Football | 8/16/2017 12:02:00 PM
PORTLAND, Ore.—A year after tying for third place in the league standings, Western Oregon University is picked to finish in fourth place according to the 2017 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Football Coaches Poll.
The Wolves went 4-6 overall last season with standout wins against NCAA DI Sacramento State in the season opener and a 48-42 win on the road at then No. 24-ranked Humboldt State University.
WOU and Humboldt State went on to share third place in the GNAC standings with 3-5 marks in conference contests. Humboldt State secured 14 points in the preseason poll to edge the Wolves' tally of 11 points.
A season removed from an undefeated conference slate (8-0) and its first trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs, Azusa Pacific is the unanimous pick to repeat as champions. Central Washington University, 6-2 in the GNAC a year ago, received 20 points towards the poll for a predicted second-place finish. Simon Fraser University rounded out the poll with five points.
Western Oregon finished 2016 averaging 338.9 yards of total offense per game, the majority of which came in the air with an average of 251.4 passing yards per game.
The Wolves return eight starters on offense, all of whom played key roles in 2016. Senior
Paul Revis was a First Team All-GNAC selection as both a wide receiver and a return specialist after leading Division II with an average of 24.3 yards per punt return and leading the GNAC with 105.7 receiving yards per game. Also back is the dual-quarterback threat of seniors
Nick Duckworth and
Phillip Fenumiai. Fenumiai averaged 138.7 passing yards per game with 10 touchdowns while Duckworth averaged 182 yards per game in six games with nine touchdowns.
Western Oregon is bolstered on defense by returning First Team All-GNAC junior linebacker
Bo Highburger, who finished second in the GNAC with 111 tackles and was 12th in Division II with 6.3 solo tackles per game. Highburger is joined Second Team All-GNAC senior linebacker
Tyler Johnson and senior honorable mention defensive lineman
Michael Kluge.
All five GNAC programs will be in action on week No. 1 of the season. Western Oregon opens the year on Thurs., Aug. 31, and will look to beat their third Division I foe in four years with a game at Idaho State. The remaining four GNAC squads will take the field on Sept. 2. Central Washington will travel to face Texas A&M Kingsville, Azusa Pacific will play at West Texas A&M and Simon Fraser will be at NAIA Arizona Christian. Humboldt State plays the lone home game, hosting CETYS of Mexico in a rare exhibition contest.
| 2017 GNAC PRESEASON FOOTBALL COACHES POLL |
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
2016 Record |
GNAC Record (Finish) |
Points |
| 1. |
Azusa Pacific (5) |
9-3 |
8-0 (1st) |
25 |
| 2. |
Central Washington |
7-3 |
6-2 (2nd) |
20 |
| 3. |
Humboldt State |
6-5 |
3-5 (tie 3rd) |
14 |
| 4. |
Western Oregon |
4-6 |
3-5 (tie 3rd) |
11 |
| 5. |
Simon Fraser |
0-10 |
0-8 (5th) |
5 |
| Points awarded on 5-4-3-2-1 basis. |
