Football Weekly Notebook

8/27/2012 9:23:00 PM

SIMON FRASER AT PACIFIC

Game No. 1/Home Game No. 1
Thurs., Aug. 30, 7 p.m., Lincoln Park Stadium, Forest Grove
Live Stats: www.goboxers.com/livestats
Live Audio Webcast: www.goboxers.com/webcasts
Live Video Webcast (Pay-Per-View): www.goboxers.com/webcasts

BOXERS HELP KICKOFF DIVISION III FOOTBALL SEASON ON THURSDAY
The third season of the return of Pacific football begins under the lights on Thursday night as the Boxers are one of seven teams that open the 2012 NCAA Division III schedule. The Boxers will host Simon Fraser for their second straight opener with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Boxers will be looking to win their first season opener since 1990 with a team of over 150 athletes making the opening day roster.

BOXER BYTES
• Pacific opened camp on Aug. 10 with 155 players, including 90 returners and 65 newcomers to the program.

• The Boxers are still poised to use two quarterbacks throughout the season. T.C. Campbell tops the depth chart entering the first week after earning Honorable Mention All-NWC honors in 2011. P.J. Minaya will also see plenty of snaps as he finished with 99 completions in eight games played last year.

• Pacific will be deepest in 2012 at the wide receiver posts with seven returners who all saw significant playing time last year. Jordan Fukumoto leads the list after he earned First Team All-Northwest Conference honors at the position, the first Pacific player to do so since 1984.

• This will be the second straight year that Pacific has hosted Simon Fraser for a season opener. The Boxers hosted the Clan in the 2011 opener on Sept. 3 and lost 36-28.

• Pacific will be looking to win their first opener since the program was reinstated for the 2010 season. The Boxers last won a season opener in the 1990 season, beating Simon Fraser 21-14.

• Pacific is one seven NCAA Division III teams which will officially open the 2012 season on Thursday and the only team that evening facing another Division III team. Other openers on Thursday include Manchester at Trine, Benedctine at Wheaton (Ill.) and Mississippi College at Millsaps.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT - SIMON FRASER
QUICK FACTS
Location: Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Enrollment: 35,204
Nickname: Clan
Colors: Red & Blue
Conference: Great Northwest (NCAA II)
Stadium: Terry Fox Field (2,000, uncovered, FieldTurf)
President: Andrew Petter
Athletic Director: Dr. Milton Richards
Head Coach: Dave Johnson
Johnson's Record At SFU: 10-33/5 Years
Westering's Record Overall: 10-33/5 Years
All-Time Series: Simon Fraser leads 9-5-0
Last Meeting: Simon Fraser won 36-28 at Forest Grove on Sept. 3, 2011

ABOUT THE COACH: Dave Johnson, a Simon Fraser alum, is in his sixth season leading the Clan in their transition from Canada Interuniversity Sport to NCAA Division II. Johnson made a leap forward in their second year in the NCAA, picking up GNAC wins over Dixie State and Central Washington and a non-conference victory over Pacific. The turnaround really began in 2008 when the Clan were still part of the Canada West Conference. His team snapped a 25-game losing streak in the opening game of the season en route to a 5-3 record and Canada West Coach of the Year honors. A native of Richmond, B.C., Johnson spent one season on the practice squad fior the CFL B.C. Lions.

THE SERIES: Simon Fraser leads the all-time series 9-5-0. The Clan won the last meeting, 36-28, in Forest Grove on Sept. 3, 2011. It was the Clan's second straight win over the Boxers dating back to the 1991 season.

LAST MEETING: SIMON FRASER 36, PACIFIC 28
Simon Fraser bounced back from an 11-point third quarter deficit to roar back and take the 2011 home opener from the Boxers. The Clan scored 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, taking the lead for good on a 72-yard Bo Palmer touchdown run with 11 minutes to go. A late comeback attempt by the Boxers fell short. Pacific quarterback T.C. Campbell led the way by completing 23 of 38 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jordan Fukumoto made seven catches for 117 yards. Pacific outgained Simon Fraser offensively 383 yards to 311. Simon Fraser gained 259 yards on the ground while the Boxers racked up 343 air yards.

SIMON FRASER NOTES
• Simon Fraser made history on Aug. 10 when the NCAA Division II President's Council approved the school's NCAA Division II membership. They became the first Canadian institution to be accepted to NCAA membership.

• Simon Fraser gained their two GNAC wins in a pair of shootouts. The Clan won their first GNAC game in a 62-56 triple overtime victory over Dixie State on Oct. 8. The two teams combined for 1,069 yards of total offense. To end the 2011 season, the Clan scored four fourth quarter touchdowns to come back and stun Central Washington 35-24.

• Bo Palmer returns to lead the Simon Fraser rushing attack. The First Team All-GNAC selection finished 2011 with a total of 1,219 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, averaging 121.9 yards per game. As a team, the Clan averaged 188 rushing yards per game.

• The Clan also returns quarterback Trey Wheeler, who finished 1,451 yards passing and nine touchdowns as SFU averaged 147.4 passing yards per game. Wheeler finished with a 56.5 completion percentage, completing 147 of 260 passes with nine interceptions.

PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
TWO QUARTERBACKS ARE BETTER THAN ONE: While T.C. Campbell (Jr., Kaimuki, Hawaii) has risen to the top of the depth chart for week one of the 2012 Pacific football season, there is no reason to believe that it will be a one quarterback team. Campbell earned Honorable Mention All-NWC honors in his sophomore season with some impressive numbers. He finished fourth in the NWC with 1,858 passing yards and an average of 206.4 yards per game and finished fifth with 130 completions and 13 touchdowns. In addition, Campbell tied his own school single game record with five touchdowns in the homecoming win over Puget Sound on Oct. 29, 2011, and set a Pacific single season record with a 59.4 completion percentage.

Campbell, though, won't be the only quarterback to see time as P.J. Minaya (Jr., Wahiawa, Hawaii) has showed that he has the skills to make things happen, especially late in the season. Minaya threw for 671 yards in eight games. He made his biggest impact in the season finale at Pacific Lutheran where Minaya spelled a tired Campbell to throw for 223 yards on 23 of 34 passing and nearly led the Boxers back to a come from behind victory.

Head Coach Keith Buckley is convinced that Pacific can be successful with a pair of talented players. “There's a debate as to whether you can have two quarterbacks and be successful,” he said. “I think we have two very talented guys that give us a chance to win games.”

ON THE AIR: As they enter their third year, Pacific will look again to use their vaunted passing game to carry much of the load for the offense. The Boxers have kept up well in a Northwest Conference laden with passing teams. Their 282.3 passing yards per game ranked third in the NWC and 23rd among NCAA Division III football programs, while the Boxers' four quarterbacks last year combined for a pass efficency rating of of 134.63, third best in the NWC and 65th among all Division III players.

It is at wide receiver where the Boxers return their most talent, and they are deep. Jordan Fukumoto (Jr., Mililani, Hawaii) leads the charge after a sophomore season where he became Pacific's first All-Northwest Conference First Team selection since 1984. He led Pacific and ranked second in the NWC with 844 receiving yards, 93.8 yards per game 16.9 yards per catch. He ranked 32nd among NCAA Division III players in receiving yards per game and 64th with 5.56 receptions per game. Adding to the depth are are the likes of Kelson Kawai (Jr., North Kohala, Hawaii), who finished with 299 yards and Blake Anthony (So., Valencia, Calif.), who finished with 275 yards.

ON THE RUN: For the passing game to be truly successful, the Boxers will look to enhance the running game in 2012. Pacific led the NWC with 453 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, but ranked fifth in the league with 253 rushing attempts and seventh with 50.3 rushing yards per game and 1.6 yards per rush. The Boxers have three running backs that top the depth chart, all of which come in with experience both on offense and special teams. Gunther Schultze (Jr., Bellflower, Calif.) is the team's top returning rusher and tops the depth chart for Saturday. In playing all nine games with six starts, he finished 124 net yards and a touchdown, averaging 2.3 yards per rush. Bobby Ladiges (So., Escalon, Calif.) will earn some more playing time after seeing limited action in his freshman season after impressing the coaching staff in camp. Deven McKinney (So., Spanaway, Wash.) will also see time on the field after being an impact player on special teams as a freshman.   McKInney finished third for the Boxers in kick returns, racking up 179 yards over none returns for an average of 19.9 yards per return.

DEFENSIVELY EXPERIENCED: A third year for Pacific football means that the Pacific defensive returns not only a year more experienced, but also stronger. Head Coach Keith Buckley was impressed by the offseason work done by much of the defensive team, which he hopes will translate to an increased effectiveness on the field. Pacific allowed 412.4 yards per game, a number that the Boxers would like to see go down significantly in 2012.

Dynamic safety Bryan Mills (Jr., Imbler, Ore.) returns for his third season after an Honorable Mention All-NWC campaign as a sophomore. Mills led the Boxers and finished 10th in the NWC with 62 tackles. His season highlights included a 12-tackle performance at Whitworth on Oct. 11 and a rare 100-yard defensive two-point conversion off a blocked PAT kick against Lewis & Clark on Oct. 1 that landed the Boxers on ESPN's SportsCenter. Tim Hastie (Jr., Auberry, Calif.) finished second for the Boxers in tackles with 56 as a linebacker. He led the Boxers with 29 assisted tackles and finished tied with fellow returner Landon Aano (Jr., Ewa Beach, Hawaii) with 6.5 tackles for loss.

A RECORD BREAKING SEASON: While the win-loss record for the Boxers was far from record breaking in 2011, Pacific did see three individual records and one team record either tied or broken. T.C. Campbell accounted for two of those records. He tied his single game mark with five touchdowns against Puget Sound in the 44-25 homecoming victory on Oct. 29. He went on to set a single season reocrd with a 59.4 completion percentage. That eclipsed the previous mark of 58.8 percent set by Frank Buckiewicz, Jr., in 1976. PJ. Minaya set a single season record with the fewest passes interception, losing just two balls on 99 attempts. That beat the previous mark of six by John Brunelle in 1982. The two quarterbacks teamed up to tie a team single game record with 32 pass completions against Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 5. That equalled the mark the Boxers set against Linfield in 1976.

A TOP PASSING OFFENSE: Pacific finished the 2011 season with one of the top passing offenses in the NWC and in the nation at the Division III level. The Boxers finished the season averaging 282.3 passing yards per game, 23rd best among NCAA Division III teams. That finished third in the NWC (behind the 311.3 yards per game of Puget Sound and the 291.6 yards per game of Linfield). In addition, the Boxers enter the week ranked 65th in passing efficiency with a rating of 134.63.

THE KEITH BUCKLEY MEDIA TOUR: The start-up of the 2012 season has allowed Head Coach Keith Buckley to make a tour of the Portland-area media to preach Pacific football. The third year head coach appeared on Monday on “The Bald Faced Truth” on 750 The Game (KXTG-AM), guest hosted by Portland Trail Blazers play-by-play voice Brian Wheeler. Buckley is scheduled to do radio interviews on Tuesday on Beaver Sports Nation with Scott Lynn on KPOJ-AM (620) and Northwest Sports Tonight with Ron Callan on AM 860 KPAM. In addition to the radio exposure, Pacific football was featured last week on television on KATU (2).

LOCAL TIES: The Pacific roster in 2012 features four players with ties to the three high schools in the Forest Grove area. Offensive lineman Eric Gietzen, a 2010 graduate of Forest Grove High School, reprises a starting role at guard for the third consecutive year. Gietzen native spent a year at Portland State (did not play football) before returning to The Grove. Jon Dober and Lee Holscher also made the decision to attend and play for Pacific after careers at Forest Grove. David Carr is in his first season for the Boxers and is the first player in the new area of the program from Gaston HIgh School.

SEASON PREVIEW: The complete 2012 Pacific football season preview can be read at http://www.goboxers.com/sports/2012/8/24/FB_0824123030.aspx?tab=football&path=football.

PACIFIC TO BROADCAST ALL NINE GAMES: All nine Pacific football games will be broadcast online. A live audio webcast will also be available for all nine football games goboxers.com/webcasts. In addition, a video webcast will be available for the four home Pacific games. The video webcast will be available for $10 per game. The webcasts are available a link at www.goboxers.com.

Matt Richert returns for his third season as the play-by-play voice for Pacific football. A 20-year broadcast veteran, Richert also works as one of the prep play-by-play voices for KUIK-AM in Hillsboro. He has also lent his voice to a number of OSAA Radio Network state championship broadcasts. Scott Hermo will provide the color analysis. Hermo has worked as a color commentator and sports host for KUIK since 1994.

BOXERS PICKED SIXTH IN NWC PRESEASON POLL: Pacific is picked to repeat their sixth place finish according to the preseason coaches poll released in August. The Boxers received 15 of a possible 49 votes in the poll. Pacific is picked just two points behind fifth place Willamette (17) and four points behind fourth place Lewis & Clark (19). Puget Sound is picked behind the Boxers in seventh, receiving six points. Linfield is picked to win their fourth consecutive NWC title, picking up six of seven first place votes for 42 points. Pacific Lutheran is picked second with 29 points and Whitworth third with 26 points, including one first place vote.

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