Monday, September 23, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. - For the first time in its brief time as a NCAA member, Simon Fraser as received a vote in the American Football Coaches Association national poll.

The Clan (2-0, 2-0), coming off its first victory against Central Washington at Ellensburg since 1980, received one ballot point in this week's poll, and is ranked 39th overall.

SFU defeated the Wildcats 21-14 and is tied with Azusa Pacific (2-1, 2-0) for first-place in the GNAC with a 2-0 conference record.  The Cougars have won six straight conference games dating back to the end of the 2012 season.

Simon Fraser hosts Western Oregon (1-2, 1-1) this Saturday, while Azusa Pacific entertains Central Washington (1-2, 1-1).  Dixie State (0-3, 0-2), meanwhile plays at Humboldt State (0-3, 0-2).

In this week's NCAA national statistics report, Simon Fraser is ranked seventh in passing averaging 378 yards per game.  Central Washington is ranked seventh in punt return defense.  The Wildcats haven't allowed a punt return yard so far this fall.

Two SFU players rank No. 1 nationally.  Casey Chin ranks first in interceptions with two in two games, while Mitchell Barnett ranks first in fumble recoveries with two in two games.

For information on last week's games and Player of the Week winners, see the RELATED LINKS.

NATIONAL STATISTICS (Through Sept. 22): Team (Top 30): Scoring Defense – 21. Central Washington 16.3. Rushing Defense – 24. Central Washington 95.0. Passing Offense – 7. Simon Fraser 378.0; 22. Dixie State 315.0.  Passing Defense – 29. Simon Fraser 174.0. Pass Efficiency Offense – 19. Simon Fraser 158.6. Passing Efficiency Defense – 21. Simon Fraser 101.4; 25. Central Washington 103.3.  Kick Return Defense – 24. Simon Fraser 16.25; 28. Western Oregon 1.45; 29. Humboldt State 16.60. Punt Return Defense – 7. Central Washington 0.0. Turnover Margin – 19. Simon Fraser 1.50. Individuals (Top 30): Total Offense – 26. Ryan Stanford, SFU, 313.5. Scoring – 14. JD Duncan, DSU, 12.0. Passing – 13. Ryan Stanford, SFU, 328.5; 29. Ryan Bergman, WOU, 285.7. Receptions – 15. JD Duncan, DSU, 8.3; 20. Chase Krivashei, HSU, 7.7.  Punt Returns -  27. Isaiah Davis, CWU, 10.1. Field Goals – 18. Matt Bruder, HSU, 1.3.  Interceptions – 1. Casey Chin, SFU, 1.00; 12. Deionte Gordon, CWU, 0.67. Total Tackles – 23. Casey Chin, SFU, 11.0.  Solo Tackles – 23. Jake Duncan, DSU, 6.3.  Pass Sacks – 10. Timothy Ehinger, DSU, 1.3; 23. Tovar Sanchez, CWU, 1.0.  Tackles For Losses – 19. Kristian Lawrence, SFU, 2.0; 26. Gabe Bruno, CWU, 1.8. Forced Fumbles – 9, Deionte Gordon, CWU, 0.67. Fumbles Recovered – 1. Mitchell Barnett, SFU, 1.00; 5. Ronnie Hicks, HSU, and Nathan Sanchez, HSU, 0.67.  Passes Defended – 15. Cedrique Cheney, CWU; Isaiah Davis, CWU, and Deionte Gordon, CWU, 1.67. 

CWU ALUMS SWEEP CFL AWARDS: Former Central Washington standouts Adam Bighill and Mike Reilly swept the Canadian Football League Defensive and Offensive Player of the Week award for Week 12.  Bighill, a third-year linebacker for the British Columbia Lions, had seven tackles and an interception in a 36-14 win over Montreal.  Reilly led Edmonton to a 25-7 win over Winnipeg, completing 16 of 25 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns.