No. 24 Lumberjacks Host Sacramento State For Homecoming This Saturday
Football / October 24, 2017
| GAME 8: #24/RV Northern Arizona (5-2, 4-0 Big Sky) vs. Sacramento State (4-3, 3-1 Big Sky) |
GAME NOTES (PDF)
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Oct. 24, 2017) - The No. 24/RV Northern Arizona football team will host Sacramento State on Saturday, October 28 in the annual homecoming game and will be looking to run its current winning streak to six consecutive games.
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. MST at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.
Saturday's game will be televised live on Phoenix's CW6 and on NAU-TV. The Big Sky showdown will also be streamed via live video on Pluto TV (Channel 239).
The game will also be available on the Lumberjack Radio Network with
Mitch Strohman (play-by-play),
Kevin Stephens (color) and
Corderro McMurry (sideline) on the call beginning with the pregame show at 3 p.m. PT.
The Lumberjacks are 3-1 at home this season entering Saturday's action with the Hornets and have won each of the last three meetings with Sacramento State.
Northern Arizona will be looking for its first six-game winning streak on Saturday since the 2013 campaign when it posted six straight wins over Sacramento State, Idaho State, Cal Poly, North Dakota, Northern Colorado and Southern Utah.
NAU OPENING DRIVE
- Northern Arizona will be seeking its sixth consecutive victory as it plays host to Sacramento State in a 4 p.m. MST kickoff at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome on Saturday.
- NAU's current five-game win streak is tied for fourth longest during Jerome Souers' coaching tenure (eight in 2012, six in 2008 and 2013, five in 1999, 2003 and 2017).
- The Lumberjacks are currently 4-0 in Big Sky Conference action entering today's game vs. Sacramento State. It marks the third season in the Jerome Souers era that NAU has opened with at least four consecutive wins in conference play.
- The 'Jacks enter Saturday's game with an all-time record of 13-6 in Homecoming Games under current head coach Jerome Souers and are 2-1 when facing Sacramento State on Homecoming during the Souers Era.
- The combined Big Sky record of the four conference opponents NAU has defeated to date is 2-14 (5-22 overall). The combined conference records of the four Big Sky opponents NAU will play to finish the regular season is 12-5 (17-11 overall).
- NAU has posted 400 yards or more of total offense in six of its first seven games of 2017.
- NAU enters the weekend ranked ninth overall nationally among FCS programs in passing offense (3rd in Big Sky) with an average of 332.0 yards per game.
- Defensively, the 'Jacks lead the Big Sky and rank fourth nationally with 12 interceptions - two of which they have returned for touchdowns.
- The Lumberjacks enter the weekend ranked fifth among Big Sky leaders in total offense (450.6) and fourth in scoring offense (34.9).
- NAU sits fifth among Big Sky leaders in total defense (450.6) and third in scoring defense (28.1).
SACRAMENTO STATE SERIES INFO
- Northern Arizona leads the all-time series with Sacramento State 12-7 and have won each of the last three meetings.
- The Lumberjacks defeated the Hornets 49-35 in the most recent meeting which came on Nov. 14, 2015.
- The last Lumberjack loss to the Hornets came back in the 2010 season by a 40-10 margin, which also marks the last time the Hornets posted a victory in a visit to Flagstaff.
MAKE IT SIX IN A ROW
- The Lumberjacks are seeking their first six-game winning streak since 2013 when it posted six straight wins against Sacramento State, Idaho State, Cal Poly, North Dakota, Northern Colorado and Southern Utah from Oct. 12 - Nov. 23.
- The 2013 season was also the last time that NAU qualified for the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
COOKUS ON FIRE
- NAU QB Case Cookus has tossed a total of 16 touchdown passes during Northern Arizona's current five-game winning streak – while committing only a single interception.
- Overall, Cookus has gone a total of 242 pass attempts while allowing only a single interception entering Saturday's game vs. Sacramento State.
- Cookus has totaled 1,697 passing yards and a QB rating of 149.93 over the five victories.
ALL-PURPOSE MARKS
- Senior wide receiver Elijah Marks leads all players in the FCS with an average of 184.3 all-purpose yards per game.
- Marks has tallied a total of 945 receiving yards, 279 kickoff return yards, 62 punt returns yards and four rushing yards through seven games.
LUMBERJACKS DOMINATE PLAYER OF WEEK AWARDS
- Junior cornerback Maurice Davison has been named as ROOT SPORTS Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, for the period ending Oct. 21.
- Davison's selection marks the fifth consecutive week that at least one Lumberjack has received a Big Sky Player of the Week award.
- The most consecutive weeks in which a Big Sky program has captured a conference player of the week honor is six - by Eastern Washington in 1997 and the University of Idaho in 1993.
- NAU has earned a total of six Big Sky Player of the Week honors through the first seven games of 2017.
