CHADRON, Neb. -- September 27, 2017 -- After treating its home fans to a spectacular 73-26 victory over Adams State on Saturday, the Chadron State College football team plays the first of three games on the road Saturday, taking on the Humboldt State Lumberjacks in Arcata, Calif. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. (MST).
Thanks to the generosity of a former Chadron State football standout and one of the college's most loyal alums and his wife, the Eagles will fly from Denver to the non-conference game. After playing at Humboldt State, CSC will return to its conference schedule to meet Dixie State at St. George, Utah, on Oct. 7 and New Mexico Highlands at Las Vegas, N.M., on Oct. 14.
The Eagles' next home date is Oct. 21 versus long-time rival South Dakota Mines.
Humboldt State visited CSC a year ago and hung on for a 31-27 verdict after the Eagles drove 74 yards to the two-yard line midway in the fourth period, but failed to score on a pair of dives up the middle.
A Californian led the way for the Eagles to make last year's game a close one. Scatback Cody Paul went 75 yards from scrimmage for a touchdown and also returned a punt 74 yards to the end zone.
Saturday night's game could be another donnybrook. Chadron State has outscored its last two opponents 122-33 while building a 3-1 record. Humboldt State is 3-0, not counting an 83-14 victory in an exhibition game against a team from Mexico in the season opener.
Since then, the Lumberjacks have defeated another California team, Azusa Pacific, 30-19, Simon Fraser from British Columbia, 72-14, and Western Oregon 49-48.
The latter game went into overtime with Humboldt winning when Western Oregon missed the extra point after both teams had scored a touchdown in the first extra session.
Both Azusa and Western Oregon beat the Lumberjacks last year, when they finished with a 6-5 record. The Jacks were 8-2 in 2015.
Humboldt is led by two outstanding seniors, tailback Ja'Quan Gardner and quarterback Robert Webber. Because Gardner is 5-7, 205 pounds and Webber is 5-9, 180, they revive memories of Chadron State standouts Danny Woodhead at tailback and Joe McLain at quarterback a decade ago.
Two years ago as a sophomore, Gardner led the nation in rushing and scoring with 2,226 yards and 25 touchdowns and was the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which Woodhead won twice.
Gardner nursed a sprained ankle a portion of last year, when he finished with 1,300 yards and 18 TDs. He carried just twice for 15 yards against the Eagles, but the Jacks still rushed for 239 yards and Webber completed 32 of 42 passes for 262 yards, giving the California team 501 yards of total offense.
Gardner apparently is back at full speed this fall. Through three games, he has carried 68 times for 465 yards for a 6.8-yard average and six TDs.
While Webber hasn't been much of a running threat, he can throw it, just as he demonstrated to CSC fans last fall. A four-year starter, he's completed 51 of 71 passes (71.8 percent) for 772 yards and 11 touchdowns this fall, raising his career totals to 8,489 yards and 80 TDs.
So far this season, the Jacks' leading receiver is John Todd, a 6-3, 195-pound junior, with 11 catches for 341 yards. Gardner is also an exceptional receiver out of the backfield. Last year, he caught 42 passes for 249 yards.
Humboldt is averaging 538 yards of total offense this season. Three seniors and two juniors make up the starting offensive line. Five seniors, four juniors and two sophomores start on defense.
The Eagles also have some impressive stats through their first four games.
Their 39.2-point scoring average and the opponents' 19.0 figure put the Eagles second in both scoring offense and defense among RMAC teams. They also are second in both passing offense (295.5 yards) and passing defense (168.2) and they lead the conference in total defense, giving up just 298.5 yards a game.
Stevann Brown's 95-yard jaunt for a touchdown against Adams State gives CSC the RMAC lead in kickoff returns with a 29.9-yard average and ranks them third in the nation. CSC also sets the pace in quarterback sacks with 16 while giving up only one sack for five yards, which is tied for first in the nation.
The latter stat is a tribute to the offensive line made up of tackles Travis Romsa and Jared Maciejczak, guards Matt Barden and Adam Fuselier and center Jake Geil while protecting quarterbacks Dalton Holst and Matt Vinson, who have combined to complete 64 of 127 passes for 1,182 yards and nine touchdowns.
