FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Nov. 17, 2018) – The Northern Arizona football team raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first half and never trailed as it posted a 31-16 victory over North Dakota on Saturday afternoon at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lumberjacks and improves their final season record to 4-6 overall and 3-4 in Big Sky Conference action. North Dakota finishes the season 6-5 and the loss all but dashes any hopes it has to qualify for the 2018 NCAA FCS Playoffs.
"I couldn't' be happier with this group of men," NAU head coach
Jerome Souers said. "The coaches, the student-athletes, we started out this year with great expectations. We had some tough times over the course of the year and to finish this way we had to reinvent ourselves in a lot of ways."
NAU utilized a solid running game en route to the season-ending win as it posted 184 rushing yards, led by senior
Cory Young who churned out 82 yards on 14 carries (5.6 avg.), including 49 on the 'Jacks' final drive which resulted in a one-yard scoring plunge by Young to seal the victory.
Quarterback
Brandon Porter added 62 yards on 14 carries and sophomore
Aramis Aldredge tabbed 57 and a touchdown.
The Lumberjacks' defense was stout throughout the contest as they limited North Dakota, who entered the game averaging 243.0 yards per game on the ground to a total of just 83 in the victory.
NAU finished the game with a season-high six sacks and forced a pair of interceptions, including one returned 51 yards for a score by senior
Maurice Davison.
The Lumberjacks got on the board first with a touchdown following an eight-play, 88-yard drive on their second possession of the game. Porter got things rolling with a big 19-yard run on third down to move the chain and then hit
Emmanuel Butler with a 35-yard pass to get the 'Jacks down to the North Dakota 25 yard line. Aldredge followed with three rushes for a total of 23 yards, including a nine-yard scoring burst for his first rushing touchdown of the season.
Senior
Wes Sutton recorded his third interception of the season on the third play of North Dakota's next possession and returned it 22 yards to the Fighting Hawks' 31 yard line. Four plays after the turnover, Porter found Butler from 30 yards out for a score to increase the NAU lead to 14-0 with 3:07 left in the opening quarter. The touchdown increased Butler's NAU career-best scoring catch total to 33.
Sophomore place kicker
Luis Aguilar upped the margin to 17-0 with a 37-yard field goal, his fourth successful kick of the season, with 12:18 remaining before the break. The lead marked the 'Jacks largest since the season opener when it led UTEP 30-10 and its first double-digit lead since Oct. 7 vs. Weber State when it held an 18-7 lead in the third quarter.
North Dakota broke into the scoring column with 5:37 until half on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Nate Ketteringham to Noah Wanzek to cut the margin to 17-7. The score was set up by a muffed punt by NAU's
Justis Stokes on the previous possession which was recovered by the Fighting Hawks at the NAU 29 yard line.
The Fighting Hawks closed out the half with a nine-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in a successful 35-yard field goal attempt by Brady Leach with 1:10 left in the first half to make the score 17-10 at intermission.
North Dakota stretched its scoring run to 13 straight in the second half on a 43-yard field goal by Leach at the 7:01 mark of the third quarter which closed out a 10-play, 30-yard push and made the score 17-13.
Davison got the momentum back for the Lumberjacks on North Dakota's next possession as he snared his first interception of the season with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter and raced 51 yards for a touchdown to up the NAU lead to 24-13.
Leach connected on his third field goal of the game, this one from 29 yards out, to get the Fighting Hawks to within eight points at 24-16 with 14:51 left in regulation before the 'Jacks closed out the victory with the score by Young on their final possession with 1:01 left.
The game marked the Lumberjacks' annual "Senior Day" game as 15 seniors were honored in a pregame ceremony.
Postgame Notes – vs. No. 25/RV North Dakota – Nov. 17, 2018
- No. 25/RV North Dakota is the fourth ranked opponent that NAU has faced this season and the third at home.
- With the victory, the Lumberjacks improve to 2-1 at home this season vs. ranked opponents.
- Senior Emmanuel Butler's first quarter touchdown catch raised his NAU career record total for touchdown receptions to 33.
- NAU's 17-point lead in the second quarter marked its largest lead in any game this season since defeating UTEP 30-10 in the season opener and its first double-digit lead since holding an 18-7 edge in the third quarter vs. Weber State on Oct. 6.
- Saturday's victory improved NAU's record to 3-2 at home this season – which represents the 18th consecutive winning season for the 'Jacks at the Skydome and the 19th in 21 seasons for NAU head coach Jerome Souers.
- Senior Aaron Andrews recorded two sacks in Saturday's game – upping his season total to 9.5 sacks which leads the Lumberjacks.
