Football | 9/7/2009 4:24:31 PM

This Week: Saturday, Sept. 12, @ Humboldt State, 6:00 pm
Last Week: Eastern Washington 35, Western Oregon 14
Record: 0-1 overall, 0-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference
WOU Stats: www.wouwolves.com/custompages/football/stats/2009stats/teamstat.htm

GNAC schedule begins: Western Oregon and Humboldt State will kickoff the 2009 Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule Saturday, Sept. 12th, at 6:00 p.m., in Arcata, Calif. While all four teams in the GNAC have played at least one game this season, this will be the first matchup between teams in conference.

Listen in: You have a number of options to listen to the game live on the Wolves Radio Network. On the internet, link to the game from the Wolves website at www.wouwolves.com, or go directly to http://www.am1600kohi.com/. The Wolves' games will also be heard on KLOO 1340 AM (Albany) and KOHI 1600 AM (St. Helens). Russ Blunck and "The Coach" Bear Blunck will be back for their 13th consecutive and final season providing the call for all road games. Joining the Wolves for the first time will be legendary three-time Oregon Sportscaster of the Year Darrell Aune as he takes over the play-by-play for all home games.

A look at Humboldt State: Humboldt State got its season started on the right foot as it went on the road to defeat Adams State 36-24, Saturday (Sept. 5). HSU piled up 507 yards of total offense and quarterback Mike Proulx was selected as the GNAC offensive player of the week as he completed 20-of-29 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns. The ground game was also effective for the Lumberjacks rushing for 171 yards with Bobby Thomas accumulating 143 of those on 28 carries.

Holding the edge: Western Oregon holds a 14-13 lead in the all-time series against Humboldt State, after taking both games in 2008 and all four matchups since 2007. Coach Arne Ferguson is 5-3 against in his career against HSU. In 2008, WOU defeated HSU 44-28 in Arcata, Calif., and grabbed a 34-10 win in Monmouth.

Dowd named GNAC special teams player of the week: Jon Dowd, a 5-11 senior wide receiver from Corvallis, Ore. (Crescent Valley), was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 31-Sept. 6, as he recorded 203 all-purpose yards including 163 on five kickoff returns and 40 on five receptions. He returned two kicks for over 50 yards including a 58-yard return on the opening kickoff led to good field position as the Wolves battled Eastern Washington on even terms during the first half. This was the first game for Dowd playing on the offensive side of the ball as he converted from safety to wide receiver in the offseason.

Breza plays both sides: Western Oregon fans will be seeing No. 44 all over the place this year for the Wolves as John Breza will line up on both sides of the ball. He has assumed the starting duties at middle linebacker and will enter the games as a fullback in short and goal line situations. His impact was felt in the first game as he intercepted a pass and returned it 21 yards in addition to making a three-yard touchdown reception.

Stepping up: After Western Oregon stepped up a division to play Eastern Washington of the Football Championship Subdivision (D-1AA) in its first game, the Eagles will do the same as they travel to Berkley, Calif., to face No. 12 Cal in their second game of the season (Sept. 12).

Retooling the kicking game: Scott Buche and Kelly Morgan both assumed new roles as the punter and kicker, respectively. Buche punted six times for 235 yards in the opener, including a long of 52 and three landing inside EWU's 20 yard line. Morgan only attempted one field goal in the game which was blocked.

Clock control: The Wolves held more than an 11 minute advantage in time of possession as it ran 76 plays to the Eagles' 61 and ate up 35:37 of clock compared to 24:23 for EWU. Western Oregon won the time of possession battle in three of the four quarters including a 12:40 to 2:20 edge in the first quarter.

Wins keep coming: Head coach Arne Ferguson led Western Oregon to a third consecutive winning season as the team finished 7-4 in 2008 after going 9-2 and 6-4 the previous two seasons. This is the first time WOU has put together three straight winning seasons since 1985-1987 when it was a member of the NAIA. Ferguson's coaching record is now 27-16 after four seasons at the helm.

Ferguson facts: Head coach Arne Ferguson begins his fifth season at WOU as the program's leader. He has also spent nearly a lifetime at the school as a player and as an assistant coach. The Vale, Oregon native was a three-time All-CFA defensive back for the Wolves from 1986-88, and began his coaching career at Western in 1989. He has been WOU's defensive coordinator since 1997. In Ferguson's first season at the helm in 2005, he took over a program that finished 1-9 the year previous and pushed them to a 5-6 mark, finishing the season on a three-game win streak and has carried that same momentum into three consecutive winning seasons.

Wolves picked second: Western Oregon was picked second in the 2009 GNAC preseason coaches poll with 12 points. Central Washington was selected as the conference favorite, garnering 16 points and all four firs place votes.

What's missing: The Wolves lost 14 letterwinners off their 2008 squad including four All-GNAC performers; center Cory Perkins, wide receiver Isaiah Smith, and defensive tackles Anthony Marin and Matt Cox.

They're back: WOU will return a large batch of letterwinners for 2009, including six starters on the offensive side of the ball and eight on defense.

GNAC leaders return: Running back Ben Kuenzi finished second in the GNAC yards-per-game rushing category with 68.3 and was second in rushing touchdowns with six. Josh Riddell was third in passing yards a game (252.4) and pass efficiency (150.2). Shaun Kauleinamoku was eighth in receiving yards per game (52.1), fifth in TD scores (eight) and first in punt return average (11.3). Jon Dowd was third in the conference in kick-off returns with 22.4 per return. JT Gilmore ranked third in the GNAC in tackles with 8.9 per game (89 total). Gavin Romanick was second in the GNAC in interceptions with five and seventh in tackles for loss (0.91), with Caleb Singelton (four) right behind him in interceptions. Bryan Huber paced the GNAC in passes defended with 1.00 a game, while Miguel Gonzalez was sixth (0.80).

Touting the team: In 2008, Western Oregon led the GNAC in Rushing Offense (141.4), Pass Defense Efficiency (126.5), Rushing Defense (76.9), Interceptions (18), and Punt Coverage (34.8 net). The Wolves were sixth in the NCAA Division II listings in Rushing Defense.

Record watch: A number of student-athletes will be looking to break into or move up the Western Oregon football record books during the 2009 season. Here is a look at how some rank in school-history:

Career

Name                           Category                      Yds./#              Rank       Next spot

Ben Kuenzi                   Rushing                        2,031               9th          2,103 (Lulay)

Ben Kuenzi                   Yards Per Rush            4.8                   8th          5.1 (Pope/Taroli)

Josh Riddell                  Passing Yards               2,966               10th        2,966 (Keudell)

Josh Riddell                  TD Passes                    27                    8th          30 (Laney)

Shaun Kauleinamoku    Punt Return Yds.          357                  6th          367 (McElravy)

Shaun Kauleinamoku    Punt Return Ave.          8.5                   10th        9.2 (Telles)