Alumni are predicting good things ahead for SFU football program
Alums are certainly trumpeting the progress of SFU Clan football.
Consider Angus Reid, a former star offensive lineman with the Clan who went on to a lengthy CFL career with the B.C. Lions, for example. He was hyping up on Twitter last week’s 24-17 win over the Great Northwest Athletic Conference-rival Azusa Pacific Cougars in southern California, showing off a Simon Fraser University football T-shirt he wore to the gym that day as a salute.
It was SFU’s first victory against an NCAA Division II opponent in five years.
“Good things are starting to happen again up on the hill,” Reid said of his Burnaby Mountain alma mater. “I’m super excited to watch the program grow and couldn’t be prouder to be an alumni of it.”
Coach Thomas Ford’s Clan (1-6 overall, 1-2 conference) will look to keep it going when it visits the Central Washington Wildcats (3-4 overall, 2-1 conference) in Ellensburg on Saturday.
This is Ford’s second season at the helm. He guided the Clan to its first victory of any sort in four seasons last year when SFU trounced the NCAA Division III Willamette Bearcats 54-7 at home to open the campaign. That snapped a 33game losing streak.
There’s much more work to be done. Ford is open about that when he talks. The statistics say it as well. SFU was just 1-9 overall a season ago.
Guys like Reid and Giulio Caravatta, another former Clan standout who went on to a long career with the Lions at quarterback, are quick to praise the progress so far, though.
They are doing all the right things and, most importantly, doing it the right way.
“Absolutely, it gets you excited,” Caravatta said of the win over Azusa Pacific. “I’m a big fan of coach Ford and his staff. They are doing all the right things and, most importantly, doing it the right way. It’s great to see everyone get rewarded for all the hard work.”
Reid added: “I love what coach Ford is building there. There’s a long-term plan that you can really see taking shape.”
The win was SFU’s first against a Division II team since a 53-31 victory over the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology on Oct. 18, 2014. All told, they had lost 48 straight games against that level of competition. Azusa Pacific (1-5 overall, 1-3 conference) scored a 38-12 decision on Sept. 28 over the Clan at SFU.
SFU trailed 10-0 at the half last week.
Senior wide receiver Rysen John led the SFU attack with eight catches for 109 yards, including three touchdowns.
Freshman quarterback Brandon Niksich finished 22 of 32 for 242 yards, with those three scoring strikes to John and no interceptions.
Azusa Pacific dropped a 44-6 decision to Central Washington on Oct. 12.
After visiting Central Washington this weekend, SFU wraps up league play by hosting the Western Oregon Wolves Nov. 2 and Central Washington Nov. 16 at Swangard Stadium. SFU moved to the NCAA in 2010. Its best season since making the switch came in 2012, when they went 5-6 under coach Dave Johnson.