A mid-September heat wave wasn’t the only thing rolling through Southern California this weekend.

There was also the Humboldt State football team wreaking all kinds of havoc.

The Jacks made it 2 for 2 to begin the 2015 season, as Humboldt State beat two-time defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Azusa Pacific 62-41 in an offense-friendly non-conference matchup on Saturday night.

“Our kids responded and played as well in the first half as I’ve seen a team play,” Humboldt State head coach Rob Smith said on KATA 92.7 FM after the game. “We were in a great offensive rhythm and we’ve got some players who can make plays. … Not a bad night.”

The Jacks scored on five of their six drives in the first half and built a monster 35-6 lead heading into halftime.

And much like in Humboldt’s season-opening win over Western Oregon a week ago at the Redwood Bowl, a lot of the Jacks’ yardage came from sophomore running back Ja’Quan Gardner.

Gardner, the reigning GNAC Offensive Player of the Week, rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Gardner’s third rushing touchdown of the night, which put the Jacks up 49-6 early in the third quarter, put him over 200 yards for the second straight game this season.

Gardner finished with 225 yards on 25 carries, averaging nine yards a carry.

Fellow sophomore running back Richard Doctor, who had 62 yards on 23 carries, added a touchdown run early in the second half.

As a team, Humboldt State rushed for 313 yards against Azusa Pacific.

“You don’t run for over 300 yards if (the offensive line) isn’t getting it done,” Smith said.

Sophomore quarterback Robert Webber, who threw for only 106 yards last week against Western Oregon, was back to being his productive self in Southern California.

Webber, the 2014 co-GNAC Freshman of the Year, completed 13 of 16 passes for 220 yards. Of those 13 completions, five of them were for touchdowns, as the young signal caller tied a career high in the victory.

Webber’s Centennial High School teammate Chase Krivashei caught three of those touchdown passes, while junior transfer Sage Burmeister hauled in the other two. Krivashei finished with seven catches for 84 yards, while Burmeister had three receptions for 67 yards.

However, after getting up by as many as 43 points at 49-6, Azusa outscored Humboldt 35-13 the rest of the way.

The Cougars got as close as 55-34 in the fourth quarter before Webber and Krivashei connected for their third touchdown pass of the night, a 31-yard pass to put the Jacks up 62-34 with under three minutes to go and put the game on ice.

Azusa Pacific sophomore quarterback Chad Jeffries finished with 319 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns, while freshman running back Kurt Scoby — a transfer from Fresno State — carried the ball 13 times for 56 yards and two scores.

In total, Humboldt State outgained Azusa Pacific 533-400 in the game.

“They put 40 points on the board, they put up over 400 yards — the second straight week we’ve given up over 400 yards,” Smith said. “Every game you’re going to learn from. In the end as nice as it is to beat the defending champions, it’s one more win. Let’s go and get better from Week 2 to Week 3 just like we did from Week 1 to Week 2.”

Humboldt State returns to the Redwood Bowl when it hosts GNAC foe Dixie State — which handled Central Washington 49-20 this past Thursday night – in a non-conference matchup. It will also be the Jacks’ last game in the month of September, with HSU having a bye week next week.

Danny Penza can be reached evenings at 707-441-0528