Western Oregon, Southern Oregon Meet For 70TH Time Saturday

The Wolves, after a 4-0 start, have dropped contests to Humboldt State (29-21) and Central Washington (28-21) and are now 4-2 on the season.

WOU's Eliot Vinzant has rushed for 1,000 yards so far this season. Photo: WOU Sports Information

MONMOUTH - After back-to-back heart breaking Saturdays, Western Oregon hopes to rebound with a Homecoming contest Saturday against Southern Oregon at McArthur Field. Kick-off is set for 2:00 PM.

Raiders Revenge:

Speaking of rebounding, the Raiders of Southern Oregon are not the same team that the Wolves defeated 38-0 back on Sept. 23rd in Ashland. SOU has since bounced back to give Humboldt State (30-13) and Linfield (37-29) tough games, and they trounced traditional NAIA power Azusa Pacific, 57-7.

Tickets, Please:

Reserved tickets at McArthur Field are $10, and general admission tickets are $6. WOU students are free, and other students with ID are $4.

Listen Up:

The game will be broadcast live in the Salem-area on KCCS 1220 AM

Television Spotlight:

Saturday’s game versus Southern Oregon will be televised by Capital Community Television, and can be viewed as early as midnight on Saturday on channel 22 in Salem. Wolves Replay will also show the game on channel 17 in the Monmouth-Independence area, beginning on Tuesday at 8:00 PM, Wednesday at 6:00 PM, Thursday at 6:00 PM and Friday at 8:00 PM.

Rankings:

WOU is 33rd in this week’s Collegesportsreport.com national poll, and is No. 38 in the National Football Gazette poll.

Regional Rankings:

The Northwest region rankings for NCAA Division II were released on Monday. In the final poll (Nov. 13), the top six teams in the region (basically) qualify for the post-season. Here is this week’s top 12. (1) Nebraska-Omaha 5-1, (2) Grand Valley State 7-0, (3) North Dakota 6-1, (4) Northwood 6-0, (5) Winona State 6-1, (6) South Dakota 6-1, (7) Augustana 5-2, (8) Minnesota Duluth 5-2, (9) Wayne State 5-2, (10) Ferris State 5-2, (11) Central Washington 4-3, (12) Humboldt State 5-1.

Series Snapshot:

This will be the 70th meeting between the Wolves and Raiders, and the second this season. Western Oregon holds a 42-26-1 all-time edge, and has won the last five games between the two schools. The last four games in the series have been played in Ashland, and this will be the first time that the two have squared off in Monmouth since 1999.

Southern Story:

Southern Oregon, under first-year coach Steve Helminiak, is now 2-4 after a narrow 37-29 defeat last Saturday at Linfield. Helminiak, whose team has already doubled SOU’s 2005 win total (1-9), came to Ashland via Rockford College (Ill.), where he served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the past three seasons. Freshman quarterback Casey Mitchell has been gaining experience under fire as a rookie starter, throwing for 613 yards in six games. Senior wide receiver Gabe Hatchett is dangerous, but SOU’s defense is the team’s hallmark this fall. Five different players have intercepted passes, and the Raiders stop unit has 27 tackles for losses.

Ferguson on Raiders:“Since we played them a month ago, they have gotten their offense going. Their freshman quarterback is getting more experience. They are spreading the ball around, and they have some good receivers. On defense, they are very active, very aggressive. They will be hungry against us.”

Wildcats Edge Wolves:

WOU outgained Central Washington but had troubles getting the ball into the end zone during a 28-21 Wildcat win last Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg. The Wolves reached the red zone four times, but had to settle for field goals in each situation. In addition, a blocked punt in the third quarter turned into a CWU touchdown one play later during a back-breaking exchange for the visitors. Bruce Voges tied a school record with five field goals on the day, quarterback Mark Thorson threw for a career-best 314 yards and Eliot Vinzant rushed for 132 yards in a losing cause.

Coach on Wildcat Loss:

“Central is the best team that we have played and Mike Reilly was certainly the best quarterback that we have seen. Our defense did a good job against the run, but we were poor early in containing Reilly and allowing the deep ball. As the game went on, we got better in both categories. Offensively, any time you get 474 yards of total offense, you are doing some things right. We moved the ball well, had some big yardage plays, but still struggled to get the ball into the end zone, we need to get better at that.”

Voges Honored:

WOU kicker Bruce Voges was honored Wednesday at the D2football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week. Voges hit field goals of 24, 28, 29, 34 and 40 yards in keeping his team within striking distance of Central Washington during a 28-21 loss. The junior from Grants Pass, Ore. equaled a WOU school record held by John Freeman, who was 5-for-5 during a 1997 game against Eastern Oregon, and also now is a tri-record holder in the Northwest small college record book with Freeman and Western Washington’s Peter LaBarge, who hit five in 1985 against Puget Sound.

1,000 X 2:

Senior running back Eliot Vinzant saw one streak continue, but another came to a close on Saturday at CWU. Vinzant rushed for 132 yards, giving him 13 consecutive games at 100 yards or more. But his streak of 11 consecutive games with a rushing TD came to a halt, as he couldn’t get into the end zone against the Wildcats. Back on the plus side, the 6-0, 220-pounder has hit 1,000 yards even on the season, making him the first WOU back in school history to rushing for 1,000 yards in back-to-back campaigns.

Exceptional Eliot:

More on the exploits of Eliot Vinzant.

• The 13-game string of 100 yards or more a game is a school record and a Northwest small college mark.

• His 2,073 career yards, in just 1.5 seasons, already ranks seventh all-time at WOU.

• He rambled for 204 yards against Southern Oregon and 195 yards against Linfield, the ninth and 11th highest single-game totals in WOU history.

• His 1,000 yards is tied for sixth all-time for a single season. He ran for 1,073 last year (4th all-time). The school record is 1,210, set by Bill Volk in 1994.

• His 166.7 yards a game this year ranks fourth in the nation (NCAA Div. II)

• Vinzant’s 189.7 all-purpose yards a game is fifth nationally.

• The 2005 GNAC Newcomer of the Year has 66 points, seventh highest in the country.

By The Numbers:

WOU’s offense is averaging 425 yards a game, tenth best in Division II statistics...With 204 yards a game rushing, the Wolves are 14th nationally...WOU is outscoring its opponents by a 31-13 margin...WOU is only averaging 60 yards in penalties per game...The Wolves third down conversion rate is 43 percent...Quarterback Mark Thorson is connecting on 57 percent of his passes (102-180) for 1,315 yards and 10 scores. He has thrown just two interceptions.

The Big Secret:

The key to WOU’s big offensive production thus far is due in large part to its largest members—the offensive line. Senior Ryan Belcher (6-4, 330) is a four-year starter at guard, while juniors Paul Wright (6-4, 290) and Brett Rhodes (6-2, 255) are starting for the third season in a row. Allan Mikolas (6-4, 315) has seen starting time in each of the last three seasons, while Cory Perkins (So., 6-0, 265) and Brandon O’Neil (Jr., 6-2, 310) have also started in 2006. Redshirt freshman Brian Buckmier (6-4, 250) has also seen action in WOU’s big front.

Knudsen News:

WOU’s smallest offensive starter is one of its biggest threats. Senior receiver Tyler Knudsen (5-10, 180) led the Wolves with 62 catches last season for 600 yards, and he had eight grabs for 128 yards on Oct. 7th against Humboldt State. His 125 career receptions ranks seventh all-time at WOU, with the sixth slot within his reach this weekend—Mark Smith (1973-76) is next at 126. He has 29 catches this year for 357 yards and a score. Knudsen, out of Centennial High School in Portland, is also a kick-off and punt return threat, averaging 8.6 per punt and 26.9 per kick-off return.

Boss Man:

WOU senior tight end Kevin Boss (6-7, 255) had eight catches for 81 yards at Central Washington, all of them in the second half. He had one more TD grab of 45 yards called back in the third quarter on a controversial pass interference call. He currently leads the squad with 33 catches for 403 yards and five touchdowns. He had his best game of the young season against Texas A&M-Kingsville, catching seven passes for a career-best 139 yards. Two of those grabs went for touchdowns, including a 69-yard scamper on a tight end screen, where Boss outran the Javelina secondary for the score. Boss was a Lindy’s first team pre-season All-American and was a second team choice by the Football Gazette. The Philomath native caught 53 passes last year for 621 yards and eight touchdowns last fall, and has also caught the attention of NFL scouts, who made arrangements all summer to watch him in practice or in games this fall. Boss, who has been clocked under 4.6 in the 40, will also line-up at wide receiver from time to time.

His status for the Southern Oregon game, after injuring his shoulder at CWU, is questionable. “He is day to day,” said Ferguson. “He is a tough kid, he has never really been hurt. He is a tremendous competitor, and if he gets cleared to play, he will go.” Shutouts:

Western Oregon’s defense has essentially given up just six touchdowns in six games, and has pitched a shutout twice -- vs. Willamette (42-0) and Southern Oregon (38-0). The last time a Wolves defense had two blankings in the same season was in 1986 (Duke Iverson was the coach).

No Rush:

WOU is allowing just 71.2 yards rushing per game. That total ranks 11th among 141 NCAA Division II teams.

No TO:

Western Oregon’s turnover margin ranks fourth best in the country, at +13. The Wolves have only given the ball away via fumble three times in six games, and quarterback Mark Thorson has thrown just two interceptions.

Sack Hounds:

The Wolves defense has 21 quarterback sacks in six games and 48 tackles for 170 yards in losses. Anthony Marin leads the sack group with 6.5, while Matt Jirges adds five...Marin is eighth in the country in that category...Jirges and Marin also lead in tackles for loss with nine each....An amazing 18 different players have credit this year for a tackle for loss, and eight different players had quarterback sacks. Defensive end Casey O’Donnell had six quarterback hurries this fall...Senior linebacker Jeff Cloud leads the Wolves with 39 tackles.

More on Marin:

Sophomore tackle Anthony Marin (Salem/McKay HS) had two fumble recoveries against the Wildcats, giving him three on the season. Fellow Salem native (North Salem HS) and linemate Matt Cox has three forced fumbles on the year, which ranks eighth among Division II players.

Air Defenders:

Junior cornerback Jay Darden (Portland/Lincoln HS) leads the Wolves with three interceptions and seven pass break-ups. Nick Smith (Jr., Warrenton) has six deflections. The Wolves have 12 interceptions in six games, with six different players owning picks. Air Time:

Redshirt freshman punter Josh Vanlue (Salem/South Salem HS) continues to hammer the pigskin, averaging 43.1 yards a punt. That mark lists him third on the national NCAA Division II rankings.

WOU Players of the Week vs. Central Washington:

Offensive MVP: Mark Thorson (Jr., QB, Sandy)

Offensive Captain: Isaiah Smith (So., WR, Roseburg)

Defensive MVP: Matt Buche (Jr., LB, Myrtle Point)

Defensive Captain: Danny Hart (Fr., DB, Clackamas)

Special Teams MVP: Bruce Voges (Jr., K, Grants Pass)

Special Teams Captain: Andy Douglas (Fr., Aloha)

Scout Team Offense: Brady Lovell (Fr., QB, Vale)

Scout Team Defense: Hunter Utz (Fr., DL, Gladstone)

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