The Wildcats remain the only undefeated GNAC team after beating Humboldt State University 55-27 on Saturday in front of a 6,000 plus homecoming crowd. However, all was not well as running back Christian Cummings broke his leg and is set to miss the rest of the season.

With the win, CWU has clinched the top spot in the GNAC with a 4-0 record and is ranked No. 10 in the nation, according to an AFCA national poll. CWU boasts a 6-0 record as it begins its second bout with the GNAC.

CWU jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, scoring 14 points to Humboldt’s seven, with touchdowns by senior Christian Gasca and junior Dillon Sugg before Humboldt could answer back. With 31 seconds left in the first quarter, Humboldt’s Sefa Tauanu’u put the Lumberjacks on the board.

Senior tight end Kyle Self stood out for the Wildcats during the rest of the game with three touchdowns, the first of which came during the second quarter.

“It was just one of those days where his number got called,” said head coach Ian Shoemaker. “He made a lot of plays for us.”

The Wildcats struck twice in the second quarter, aided by a touchdown from senior Austin Pernell in addition to the first touchdown from Self for 13 points, since the extra-point following Pernell’s touchdown failed.  Self scored his second touchdown early in the third before Tyler Hasty found the end zone midway through the third.

The touchdowns would go unanswered by Humboldt until late in the third. That’s when senior Marjani Ellison finally answered back for the Lumberjacks, bringing the score to 41-14 at the end of the quarter. Kyle Self scored his third early in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 48-14 before the Lumberjacks began to show signs of life.

Humboldt would score the next two touchdowns from senior Scott Lawson and wide receiver Chase Krivashei to make the score 48-27. CWU’s Austin Pernell added one more touchdown—his second of the game—with 1:46 remaining in the fourth to shut the door on Humboldt 55-27.

“I thought we played really well… [there were] a couple mistakes here and there that gave up some points, but overall we looked at the game film and we were pretty pleased,” Shoemaker said.

Cummings goes down

Cummings, a junior, fell to the ground in the third quarter where he stayed until he was helped off the field by teammates. Immediately after the game his condition was unknown.  

Shoemaker confirmed Tuesday morning the Cummings had undergone surgery for a broken leg Saturday night and would be out for the rest of the season.

The Wildcats offense will suffer greatly from the loss, as Cummings led the team in rushing yards (594) and has contributed five touchdowns, including three against Dixie State on Sept. 23.

“He was our leading guy our starter. It’s tough,” Shoemaker said. “We’re going to have to share the load a little more… to make sure that we can keep [our streak] going.”