Football | 9/25/2018 3:07:00 PM

Game 5 – Simon Fraser (1-3, 0-2 GNAC) at Western Oregon (1-3, 1-2 GNAC)
1:05 p.m. - Saturday, Sept. 29
Monmouth, Ore. / McArthur Field

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>>> GNAC Notes (Sept. 25, 2018)
>>> NCAA DII Rankings

MONMOUTH, Ore. – After a successful first road trip of 2018, Western Oregon University returns home Sept. 29 to host Simon Fraser. Kickoff against the Clan is set for 1:05 p.m. at McArthur Field.

RED OUT: Fans are encouraged to wear RED to the game on Saturday... Early in the first half of the game, WOU Athletics/SAAC will be giving away 300 special RED OUT t-shirts to current WOU students cheering in the student section (northwest corner of the stadium).  
 
ABOUT SIMON FRASER (1-3, 0-2 GNAC): The Clan come into Saturday on a three-game losing streak… After winning their opener 54-7 over Willamette University at home, SFU has lost each of their last three games by 24 or more points… each of the Clan's GNAC losses have been by 44 or more (APU -44, CWU -53)… The test in Monmouth is their third road game, they are 0-2 away from Burnaby

THE SERIES: WOU is 17-1 since 2000 against SFU, including winning 17 straight… After a 21-17 loss on Nov. 4, 2000, the Wolves have not lost to the Clan and are undefeated (9-0) at home… the Nov. 11, 2017 24-21 win in Monmouth was the tightest game between the two teams since a 20-17 victory for the Wolves Oct. 20, 2012.

CURRIES THROWS FOR CAREER-HIGHS, NAMED POW: Quarterback Ty Currie set new career-highs across the board against Humboldt State in the Wolves' 38-13 win… the junior completed 24-of-34 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for a fifth score to earn GNAC Football Player of the Week honors

PRINCE CATCHES ANOTHER TD: For the second straight week, Tyjuan Prince reeled in a receiving touchdown on 22 yards and four catches Sept. 22 at Humboldt State… This comes a week after 60 receiving yards for two scores at home Sept. 15 against Azusa Pacific… Prince had just four combined catches in the first two games of the season and now 11 receptions and three touchdowns between the last two contests… Head coach Arne Ferguson on the addition of Prince: "Tyjuan is a really hard worker and he pays great attention. 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."

HIGHBURGER EARNS POW: Western Oregon senior linebacker Bo Highburger was named the GNAC Football Defensive Player of the Week. He finished with 11 tackles, four for loss, a half-sack and a pair of forced fumbles, one of which later resulted in a WOU score, in Saturday's loss to Azusa Pacific.
 
RUN GAME: Omari Land has run for 100+ yards in consecutive games, tallying 110 yards Sept. 8 against Central Washington and 130 yards Sept. 15 against Azusa Pacific… This comes after Land made just one rushing attempt for no gain in the season opener Sept. 1
 
CURRIE DEBUT: Making his first collegiate start, junior quarterback Ty Currie completed 23 of 43 attempts for 276 yards against Angelo State in the season opener. Currie threw three interceptions and two touchdowns in the game, including a go-ahead score to culminate a drive inside the final 2 minutes of play that gave WOU a 17-16 lead.

DEEP THREAT: Tyjuan Prince' 74-yard catch in the second half against Angelo State was the longest catch by a WOU player in more than three seasons… The last catch to go over 75 yards by a WOU player was an 89-yard haul by Tyrell Williams at Central Washington on Oct. 18, 2014.

TACKLE LEADERS: Nate Proctor, Jr. and Andrew Weber combined for 23 tackles in the season opener against Angelo State. Proctor led the team with 12 stops, including eight solo tackles. Seven of Weber's 11 tackles were of the solo variety.

WOU SEASON OPENERS: The Wolves are 9-10 overall in season openers since 2000 with four of the 10 losses coming against NCAA Division I opponents… During that same span, WOU is 2-2 at home in season openers… Prior to this season, the Wolves had not opened a season at home since 2012 when the team hosted No. 7-ranked Grand Valley State (Mich.) where the Lakers defeated WOU 48-20 for the Wolves only season opening loss at home since transitioning to NCAA DII.

OFFENSIVE RETURNERS: WOU will have a nearly all-new look offense in 2018 after graduating two quarterbacks and its top five pass catchers… Junior signal caller Ty Currie will look to take the reins in his third season in the program after understudying for the two departing seniors… Currie appeared in one game last season with a brief stint in an Oct. 7 road contest at Simon Fraser where the Wolves posted a 82-21 victory… Currie completed his lone pass for an 8-yard gain and also scrambled for 15 yards on three attempts… The team's leading rusher, Devon Fortier is back for his junior season after rushing for 385 yards and three touchdowns… Only 16 of the team's 236 receptions return to the fold in 2018… Senior tight end Caleb Tingstad returns after collecting 10 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns… Fortier (5 receptions for 18 yards) and David Krupsky (1 reception for 8 yards) are the only returning players with a catch last season… Tingstad also carried the ball on eight occasions and punched the ball across the goal line on two carries… The team, however, returns significant continuity along the line with Joe Gonzales, Ron Rose, Jakob Pruitt and Aaron Turner returning to anchor the front… The quartet has combined for 59 career appearances, including 33 from fifth-year senior Ron Rose.

DEFENSIVE RETURNERS: Linebacker Bo Highburger headlines the defense after collecting First Team All-GNAC honors a year ago… Highburger led the GNAC with 102 tackles, including 11 that went for lost yardage… Lining up alongside Highburger will be Andrew Weber, Tyler Wharf and Nathaniel Proctor… Weber was second on the team with 83 tackles while Wharf added 21 tackles and Proctor 17 stops… The Wolves will feature three experienced players in the secondary with Curtis Anderson, Joey Roos and Derek Parnell… Anderson paced the team with four interceptions while Roos and Parnell had one pick each… Highburger, Weber, Anderson and Parnell started all 11 games for WOU last season... Veterans Isaiah Molden, Court Hammond, Skylen O'Brien and Court Hammond will carry the workload along the defensive line.

GNAC PRESEASON POLL: Western Oregon was picked to finish third according to the GNAC Coaches' Preseason Poll… Defending champion Central Washington received four first-place votes to lead the pack… Azusa Pacific was picked second with the fifth and final first-place vote… Humboldt State and Simon Fraser were slotted in the fourth and fifth positions… CWU was ranked No. 9 in the NCAA DII American Football Coaches' Poll.

2017 RECAP: WOU finished 2017 with a 3-8 overall record last season but were only outscored by its opponents by a 380-312 spread… The Wolves averaged 28.4 points per game and averaged 369.1 yards per game, including 263.6 yards per game in the air... Of the team's 34 touchdowns, 21 came in the passing game… The Wolves fell to NCAA DI Idaho State, 37-6, in the season opener and finished within a touchdown, 30-23, while playing at eventual GNAC champion Central Washington in week No. 2… The Wolves crushed Western New Mexico, 58-21, for its first win of the season and used an 82-21 thrashing of Simon Fraser on Oct. 7 to improve to 2-4 on the year… The Wolves closed out the year with a 24-21 win at home against SFU.

GAME 4 RECAP: Western Oregon def. Humboldt State, 38-13
Scoring came early and often for the Wolves in a 38-13 win over the Humboldt State Lumberjacks Sept. 22 at the Redwood Bowl. For Western Oregon, it was their first win of the season, also coming in their first road game of the year. The Wolves jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead and scored the first 38 points of the game before the 'Jacks managed two scores late in the fourth quarter. Ty Currie threw for a career-high 334 yards and four passing touchdowns on 24 completions. The WOU quarterback also ran for a fifth touchdown on his way to GNAC Football Player of the Week. Nico Jackson led the rushing attack with 78 yards. Brian Sarbeck totaled a team-high nine tackles, five solo, and added in 1.0 sacks to his night. The 'Jacks were held to just 156 passing yards and 110 rushing yards. With HSU playing their final season of football, it was the last time the teams will play at the Redwood Bowl.
 
GAME 3 RECAP: Azusa Pacific def. Western Oregon, 28-17
Two fourth-quarter touchdowns pulled Azusa Pacific away from Western Oregon late to deal the Wolves their third consecutive loss, 28-17 Sept. 15 in Monmouth. Western Oregon took a 17-14 into halftime, out-gaining the Cougars handily on the ground. Omari Land ran for a season-high 130 yards on 15 attempts to lead all rushers. Land has run for 240 combined yards over his last two games. Tyjuan Prince caught both WOU touchdowns, his first two in a Western Oregon uniform. Weston Carr caught three touchdowns on 153 receiving yards for APU. Two of his touchdowns were in the fourth quarter with the final points of the game coming on a 53-yard reception with just over two minutes remaining to solidify the win. Bo Highburger made a game-high 11 tackles, eight being solo, and forced two fumbles. The senior linebacker also chipped in for 0.5 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss to earn GNAC Defensive Player of the Week.

GAME 2 RECAP: #16 Central Washington def. Western Oregon, 50-17
No. 16-ranked Central Washington capitalized on an early safety during a WOU punt attempt and later a touchdown following a blocked field goal to defeat Western Oregon, 50-17, in the GNAC opener on Sept. 8. The Wildcats outgained the Wolves 441 to 343 with the bulk of their yardage coming through the air. Reilly Hennessey completed 17 of 28 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Ramones was the main benefactor from the aerial attack with six catches for 134 yards. Despite the score, the Wolves were effective in their run game with 218 net yards on the ground. Omari Land led the charge with 110 yards on 20 carries while Nico Jackson added 76 yards on 12 carries.

GAME 1 RECAP: Angelo State def. Western Oregon, 24-17
A late drive from the Angelo State Rams sank the Western Oregon Wolves, 24-17, in the season opener Saturday at McArthur Field. Both sides missed field goal attempts in the first half to send Angelo State into halftime with a 3-0 lead. With just three points scored and a combined nine punts before the break, offenses stayed quiet in the first half before a wild fourth quarter. With an even score headed to the fourth, the season-opener would be destined for a dramatic finish as 21 points were tallied in the final 15 minutes. A Tyrese Nathan nine-yard touchdown run gave ASU back the lead with 8:43 to play, but Connor Flanigan missed the extra point to keep it 16-10 in favor of the Texas side. Western Oregon took back over on offense with 2:11 remaining in the game and the first play of the series would be the biggest of the day as Tyjuan Prince reeled in his second catch of the day for 74 yards, immediately putting the Wolves inside the 10. Prince's 79 total receiving yards led the team. Currie's lob in to Thomas Wright two plays later and the successful Saldana kick put Western Oregon on top for the first time in the game, 17-16, with only 1:46 left to play. ASU, however, they punched in another touchdown with just a 52-second drive. Lawson Ayo culminated the quick strike by catching a 16-yard pass from Rotherham to put the Rams back up, this time for good. Nate Proctor, Jr. led WOU's defense with a team-high eight solo and 12 total tackles. WOU's Ty Currie completed 23 of 43 passes for 276 yards, throwing for two touchdowns and three interceptions.