2008 Woodie Awards
Football's third win a comeback
Western scores two touchdowns with less than six minutes to play to beat HSU
Amanda Miles
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Seventy-four points. Two-hundred twenty yards in penalties. Eight turnovers. One winner.
Western got caught in a wild and crazy showdown against Humboldt State on Saturday, Oct. 29, at McArthur Field, but emerged victorious with a 39-35 win.
"This was a major step in the right direction," explained Western Head Coach Arne Ferguson. "The whole goal in crucial situations is to make plays, and it was very nice to see that. It was exciting to see, and a great game to watch from the fans' point of view."
The Wolves avenged an Oct. 8 17-9 defeat against Humboldt State in Arcata, Calif., with the victory, raising their record to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. The win was Western's first since a 24-10 victory against Southern Oregon in Ashland on Sept. 24.
Saturday's game against Humboldt State featured three lead changes. Western led by as many as 14 points early in the third quarter, and Humboldt State held an 11-point lead with just 5 minutes and 47 seconds left in the fourth quarter before the Wolves rallied.
Western was led on offense by sophomore quarterback Mark Thorson, who threw for four touchdown passes and 273 yards to go along with three interceptions. Junior running back Eliot Vinzant tallied 131 yards in his first game back from a shoulder injury, along with one rushing touchdown and four receptions for 35 yards. Junior tight end Kevin Boss was Thorson's favorite target, catching nine passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns. His second catch of the day came from four yards out with just 4:31 left to play to bring the Wolves to within three points of the Lumberjacks at 35-32.
Western held a 14-7 lead at halftime, and extended it to 21-7 on Vinzant's one-yard touchdown run with 11:08 remaining in the third quarter. However, Humboldt State reeled off 21-straight points to take the lead at 35-24 with 5:47 to play after Lumberjack quarterback Blake Moorman's 11-yard touchdown pass to Tre Messersmith.
The Wolves were down, but not out. Thorson marched Western down the field on each of the squad's next two possessions, capping the comeback with Boss's second touchdown catch and a seven-yard pass with 2:28 left to senior wide receiver Tyler Smith for the game-winner. Sophomore defensive back Zach Christopherson's interception of Moorman's desperation pass with 19 seconds left sealed the victory for Western.
"The most positive thing is that the offense scored twice, and we created a turnover [with less than six minutes to play]," explained coach Ferguson. "[The team showed] confidence and execution, even though they were down by 11 points."
In other scoring drives for Western, Thorson's first touchdown pass of the day was a four-yarder to Boss with 0:05 remaining in the first quarter to knot the game at seven points apiece. Senior wide receiver Luke Carter caught a 14-yard pass from Thorson with 11:09 left in the second quarter to give Western a 14-7 lead. Junior kicker Bruce Voges connected on a 48-yard field goal attempt to give the Wolves a 24-14 lead with 6:29 remaining in the third quarter.
Overall, coach Ferguson was pleased that his squad is starting to believe in and live up to its potential.
"[The players] are starting to play like they expect and we have expected them to play," coach Ferguson explained. "As the season progresses, they're starting to see success. The main thing is we expect them to play like that all the time. It's a learning process, and it takes time to develop that confidence. They're showing progress and will keep on getting better."
"The future is bright," coach Ferguson continued. "The seniors, and the other players, are laying a great foundation as to how things need to be done."
Western's next game is on the road against a tough Western Washington squad on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. Coach Ferguson expects to see similar effort and execution to the Humboldt State game.
"The number one thing is to play physical, to play fast and to play smart," coach Ferguson said. "If they do that, they have to chance to put everything together for all four quarters. It will be nice to see if we can do that in a tough place to play."