BLAINE, Wash. – In just their second conference game as a new member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC), the Simon Fraser football team dropped a 35-7 decision against the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas (5-0, 3-0 LSC) on Saturday night at Blaine High School in Blaine, Washington.
 
Both the Red Leafs' (0-3, 0-3) offence and defence showed well during stretches of the contest – junior quarter Justin Seiber posted some impressive numbers, going 18-of-27 for a season-high 251 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Seiber's favourite target was sophomore wide receiver Sam Davenport, who more than had a career day with six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Davenport also handled the punting duties for SFU, averaging 41.7 yards per kick.
 
Sophomore defensive back Johari Hastings was all over the field, making a half-dozen solo tackles and five assisted ones, while senior corner back Damon Lynch snagged SFU's only turnover of the afternoon with a third-quarter interception.
 
"I'm feeling excited about what we did tonight," said SFU head coach Mike Rigell. "Obviously, we didn't win and we're not pleased. You never talk about moral victories. But with the way we challenged ourselves this week, I'm very pleased the guys continue to fight. We saw some positives and successes tonight."
 

After falling into a 28-0 deficit by halftime, SFU's defensive adjustments had them looking like a different squad in the third quarter.
 
With a couple key offensive miscues – a turnover on downs and a fumble – keeping SFU off the board, the Red Leafs' relentless effort on defence finally bore fruit on back-to-back plays at the end of the third. First, Lynch made an excellent read on a Jake Cavazos throw, bolting back down the right sideline and jumping the route to take the ball back for SFU.
 
Seiber went big on the first down following the turnover, and launched a 45-yard play-action bomb to Davenport. The 6-foot-1 sophomore hauled the touchdown in stride.
 
With Cavazos leading TAMUK's offence down the field for a touchdown of its own on the ensuing drive, Seiber flashed once more as SFU's offence took the field. However, a couple of nice completions to Davenport and Robert Meadors went for naught as the drive stalled on downs just inside the Javelinas' 40-yard line.
 
Talking about the atmosphere in Blaine, Rigell was full of praise for his team's home crowd, which was just under 800 on Saturday.
 
"Thanks to Blaine for making us feel so welcome," stated the coach. "They brought out their families. It's always a great event when you can feel at home, even when you're away from home. The Blaine High School staff and administration did a great job working with our staff to set up this event. What more could we ask for? They gave us a great home welcoming and hopefully, they'll became some of our fans as well."
 

Junior left guard Christian Butenschoen of nearby Bellingham, had a large contingent of friends and family at Saturday's game.
 
"The first football game I ever played was in this stadium, as an eight-year-old," he said. "Tonight was a big night for my family to see me play against this level of competition and compete for my team."
 
Butenschoen says the Red Leafs are improving.
 
"I think our offence is way ahead of where we were last week," he said. "Our run game is there. We're starting to really click now. We're getting down the field. We just need to finish, and good things will happen."
 

With some tangible momentum gained against the Javelinas, a squad that received votes in the latest American Football Coaches Association Top 25, SFU will look to further accelerate their development as they prepare to visit the Texas Permian Bason Falcons (2-3, 1-2) in Odessa, Texas next week. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. PT on Saturday, October 8.
 
Before tonight, SFU's last appearance in Blaine was on Nov. 16, 1996, when it defeated Southern Oregon in the NAIA season finale by a score of 37-14.

For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.

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