-athlete scholarship, and for more information on the Bernd Dittrich Memorial Scholarship, please contact Steve Lewarne, Advancement Officer Athletics, by email at [email][email protected] or by phone 778-782-3613.
The Clan last week:
Redshirt freshman Stan Langlow became the first Central Washington University player with three interceptions in a game in 40 years, and the Wildcat defense finished with six total interceptions and seven takeaways overall en route to a 34-7 football victory over visiting Simon Fraser on Saturday afternoon at Tomlinson Stadium.
Central Washington’s defensive exploits also including the containment of one of the conference’s top rushers, SFU junior Gabe Ephard, who was limited to 39 yards on 22 carries. Ephard netted 222 rushing yards in the first meeting of the season between the two schools. Greg Bowcott completed 17 of 26 pass attempts, but had more interceptions thrown (six) than pass incompletions (three). Taylor Wilkinson had 10 of the Clan’s receptions in the game, totaling 50 yards as SFU finished with just 207 yards of total offense.
Bowcott starts:
Despite throwing six interceptions last weekend, freshman Greg Bowcott will get the start this Saturday when the Clan face HSU. Quinton Agosta will be Bowcott’s back-up. SFU has started three different quarterback in 2010, and has the lowest rated passing offence in the GNAC, averaging 155.6 yards per game.
Palmer’s back, is the running game with him?:
After breaking his hand and having surgery last week, running back Bo Palmer will return to the lineup for the season finale. The Clan have been dealing with injuries to their top-two backs; Gabe Ephard has struggled to find consistency after spraining his ankle against UBC. Ephard and Palmer are third and fourth in the GNAC in yards per game, and SFU is second behind Humboldt State in rushing offence, averaging 176 yards on the ground each time out. Ephard leads the GNAC in yards per play, averaging 6.2 each time he touches the ball, while Palmer averages 6.1 yards per carry.
Bo Knows Academics:
Bo Palmer was named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Football Team, the GNAC announced on Tuesday. Palmer has a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.31 in Communications at SFU.
Wilkinson Bowcott’s No.1 target:
Since Greg Bowcott got the starting job for the Clan, Taylor Wilkinson has become the No. 1 targeted receiver, and is now second in the GNAC averaging 3.8 receptions per game. Deep threat Mathis Baumbach has been hampered slightly due to injury, and is now fourth in the GNAC in yards per game, averaging 57.0, and is second in yards per catch, averaging 17.7 yards per reception. Wilkinson is one reception out of second place in the conference for total receptions, and sits in fourth spot with 34 total receptions.
O-Line model of consistency:
One of the major bright spots for the Clan this season has been the play of the relatively youthful offensive line. Brad Erdos, Ben Thompson, Thomas Basso, and Matthias Goossen have not missed a start this season, while centre Kris Gluppe has only missed one start this year when the Clan played at Western Oregon.
Defensive leaders:
Defensive end Justin Capicciotti has climbed the ranks in the GNAC and is now second in the conference with 5.5 sacks over nine games, one spot and one full sack behind CWU’s Eugene Germany for the conference lead. Fellow end Scott Puffer is fifth in the GNAC with 3.5 sacks .Middle linebacker Andrew Marshall is currently sixth in the GNAC in tackles, averaging 7.2 per game, while free safety Marc DesLauriers and linebacker Kevin Semenowich are tenth in the conference with 6.7 per game. Adam Berger and Nigel Palma each have a team high three interceptions, good for fourth in the GNAC. Berger’s 65-yard interception return against Humboldt is the longest in the conference this season.
Humboldt State last week:
Maintaining what has become the standard for Humboldt State vs. Western Oregon football matchups, Saturday’s Great Northwest Athletic Conference game was decided by a mere two points. Unfortunately for the homestanding Lumberjacks, it was the Wolves who held the edge this time, taking a 26-24 victory and avenging an earlier 14-7 loss to HSU.
Kelly Morgan’s 25-yard field goal with 2 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the game proved to be the difference, allowing the Wolves to improve to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the GNAC. Humboldt State dropped to 7-3 on the season and is tied with WOU for second place in the GNAC standings at 5-2.
Western Oregon achieved the victory by turning the tables on Humboldt State, the GNAC’s top rushing team heading into this weekend. Besides limiting the Jacks to 86 yards on the ground, the Wolves posted 213 of their own to control the game’s tempo and force HSU to battle from behind.
Lumberjack Game Notes (Courtesy HSU Sports Information):
Seniors finishing their careers Saturday are: wide receiver Sergio Allen, center Taylor Boggs, offensive lineman Adam Cherrie, tight end Matt Devlin, linebacker Kenny Dorset, defensive lineman Phillip Edwards, cornerback Elzie Gatson, offensive lineman Riordian Gomez, wide receiver Edwin Henry, offensive lineman Chris Holmes, defensive lineman Justin Hornsby, linebacker Michael Lynch, offensive lineman Daniel Rios, long snapper Ryan Smart, wide receiver Tim Souza, defensive lineman Jacob Taylor, and defensive back Eddie Umeh. They’ll all be recognized and joined by family members in a pregame ceremony Saturday. Several of our seniors were here when we went through the coaching change, and others were part of my first recruiting class, HSU head coach Rob Smith said. Theyve been here when the program was struggling, and now they’ve been a part of its success. They’re a big part of that success, and a very special group. Monday’s Super Region IV poll lists the Lumberjacks in 10th, one spot down from last week’s ranking. The top six teams that will advance to the NCAA Division II playoffs will be chosen following the outcome of Saturday’s games. Junior quarterback Mike Proulx has been sneaking up on a Lumberjack record as he heads towards the finish of his third season. Proulx has thrown for 4,670 yards during his HSU career, and needs only 15 yards to become the all-time Jacks leader and surpass the 4,684 achieved by Blake Moorman in 2005-2006. Proulx has already taken over the No. 1 spot for career touchdown passes thrown, totaling 38 to surpass the previous record of 35 achieved by Jacob Kadle in 2000-01. Junior tailback Lyndon Rowells enters the final game of 2010 as HSU’s No. 3 all-time single-season rusher. Rowells needs 22 yards to move into the No. 2 spot currently held by Cecil Stephens (1968) and 136 to surpass John Burman’s total from the 1960 season.
SFU head coach Dave Johnson’s thoughts on the game:
“I’m excited about the road trip, the opportunity to bond on a long bus trip with our guys is very special. It’s a great group of players, and these are the experiences you remember as a coach and as a player long after the season is done.”
“I’m hoping to [get a win]. I know it’s a little like David against Goliath, or at least that’s the perception, but I think we have a chance as long as everyone buys in and does their job.”
“At home this year I thought Humboldt gave us the best game on our own field, they really executed well, and didn’t take any plays off. They are an aggressive team, and we need to respond to their intensity.”
SFU Clan Football Ends First GNAC Season On Saturday
Humboldt State will have live audio and statistics for Saturday’s game, links are available at:
[url]http://hsujacks.com/schedule.aspx?path=football&
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