ARCATA, Calif. – The Western Oregon Wolves football team snapped their three-game losing streak on Saturday with a 38-13 win over the Humboldt State Lumberjacks at the Redwood Bowl. 

The Wolves opened strong on both sides of the football, forcing a three-and-out and followed immediately with a first-possession touchdown. Nico Jackson ran for 17 yards on his first touch of the day and 28 yards in the series. Ty Currie hit Tyjuan Prince on the right side of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown and an early 7-0 WOU lead.

After a second consecutive Humboldt State (0-3, 0-2 GNAC) punt, Chris Mack reeled in a 40-yard reception for the Wolves to put them at the HSU 9-yard line. A penalty and two incomplete passes forced Western Oregon (1-3, 1-2 GNAC) to settle for a field goal, extending their early lead to 10-0.

The Wolves out-gained the 'Jacks 141-41 in the first quarter and were not forced to punt until the second quarter. 

Facing a fourth down with three yards left on the Western Oregon 30, Humboldt State took a chance mid-way through the second quarter to try and jump-start their offense. Nate Proctor Jr. burst through the HSU offensive line for a 6-yard sack and the turnover on downs to end the drive. 

The Wolves had one last push in them before the end of the half, being helped along by a costly Humboldt State penalty. Facing fourth down around mid-field, the 'Jacks were called for a substitution infraction to give the Wolves a first down and push them into HSU territory. Currie found Thomas Wright for a 24-yard catch before running it in himself with just 17 seconds remaining in the half to stretch out the lead to 24-0 heading into the locker room.

The Western Oregon defense held HSU to just 77 yards in the first half with only 23 of those yards coming through the air. Tyler Wharf and Nate Proctor Jr. each turned in five tackles in the first half, both recording two solo tackles.  

"Defensively, we did a great job. Our linebacker corps played extremely well. They were making big hits and were very physical while our secondary also did a good job of limiting big plays," WOU head coach Arne Ferguson said.

WOU opened the second half on offense, picking up right where they left off. Omari Land rushed for 28 yards to cross mid-field before Nico Jackson ran for another 23 yards on the following play to eat up a good deal of the ongoing 81-yard drive. After multiple penalties forced the WOU offense to pick up some extra yardage, Tyler Sweet found himself wide open in the middle of the HSU secondary for a 34-yard touchdown catch, extending the lead to 31-0.

Humboldt State made their first push into the red zone in the third quarter, drawing inside the WOU 10 before being turned away. Going for it on fourth and goal, Andrew Tingstad's pass intended for Gary O'Leary went out the back of the end zone for their second turnover on downs of the game.

Both of the Lumberjacks' eventual touchdowns came inside the final six minutes of the game, the first coming on a receiver pass to Tingstad. Wide receiver Gary O'Leary's first and only pass of the day was a successful 20-yard touchdown to get the 'Jacks on the board.

Currie finished the night with a career-high 334 passing yards and five total touchdowns–four passing and one rushing.  
"Ty had a day," Ferguson said. "His timing to the receivers was great and anytime you can run the football, that opens up the passing game. We had seven receivers with 20 yards or more. That created a lot of opportunities for us."

Prince hauled in two of Currie's scoring strikes while finishing with six catches and 61 yards. Anthony Bradley caught four passes for a team-leading 77 yards and one score.

"Tyjuan (Prince) is a really hard worker and he pays great attention," Ferguson said. "We haven't got him the reps he needs just yet, but we are excited to have him with us and the plays that he's making along with a great young receiving corps have been great to see."

Brian Sarbeck led the defense with nine total tackles–five solo and 1.0 sacks. The Wolves allowed just 156 passing yards in their final game at the Redwood Bowl.

The win snaps a three-game losing streak to Humboldt State in their penultimate meeting and marks the first victory of the season for WOU.

The Wolves return home next week, hosting the Simon Fraser Clan on Sept. 29 at McArthur Field in Monmouth. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m.