The Northern Arizona football team returns home this weekend to take on No. 6/7 Weber State in a 2:30 p.m. MST kickoff that will be televised on ELEVEN Sports and Pluto TV (Channel 239). The game will also be broadcast on the Lumberjack Radio Network with
The game will represent NAU's first meeting with Weber State since 2016, when the Lumberjacks posted a 33-20 victory on Nov. 5, 2016 in Ogden.
Weber State's last trip to Flagstaff came on Oct. 24, 2015, with NAU pulling out a 52-36 victory.
The No. 6/7 Wildcats mark the 'Jacks second ranked opponent this season following a 31-26 setback at home vs. then-No. 6/5 Eastern Washington on Sept. 8.
NAU LOOKING TO MAKE IT FOUR IN A ROW VS. THE WILDCATS
The 'Jacks enter this weekend's game vs. Weber State having won each of the last three meetings against the Wildcats. NAU's last loss to Weber State came by a 34-31 margin in Ogden on Nov. 12, 2011.
NAU has won the last three meetings by an average of 22.7 points entering Saturday's showdown.
Two of the three wins have come on the road with the Lumberjacks win by an average of 11.7 ppg. NAU's last home loss to Weber State came during the 2010 by a slim 27-26 margin.
BUTLER ON VERGE OF BECOMING NAU'S YARDAGE LEADER
Senior
Emmanuel Butler also ranks second all-time among NAU career leaders in receiving yards with 2,999.
Butler sits just 43 yards shy of Clarence Moore's top mark in NAU annals of 3,042 receiving yards.
BUTLER EYEING CAREER RECEPTIONS MARK AS WELL
Butler boasts a total of 174 receptions in his career which sits fourth in the program's in the career annals.
Butler is currently 27 catches of catching Shawn Collins' NAU record total of 201 and eight shy of Clarence Moore's third-place total (182).
GET ON THE BOARD FIRST
NAU is a perfect 2-0 this season when it scores first and winless at 0-3 when it allows its opponent to score the game's first points.
NAU VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
The Lumberjacks own a record of 15-40 in games against ranked FCS opponents since the 2000 season following their week two loss to Eastern Washington.
NAU has lost four of its last five games against ranked opponents with the most recent victory against No. 7/11 Illinois State by a 37-16 margin on Oct. 7, 2017.
SOUERS ALL-TIME AT HOME
NAU head coach
Jerome Souers has tallied an all-time home record of 72-36 during his 20-plus seasons at the helm in Flagstaff.
Souers has posted winning home records in 18 of his first 20 seasons in charge of the Lumberjack football program, including a 5-2 mark in 2017.
The only losing records came during the 1999 (2-3) and 2000 (2-4) seasons. The 1999 record included one loss that was due to forfeit for having an ineligible player in the lineup.
THE SKYDOME IS OUR HOME
NAU's overall success could very well depend on how it conquers the rigorous travel in the Big Sky Conference because over the last five years, the Lumberjacks have taken care of business at home.
Since 2013, the 'Jacks have won 23 of 30 games in the Walkup Skydome and have a total of five games on their home turf this season.
Overall, the Lumberjacks boast a record of 156-78 in games played at the Skydome since it opened in 1977.
The Skydome hosted five games in its first season, with an average attendance of 13,029. NAU football was previously played outdoors on natural grass at Lumberjack Stadium. The dome hosted the Big Sky men's basketball tournament in 1987, 1997, 1998, and 2006.
For its first six years, the Walkup Skydome was the world's largest clear-span timber dome, until the completion of the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, in 1983.
The architect was Wendell Rossman of Phoenix, also responsible for many other buildings on the surrounding NAU campus. The wood used in construction of Walkup Skydome was southern yellow pine.
At its launching in 1977, it was the third indoor football stadium in the Big Sky Conference: Holt Arena at Idaho State in Pocatello opened in 1970 (as the "Minidome") and the Kibbie Dome at Idaho in Moscow was enclosed in 1975.
The Skydome is named after J. Lawrence Walkup (1914–2002), the president of NAU from 1957 to 1979, a period of tremendous growth for the university.
DON'T THROW ON THE 'JACKS
The Lumberjacks picked off one pass in last week's loss at Idaho State and have now recorded a total of 10 interceptions this season, which leads the Big Sky Conference and is tied for the national lead with Morgan State.
Junior cornerback
Khalil Dorsey (three interceptions) leads the 'Jacks with three interceptions and ranks 21st nationally among FCS players and second in the Big Sky Conference.
Senior safety
Kam'ron Johnson (two interceptions) sits seventh among league leaders and 52nd nationally in the same category.
FORCING TURNOVERS
The Lumberjacks' defense has forced a total of 14 turnovers over the first five games this season - which is the tied for the top mark nationally and leads the Big Sky Conference.
NAU has forced recovered four fumbles and hauled in a total of 10 interceptions.
PUNTER DJ ARNSON AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Sophomore punter
DJ Arnson entered the program as a walk-on and is already on his way to establishing himself as one of the top punters in FCS football.
Arnson currently ranks third nationally and tops nationally with an average of 46.4 yards per boot.
He has placed eight punts inside the 20 and recorded a total of 10 punts of 50 yards or longer, including a season-long 62-yard punt at Missouri State on Sept. 15.
