BURNABY, BC – A dominant first half from the Humboldt State University Lumberjacks (2-1, 1-1) proved too much for the SFU Clan football team (0-3, 0-1) to overcome on Saturday night, as they fell 56-24 at Swangard Stadium.
"It's a process, I mean we've talked about that before," said SFU head coach Kelly Bates. "It's a long process, it's not going to be a short process, and you're either getting better, or you're getting worse. I think we go up and down during the games, obviously, that's the nature of the beast, but I do think there's things we can build on here, and we've got to take the positives, but still understand the reality as we move forward."
Despite the end result, the Clan had a ton of positive signs in their GNAC opener. The biggest bright spot was the play of redshirt sophomore tailback Jalen Jana. Getting the start in favour of the injured Ante Litre, Jana piled up 262 yards on 29 rushes, including a dynamic 52-yard score in the fourth quarter. The multitalented back also saw time under center in the wildcat, throwing a 14-yard touchdown.
"We had to fix a lot of things [coming back from Texas A&M Kingsville], a bit of a confidence issue, but of traveling, but we got those fixed over the week and stuff," said Jana. "You see, in that second half, we really moved the ball well, the offensive line blocked great, and there were some big holes."
Quarterback Miles Richardson was up-and-down in his Clan home debut, going 14-for-38 for 168 yards, a touchdown, and two picks through the air. Junior wideout Justin Buren nabbed five balls for 102 yards, while freshman Tom Franklin was a red-zone threat, catching two balls for 18 yards and a pair of majors.
The Jacks started fast – on the Jacks' first play from scrimmage, junior tailback Ja'Quan Gardner raced through a hole in the right side of the line and bolted for an 88-yard touchdown. Gardner, HSU's all-time career rushing leader, finished the contest with 211 yards and four TDs on 19 carries.
The Jacks tailback added a nine-yard score on their next possession, before Blair Zerr put the visitors up 21-0 in the final minutes of the opening stanza.
Down 35-0, kicker Chad Heerspink got SFU on the board with four minutes left in the first half, nailing a 33-yard field goal.
Five minutes into the third quarter, the Clan popped their first offensive touchdown of the season. The lead-up was impressive, as Simon Fraser got into scoring position on a 39-yard catch from Buren, before Jana took the team down to the goal line on a 35-yard scamper. Two plays later, Richardson found Franklin in the flats on the four-yard score.
After Gardner raced his way to a 58-yard touchdown for the Jacks, Jana responded on SFU's next drive, piling up 63 yards on the ground, including a 42-yard burst, before tossing a perfect ball to Franklin in the end zone out of the wildcat.
After a forced fumble on a punt return gave SFU the ball back midway through the final frame, Jana showed off his long speed, bursting through the HSU defense for that 52-yard touchdown.
The Lumberjacks backups added a score late in the game to close out the scoring.
The Clan will now head back out on the road, as they are scheduled to face the Azusa Pacific Cougars next Saturday, September 24. Kickoff scheduled for 6:00 pm in Azusa, CA.
