| GAME 2: #18/20 Northern Arizona (1-0) vs. #6/5 Eastern Washington (1-0) |
GAME NOTES (PDF)
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (August 28, 2018) - The No. 18/20 Northern Arizona University football team will host No. 6/5 Eastern Washington in its home opener this Saturday, Sept. 8 in a 4 p.m. MST kickoff from the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff. The pivotal early season match up could have a significant impact on potential postseason possibilities for both teams.
The game will be televised live on Your Phoenix CW, NAU-TV and on PLuto Tv (Channel 239) as well as the Lumberjack Radio Network with
Mitch Strohman (play-by-play) and Kevin Stephens (color) on the call. The radio pregame show will begin at 3 p.m. MST.
NAU OPENING DRIVE
- NAU hosts Eastern Washington in a critical early season non-conference game in its home opener on Saturday at the Skydome. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. MST and the contest will be televised live on Your Phoenix CW, NAU-TV and Pluto TV (channel 239).
- Senior wide receiver Emmanuel Butler enters the game tied for the top spot in the NAU record book with 28 touchdown receptions. One more and he will surpass Clarence Moore (2000-03) and have sole possession of the career record.
- This will mark the first of two non-conference games that will see the Lumberjacks battle Eastern Washington. The two programs will also face each other in non-league action during the 2020 season.
- The Lumberjacks are fresh off a 30-10 victory over UTEP last Saturday. The win marked NAU's first win over an FBS opponent since the 2012 season.
GAMEDAY NOTES
BUTLER ONE TOUCHDOWN CATCH AWAY FROM PROGRAM RECORD
- Senior wide receiver Emmanuel Butler enters the week just one receiving touchdown shy of breaking the NAU program career record in that category.
- Butler currently boasts 28 career touchdown receptions and is tied with Clarence Moore (2000-03) for the most by a Lumberjack in a career.
- He also stands just 85 yards shy of tying Shawn Collins (1985-88) for the second most receiving yards in NAU career annals. Butler enters the week with 2,679 career yards with Collins total at 2,764. Moore also holds NAU's career receiving yards mark at 3,042.
- Butler boasts a total of 158 receptions in his career and is currently seven receptions of cracking the top five and 43 away from Shawn Collins NAU record total of 201.
COOKUS ENTERS THE WEEK 86 YARDS FROM 8,000 FOR CAREER
- Junior quarterback Case Cookus boasts 7,914 yards and is 86 shy of hitting 8,000 for his career.
- Cookus will become the fifth signal caller in NAU history to reach the 8,000 yard mark joining Jeff Lewis (9,639), Greg Wyatt (10,697), Jason Murrietta (10,717) and Travis Brown (11,400).
JEROME SOUERS HITS 120 CAREER WINS
- NAU head coach Jerome Souers recorded the 120th win of his career in the Lumberjacks' 30-10 victory over UTEP on Sept. 1, 2018.
- The Lumberjacks' boss currently leads the Big Sky all-time list for coaching wins and ranks 15th all-time among NCAA FCS Coaches in victories.
NAU IN HOME OPENERS
- The Lumberjacks enter this Saturday's game vs. Eastern Washington with a record of 77-23-2 in home openers dating back to 1915 (102 seasons).
- NAU has come out victorious in 24 of the last 25 home openers with the lone loss coming last season by a 38-20 margin vs. Western Illinois.
- The 'Jacks will be facing Eastern Washington for the first time in a home opener in program history.
LAST TIME VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON
- The Lumberjacks are 12-20 all-time when facing Eastern Washington. NAU has dropped three of the last five meetings with the Eagles, including the most recent match up at home.
- Saturday's meeting will mark the second straight time the two teams have squared off at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, with the most recent coming on Sept. 24, 2016 which saw the Eagles post a 50-35 win. The match up marked the first between current standout quarterbacks Case Cookus and EWU's Gabe Gubrud. Cookus finished 17-of-28 with 245 yards and three touchdowns, while Gubrud put up 392 yards on 36-of-57 passing and a pair of TDs. Gubrud was also a factor on the ground as he totaled 95 yards on 11 carries. Kendyl Taylor paced the 'Jacks with 101 rushing yards and a touchdown.
- The 2015 meeting saw the Lumberjacks score 21 points off four Eastern Washington turnovers en route to a 52-30 victory on the road in Cheney. Cookus tossed for 224 yards while completing 22-of-30 passes, including one touchdown.
- The 2014 meeting was one of the most memorable games in NAU history as the Lumberjacks drove 77 yards in the final minute of regulation on just three plays to post a 28-27 upset of the No. 2 ranked Eagles in Flagstaff.
- Dan Galindo caught the game-winning touchdown pass with just 12 seconds left from Jordan Perry to secure the victory for the Lumberjacks.
THIS WEEK'S KEY MATCHUPS
- This week's showdown between NAU and Eastern Washington features a match up of two of the Big Sky's and FCS's most feared quarterbacks.
- NAU junior Case Cookus was honored with All-Big Sky first team at quarterback last season and returns on pace to shatter Lumberjack career passing records. He is 16-12 in 28 games as a starter, and has thrown for 7,914 yards and has 8,150 yards of total offense in 28 career games. Cookus has also thrown for 74 touchdowns and has a 157.1 efficiency rating while completing 63.3 percent of his passes.
- Eastern's Gage Gubrud is a three-year senior starter, and has thrown for 79 touchdowns and 8,905 yards in 28 career games, with 9,786 yards of total offense, a .655 completion percentage and 158.3 passing efficiency rating. He's 18-6 in 24 games as a starter and was the Big Sky Conference co-MVP in 2016. He was recently honored as the FCS National Player of the Week following a 337 yard and five touchdown effort in the Eagles 58-13 win over Division II Central Washington in last week's season opener.
- Each quarterback also has a talented primary target on the outside. Lumberjack senior receiver Emmanuel Butler returns after an injury redshirt year in 2017, and was a 2015 All-American and first team All-Big Sky selection in both 2015 and 2016. He has 158 career catches for 2,679 yards and 28 touchdowns, while EWU offers with senior Nsimba Webster with 82 career grabs for 1,066 yards and nine scores.
RARE NON-CONFERENCE MATCH UP VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON
- Saturday's meeting between the Lumberjacks and Eastern Washington is a non-conference game and part of a two-game agreement between the programs that will see the teams play a second non-league game during the 2020 season in Cheney on Sept. 19.
- The games may be used as a tie-breaker in the Big Sky Conference standings if needed.
NAU RISES IN NATIONAL POLLS AFTER WEEK ONE WIN
- The Northern Arizona football team cracked the rankings in both the STATS Media and AFCA FCS Coaches top 25 polls following its 30-10 victory over FBS opponent UTEP in the season opener this past Saturday.
- The Lumberjacks are slotted No. 18 in the STATS poll after receiving a total of 1,142 votes – just 11 shy of No. 17 Central Arkansas. NAU moved up 11 spots in the rankings after entering the season with the 29th most votes.
- The AFCA FCS Coaches Top 25 has the 'Jacks listed at No. 20 nationally with 175 points. NAU also made a significant jump in the coaches' rankings after coming in with the 27th-highest point total to start the year.
- NAU is one of four teams from the Big Sky Conference listed in each of the polls, including this Saturday's opponent for the home opener, Eastern Washington, who sits at No. 6 in the STATS rankings and No. 5 in the AFCA Coaches.
SOUERS TO APPEAR ON PHOENIX'S 1060 AM "THE SPORTSZONE"
- Northern Arizona University football head coach Jerome Souers will join host Bob Kemp on Phoenix's NBC Sports 1060 AM's The Sportszone each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. MST every week during the Lumberjack football season.
- Souers will recap the previous week's game and preview the Lumberjacks' upcoming opponent on the newest affiliate of the Lumberjack Sports Network, with veteran sports broadcaster Kemp.
- NAU recently announced a partnership with Hubbard Radio-owned KDUS-AM 1060, an NBC Sports Radio affiliate, to carry all NAU football and men's basketball games for the next two years for the Lumberjack listening audience in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. KDUS AM 1060 will cover the Lumberjacks through June 2020.
- Kemp was recognized as the National Sports Talk Show Host of the Decade (2001-09) by Sports Illustrated following his time at Sporting News Radio and NBC Sports Radio AM 1060 in Phoenix. Kemp has worked at KDUS since July 2002, following 11 years as a national syndicated host for Sporting News Radio.
- Souers will make his first appearance on The Sportszone this week on Wednesday, Sept. 5 to discuss the 'Jacks 30-10 victory at El Paso's Sun Bowl vs. UTEP in the season opener, which represented NAU's first win over an FBS opponent since 2012.
'JACKS POST FIRST WIN OVER FCS OPPONENT SINCE 2012
- The Northern Arizona football team jumped out to a 17-0 lead and never trailed as it posted its first victory over an FBS opponent since the 2012 season with a 30-10 win at UTEP in the Sun Bowl on Saturday night.
- The victory marked the Lumberjacks' first over an FBS foe since it handed UNLV a 17-14 setback on Sept. 8, 2012 and snapped a five-game skid over FBS opponents. The setback extended UTEP's current losing streak to 13 consecutive games, which is tied for the longest nationally for FBS members.
- "It feels great to get this win," NAU head coach Jerome Souers said. "I am really proud of the players. We ended last year on a rough swing and they put their minds to setting things right. Since last January we have seen nothing but a diligent work effort, a commitment and a mental toughness. I thought we started out fast, which is what we needed to do. We had some injuries tonight but we had guys step up, our coaching staff made some great adjustments and I really feel like we got after them tonight."
- Senior wide receiver Emmanuel Butler saw his first game action since Sept. 9, 2016 vs. Western Illinois and looked like he hadn't missed a step as he rang up 138 receiving yards on six catches, including a pair of touchdowns, which allowed him to tie the program's record in that category with 28 previously set by Clarence Moore (2000-03).
- Two turnovers in the first quarter allowed the Lumberjacks to race out to a 10-0 advantage.
