Western Oregon Eyes Rotary Bowl Bid

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Senior Mark Thorson has moved into the top spot in four different career categories at WOU. He has now thrown more touchdown passes, completed more throws, thrown more passes and is responsible for more touchdowns than any other quarterback in Western Oregon history.

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Western Oregon will take a 7-2 record into the 2007 regular season finale against Humboldt State this Saturday at McArthur Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

WOU's last seven-win season was in 1997 when Blaine Bennett's squad went 7-3. Western's last eight-win squad was Duke Iverson's 1985 team (8-2), while Bill McArthur's 1979 team finished 8-1-1. There have been three nine-win teams in WOU school history, the last one a McArthur club in 1976 (9-1).

Bowling For A Bowl Game:

On the horizon is a possible extra game for the Wolves: The Rotary Bowl, held in St. George, Utah at Hansen Stadium on December 1.

The top independent team in the west that does not qualify for NCAA post-season action will play the highest finishing team from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference not going to the playoffs, although if host Dixie State reaches four wins on the season, they are also a possibility to represent the west. The Rebels are currently 3-6, and finish the regular season this Saturday at Southern Oregon.

Systematic Wolves Dismantle Rebels:

Western Oregon had no play longer than 21 yards but still ran up 400 yards of total offense in route to a 31-7 win over Dixie State on Nov. 3 in St. George, Utah. Quarterback Mark Thorson hit 25 of 34 passes for 243 yards and three scores, back-up running back Tyler Wilson ran for 112 yards and the WOU defense allowed only nine yards rushing as the Wolves won in their first-ever trip to Dixie.

Still No Regional Love:

The official NCAA regional pollsters are not giving any love to Western Oregon. This week's listing still has the Wolves outside the top 12, despite a 7-2 record. This poll is released weekly, with the top six in the final ranking qualifying for NCAA post-season play.

NCAA Northwest Region (Nov. 5) - 1. Nebraska Omaha (9-0); 2.Grand Valley State (9-0), 3. North Dakota (8-1); 4. Central Washington (8-1); 5. Ashland (7-1); 6. Winona State (9-1); 7. Hillsdale (8-2); 8. South Dakota (6-4); 9. Saginaw Valley State (6-3); 10. Wayne State (7-3); 11. Michigan Tech (5-5); 12. Indianapolia (6-4).

Senior Salute:

18 Western Oregon seniors will play their final game at McArthur Field on Saturday, WOU's largest senior class since moving to the NCAA Division II level. 15 of the 18 have been in the Wolves program for four or five seasons (only three are transfers).

The Class of 2007: TE Brain Alves, LB Kyle Blank, LB Matt Buche, WR Brad Ching, DB Zach Christopherson, DB Jay Darden, WR Brian Davilla, DE Victor Filipe, OL Allan Mikolas, DE Casey O’Donnell, OL Brandon O’Neil, OL Brett Rhodes, DB Nick Smith, QB Mark Thorson, K Bruce Voges, DL Robert Werder, OL Paul Wright, OL Jesus Zarate.

Back-To-Back:

The Wolves have now guaranteed themselves back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1987. The Wolves have had 50 winnings seasons and only 28 losing campaigns in its football history, but hadn't had two years above .500 in consecutive years since current head coach Arne Ferguson was a player in the mid 1980's. The Wolves finished 6-4 in 2006, with all four losses coming by a touchdown or less.

History:

Western Oregon defeated Humboldt State 27-3 on Oct. 6 in Arcata. Without quarterback Mark Thorson and top receiver Isaiah Smith, the Wolves went to freshman signal caller Brady Lovell and a stiff defense to secure the win. Lovell threw for 188 yards and JT Gilmore had 11 tackles as the Wolves came off a bye week to improve to 4-1. In 2006, the Lumberjacks won both match-ups between the two teams by a total of 11 points. HSU now leads the all-time series, 13-11.

Lumberjack Line:

After a 9-1 season in 2006, the Lumberjacks lost 23 seniors and are paying the price of that this year. At 2-7, HSU has dropped four straight and will look to end the year on a high note.

The Lumberjacks certainly have major strengths, including the linebacker tandem of Brian Iriye and Allen Brunner who have combined for 157 tackles on the season. Veteran wide receiver Richard Perkins had 15 catches last week during a 31-16 loss to Southern Oregon and had 40 grabs on the year. Marcus Cox has rushed for 475 yards, while Brian Hildebrand and former WOU back-up Garrett Hubrich have shared the quarterback duties.

Head Coach Arne Ferguson On The Lumberjacks:

"Humboldt State is still a very dangerous team that would love to beat us and finish on a high note. They have a lot of talent and are very capable of putting together the complete package of game. They played a very tough schedule very early and have never been able to find their rhythm."

Dots From Dixie:

Western Oregon allowed an opening drive score by Dixie State, but then shut down the hosts during their 31-7 win. Matt Buche missed his first start in four seasons, due to a death in the family.

Sophomore Andy Douglas filled in and had 10 tackles, an interception and three tackles for losses. DJ Jackson scored the first rushing touchdown on his career on a seven-yard run in the second quarter.

Ben Kuenzi missed his second consecutive game, but sophomore Tyler Wilson cracked the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career (112). The Wolves had six quarterback sacks in the game, including 2.5 by Matt Cox. The WOU defense also had three interceptions: Douglas, JT Gilmore and Jay Darden.

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