The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Quarterback

  • Jacks Ball dominates Western Oregon

    Jacks Ball dominates Western Oregon

    By | Keaundrey Clark

    The Lumberjacks have faced a tough Western Oregon squad for the second time this season, a rowdy Redwood Bowl on the edge of their seats during the team’s amazing 42-32 victory against the Wolves.

    The first game against the Wolves came down to a missed extra point. This time the Jacks knew they had to come out stronger.

    “We had to come out and play our game,” said All-American tailback Ja’Quan Gardner.

    Gardner played his usual brand of Jacks Ball as he carried the ball 35 times for 215-yards and three touchdowns.

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    Ja’Quan Gardner diving into the end zone. | Ian Benjamin Finnegan Thompson

    “It’s another win for the Jacks,” said Gardner.

    A minute didn’t even tick off the scoreboard as the Senior Quarterback Robert Webber connected with Senior Marjani Ellison for a 53-yard touchdown reception. The Jacks would come back a few minutes later with a 17-yard Gardner touchdown run.

    Humboldt State’s offensive line led by All-American and NFL prospect Senior Alex Cappa controlled and dominated all night long.

    “We were able to limit mistakes from the last game,” said Cappa It’s about executing our assignment and doing what we do.”

    Up 14-0, Western Oregon got into the endzone with a one-yard score from quarterback Phillip Fenumiai. A field goal and 90-yard punt-return for a touchdown later and the Wolves rattled off 21-straight points to take the team.

    Gardner came to the rescue with two more touchdowns of three and two-yards to take a 11-point lead before halftime.

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    Ja’Quan Gardner running down the field. | Ian Benjamin Finnegan Thompson

    “We had an 11-point lead at half, we came out and got two touchdowns late in the second half which really was the difference in the game,” said head coach Rob Smith.

    Two Webber touchdown passes to junior Jamere Austin and Senior Chase Krivashei in the second half put the game away for the Jacks.

    “Proud of our kids, our defense played well with a few exceptions,” said Smith, “All in all we played well.”

    The Jacks will travel to British Columbia to face Simon Frasier, the Jacks hung up 72 points the last time these two teams faced. A week later the Jacks will face Western Colorado State.

    In three weeks the Jacks will have it’s final home game of the regular season against No.8 ranked Central Washington. The only team to hand the Jacks a loss this season.

    “Everything is still out there for us,” said Smith. “These kids have stuck to it, come out and got it done and we’re in the hunt. That’s all we can ask for.”

     

  • Jacks Sports

    Jacks Sports

    By | Keaundrey Clark

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    Football

    After a season that saw Humboldt State Football go 6-5, the Jacks have rebounded and are sitting in second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and 4-1 overall. Even with a recent loss to Central Washington, the Jacks boast the conference’s best offense averaging close to 47 points per game and over 500-yards a game.

    In the backfield All-American, running back Ja’Quan Murphy is having another strong season with 664-yards and seven touchdowns. His 132-yards a game is top 10 in Division Two.

    Quarterback Robert Webber leads the conference in passing with 17 touchdowns and 70 percent completion percentage.

    It’s been a season of greatness for the Jacks. Players like sophomore Davaeon Johnson have a night to remember with a three interception game versus Chadron State. He took one back for a touchdown. Johnson’s three interceptions tied a Great Northwest Athletic Conference single-game record. Wide receiver John Todd had a 225-yard performance against Western Oregon. He has a 90-yard catch and run which is the second longest play in school history.

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    Men’s Soccer

    After starting 6-1 and scoring at a torrant pace, the Jacks have gone on a four game losing streak.

    Leading this team in points is Junior, Francisco Caldron. He has 4 goals on the year. Junior Christopher Cherms has done well in the net with 46 saves

    Women’s Soccer

    Humboldt State women’s soccer has bounced back from last season where they won four games total. Sitting at 6-5-1 and 2-4-1 in conference, the Jacks have been led by Junior Alex Jenkins who has six goals on the year. Sophomore, Katelin Talbert has done a great job in the net with 51 saves so far this year.

    This week the Jacks host UC San Diego at 12:30 p.m. on Friday and Cal State San Marcos at 11:30 a.m.

    Cross Country

    The Humboldt State men’s and women’s cross country teams have been dominating so far this year.

    The men’s team finishing in second place in the Humboldt State Invitational. A trip to San Francisco for the Gator Invite saw the Jacks get a top five finish. In Salem, Oregon for the Charles Bowles/Willamette Invite the Jacks got a 10th place finish. Down south in San Diego the Jacks got a fourth place finish at the Triton Classic.

    The women’s team is one of the best in the west coast. They started the season with a first place win in the Humboldt State Invitational. A trip to San Francisco for the Gator Invite saw the Jacks get a second place finish. In Salem, Oregon for the Charles Bowles/Willamette Invite the Jacks got a first place victory. Down South in San Diego the Jacks got a fourth place finish at the Triton Classic.

    The Jacks have been led by Annie Roberts. She was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s Runner of the Week earlier in the season.

    They have received national attention for its success this season. The Lumberjacks are currently ranked seventh in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association West Region Rankings and are receiving votes in the national poll.

    Volleyball

    When a team is on a losing streak, team cohesion and chemistry can be lost. The Lumberjacks volleyball squad is not one of those teams.

    Sophomore, outside hitter, Lauren Reid has been incredible for the Jacks. With 175 kills, that lands her in the top 10 in the conference. She averages almost three kills per set. Senior Alex Lolland has 155 kills second on the team for the Jacks.

    Senior middle blocker Janelle Ayala is top 10 in the conference in blocks with 55.

  • NFL Playoffs

    NFL Playoffs

    By: Keaundrey Clark

    The National Football League divisional round has passed and gone. We learned a few things this past weekend. You need an elite quarterback to get this far in the season. The four remaining quarterbacks, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger have thrown for 135 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. You have Super Bowl winners (Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Brady), past MVPs (Brady and Rodgers) and the potential 2016 NFL MVP (Ryan).

    With four of the game’s best playing on the highest stages, we will see some classic games come this conference championship weekend. The Dallas Cowboys look set for the next 10 years with Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott as their stars. The two rookies shine in their first NFL playoff game and in defeat they showed they’ll be a force for years to come. The Seattle Seahawks are doing Russell Wilson a disservice by putting him behind an awful offensive line. That needs to be addressed if they want to even sniff the Super Bowl next season. This might be the Chiefs last run with Alex Smith as quarterback. He’s limited; average at best. If they don’t cut bait now, they’ll never get better. The Houston Texans, just like the Chiefs, have a roster to win now but are hamstrung by a shitty quarterback.

    Atlanta Falcons vs Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers vs Matt Ryan in a dome. Man, that’s a lot of points. Rodgers threw one of the greatest passes you’ll ever see, a 36-yard dart to Jared Cook to get his team into field goal range for the win, rolling to his left and threw it against his body, only where his player can catch it with his feet in bounds and left time on the clock. Each team’s defense is in the bottom half of the league in passing yards given up. These quarterbacks will pass for 350 yards each, probably push for 400 yards. Both teams will likely score 30 plus points. This game could literally come down to which team makes a play defensively or which quarterback has the ball last.

    My Pick: Packers 38 – Falcons 31

    New England Patriots vs Pittsburg Steelers: At this point, the Patriots are just a nameless, faceless machine. It feels  that every team they’ve had in the last 15 years has been identical with a few exceptions in the past. Two things remain the same: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. With those two, they always have a fighting chance.  The Steelers have arguably the best running back and receiver to grace an NFL field, a top five quarterback, yet they are 11th in scoring in the league. Not bad but not good especially for the talent they have. If they can put touchdowns on the board they have a chance to knock off Tom Brady and company.

    My Pick: Patriots 30 – Steelers 27