FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Oct. 27, 2018) – Redshirt freshman
Brandon Porter provided a spark at quarterback and the NAU football team nearly had three players rush for over 100 yards in a 38-28 defeat against Cal Poly on Saturday at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome.
After scoring the game's first touchdown, the Lumberjacks allowed 38 unanswered points, including being outscored 28-0 in the second quarter, before the attempted comeback that saw NAU score 21 consecutive points over the last 16-plus minutes of regulation.
The Lumberjacks had a chance to make up the final 10 points as they forced Cal Poly into a fourth down situation with 5:51 left in the fourth quarter, but Joe Protheroe converted for the Mustangs and by doing so limited NAU to just one more possession over the remainder of the contest.
"There are some really disappointed people in that locker room," NAU head coach
Jerome Souers said. "Cal Poly gave us problems. They controlled the ball and used the option to set up those two big pass plays in the first half, which put us in a hole."
Protheroe led Cal Poly with 217 rushing yards on 39 carries (5.6 avg.) and a touchdown. Mustangs' quarterback Khaleel Jenkins added 103 yards on the ground via 15 carries (6.9 avg.) and completed 3-of-8 passes for 98 yards and a pair of scores.
The NAU offense was led by a three-pronged rushing attack that saw three players nearly total 100 yards for the game after the Lumberjacks failed to have a player hit the century mark in their initial seven contests.
Porter led all runners with 115 yards on 11 carries (10.5 avg.) - all in the second half. Junior running back
Joe Logan scored twice and toted the ball 16 times for 103 yards and true freshman
Jacob Mpungi added 98 on nine carries and scored his first collegiate touchdown in the loss.
Porter, who replaced starting quarterback
Gino Campiotti on NAU's second possession of the third quarter, completed 2-of-8 pass attempts for 24 yards and a touchdown. With Porter in the game, the Lumberjacks outscored Cal Poly 21-0.
Defensively, the Lumberjacks forced a pair of fumbles and were led by senior
Jake Casteel, who made a career-high 18 tackles and
Tristen Vance, who added 12 stops.
NAU (3-5, 2-3 Big Sky) jumped out in front with a touchdown on its third possession of the game. Senior
Kam'ron Johnson set up the 'Jacks with solid field position at the Cal Poly 35-yard line following a 23-yard punt return. Logan followed with a 17-yard scamper and scored on the following play with a run from seven yards out to give the Lumberjacks a 7-0 edge with 1:43 left in the opening quarter.
Cal Poly (3-5, 2-3 Big Sky) answered on its next drive with a nine-play, 75-yard drive, which was all covered on the ground and capped off with a 12-yard scoring burst by Jenkins at the 12:49 mark of the second quarter.
The Mustangs took the lead at 14-7 on their next possession after recovering a fumble by NAU's Campiotti. Jenkins hit Quentin Harrison with a scoring toss from 38-yards out one play after the turnover to make the score 14-7 with 9:47 left in the second.
Jenkins threw another 38-yard touchdown pass on Cal Poly's next drive, this time to junior wide receiver J.J. Koski at the five-minute mark of the second quarter, to increase the Mustangs' advantage to 21-7.
Cal Poly kept the pressure on as it churned out 75 yards on the ground on its final drive of the first half and capitalized on a fourth and goal attempt from the NAU one-yard line. Protheroe vaulted over the top of the Lumberjack defense for a touchdown, making the score 28-7 at intermission.
The Mustangs picked up where they left on their opening possession of the second half. Following a 44-yard run by Jenkins, senior place kicker Alex Vega knocked in a 37-yard field goal to increase Cal Poly's lead to 31-7 just 1:40 into the third quarter.
Cal Poly added another third quarter touchdown and burned another 3:27 off the clock on a one-yard sneak by Jenkins with 8:15 left in the third. The score, which upped the advantage to 38-7, was set up by a 22-yard completion by Jenkins to Koski a play prior to the score.
The Lumberjacks stopped the bleeding after Porter entered the game in the third quarter at quarterback for NAU and responded by leading the 'Jacks on a six-play, 47-yard scoring drive that culminated with
Emmanuel Butler hauling in his fifth touchdown reception of the season and the 31
st of his career with 1:08 left in the third, trimming the deficit to 38-14.
Porter helped lead the 'Jacks to another score on the following possession with a lot of help from Mpungi. Mpungi broke away for a 59-yard run, which is the longest by any NAU player this season and followed four plays later with his first collegiate touchdown run from one yard out to make the score 38-21, with 13:52 left in regulation.
Following a fumble by Cal Poly's Jenkins, which was recovered by the 'Jacks'
Jalen Goss at the Cal Poly 42-yard line, NAU failed to convert but Johnson recovered a fumble forced by
Chauntez Thomas on Cal Poly's ensuing possession and returned it to the Mustangs eight yard line to set up the 'Jacks. Three plays later, Logan posted his second rushing score of the game with a five-yard burst to trim the margin to 38-28, with just under eight minutes remaining.
The Lumberjacks hit the road next weekend as they head west to battle No. 6/13 UC Davis on Saturday, Nov. 3 in a 1 p.m. MST kickoff from Aggie Stadium.
The matchup with the Aggies will be streamed on Pluto TV (Channel 245). The NAU-UC Davis game will also air on the Lumberjack Radio Network with
Mitch Strohman and Kevin Stephens on the call beginning with the pregame show at 12 p.m. MST.
Postgame Notes – vs. Cal Poly – Oct. 27, 2018
- Cal Poly entered the game with no touchdown passes on the season but connected on two 38-yard touchdown passes in the first half vs. NAU.
- NAU allowed 38 unanswered points after opening the game with a 7-0 lead.
- Cal Poly rushed for 211 yards in the first half – 136 by senior running back Joe Protheroe.
- NAU true freshman running back Jacob Mpungi's 59-yard run on the final play of the third quarter marked the longest rush by a Lumberjack this season.
- Mpungi's one-yard touchdown run at the 13:52 mark of the third quarter marked the first of his collegiate career.
- NAU had two players, Joe Logan (103) and Brandon Porter (115) finish with over 100 rushing yards after failing to see a player crack the century mark in ground yards over its first seven games.
- In addition, NAU true freshman Jacob Mpungi added 98 rushing yards – all in the second half – on nine carries for an average of 10.9 per carry.
- Both NAU (356) and Cal Poly (343) rushed for over 300 yards in Saturday's game.
