Game Statistics vs. Arizona (PDF)

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona football trailed only 14-10 at halftime but failed to score in the second half as in-state rival Arizona posted a 41-10 victory in the season opener for both teams at Arizona Stadium Saturday night in front of 51,761 fans.

"That is a good Arizona defense," said Head Coach Jerome Souers. "To come out in your first game and try to establish rhythm is difficult. There are a lot of challenges in that. We had some situations where we did not have a lot to work with and we made some nice plays."

Arizona scored on its first possession of the game, aided by a 42-yard pass from Nick Foles to Juron Criner on the opening play of the drive. Foles then hit Criner from 10 yards to take a 7-0 lead in the game one play later. The Wildcats scored again just before the end of the quarter, completing a 52-yard possession with a five-yard run by Taimi Tutogi.

The Lumberjack offense got on track in the second quarter, putting together a pair of scoring drives. NAU got on the scoreboard with a 13-play drive that resulted in a 28-yard field by Matt Myers.

Junior quarterback Cary Grossart then led the Lumberjacks on a nine-play, 91-yard drive to end the half that resulted in a 12-yard touchdown to Khalil Paden.

After missing his first attempt to Zach Bauman, Grossart completed 16 straight passes in the first half. He finished the half 16-for-17 for 145 yards and the Lumberjacks had the momentum going into halftime after holding the Wildcats scoreless for the quarter.

NAU forced a three-and-out on the Wildcats to start the half. Closing in on the NAU school record of 18 consecutive completions by Jeff Lewis vs. Northridge in 1995, Grossart threw an interception to Arizona's Trevin Wade on his first attempt of the second half.  Foles then found Keola Antolin for a score from 18 yards out on the next play for a 21-10 lead.

"It was unfortunate that play in the third quarter really was a huge turnaround that gave them a lot of momentum," said Souers. "If there was a turning point, it might have been that. But I think we learned a lot today about what we are capable of doing."

Arizona out-scored the Lumberjacks 27-0 over the final two quarters, scoring four times.

Grossart finished 20-for-26 for 179 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore receiver Ify Umodu led the team with seven catches for 90 yards. Senior Khalil Paden scored a touchdown, finishing with three catches for 30 yards. Running back Zach Bauman finished with 99 yards on 27 carries on the night.

"It was really encouraging to do that against a Pac-12 team," said Grossart of the second-quarter drive. "It was really exciting coming into halftime and having a sense that we can hang with these guys. We are a great team and we are going to have a great season."

Foles threw for 412 yards, going 34-for=42 with five touchdowns. Juron Criner had five receptions for 151 yards.

The Lumberjacks started three Tucsonans, including tight end Brian Riley (Catalina Foothills), left guard Kyle Walker (Sabino) and long snapper Ben Bachelier (Nogales). Overall, NAU had 10 players from the state of Arizona in its starting lineup, including seven on offense.

The Lumberjacks open up the renovated Walkup Skydome next Saturday against Fort Lewis. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:07 p.m.