FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 26, 2019) – Northern Arizona University junior place kicker
Luis Aguilar drilled a 38-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Lumberjacks to a dramatic 31-29 victory over Portland State on Saturday afternoon at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome.
NAU did not trail in the contest until the 1:26 mark of the fourth quarter when a 21-yard field goal by Cody Williams gave Portland State its first lead at 29-28.
NAU senior quarterback
Case Cookus answered the call for the 'Jacks by marching the offense 54 yards in 1:22 to set up Aguliar's heroics. Cookus completed each of his first four passes that totaled 47 yards on the decisive drive.
For the game, Cookus completed 26-of-41 passes for 363 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Cookus increased his school-record career passing touchdown total to 98 and his current total of 10,765 passing yards vaulted him from fourth to second place in that category, surpassing Greg Wyatt (1986-89) and Jason Murrietta (2003-06) in NAU career annals.
Cookus' career passing totals also currently sit as the eighth-highest among Big Sky career leaders and his 98 touchdowns are currently tied for the second-most in conference history.
Sophomore
Brandon Porter led all NAU receivers with 92 yards on seven receptions.
Hendrix Johnson registered 94 yards on five catches, including a career-long 62-yard touchdown grab. Senior running back
Joe Logan tabbed two touchdowns and 64 yards on 17 attempts.
The Lumberjack defense stiffened when it mattered most throughout the game as it limited the Vikings to just a pair of touchdowns and five field goals, despite Portland State reaching at least the NAU 31-yard line on nine possessions.
Sophomore
Anthony Sweeney paced the defense with a team-high 10 tackles. Sophomore linebacker
Keenan Mitchell added eight tackles and senior
Chris Jules posted seven stops, including 2.0 TFLs and a sack. Sophomore
Nate Perkins nabbed his first career interception.
NAU was able to secure the win and even its record at 4-4 overall and 2-2 in Big Sky action despite being doubled up in the time of possession battle as Portland State controlled the ball for a total of 39:18 to the Lumberjacks' 20:42.
The Lumberjacks took the lead on their opening possession of the game via a 62-yard catch and run by Johnson, who caught a short out route from Cookus and raced down the sideline for his fifth touchdown in the last four contests.
Logan increased the NAU advantage to 14-0 on the Lumberjacks' next drive with a 15-yard burst at the 5:19 mark of the opening quarter. The score was setup by a 33-yard reception by
Stacy Chukwumezie down the right sideline.
Portland State trimmed the lead to 14-3 with 14:08 left in the second quarter when Williams connected on a 48-yard field goal, his first of five successful kicks, to cap a 13-play, 44-yard drive for the Vikings.
Williams added a 45-yard field goal to make the score 14-6 at 12:17 of the second quarter following an interception of Cookus by Deon Crayon, which he returned 27 yards to the NAU 31-yard line.
Following a fourth-down stop by the Portland State defense, the Vikings drove 39 yards to set up a third field goal by Williams, this one from 33-yards out, cutting the margin to 14-9 with 5:57 left prior to the break.
Logan helped the 'Jacks respond on their ensuing drive, first with a 34-yard kickoff return and then capped an 11-play, 60-yard march with a four-yard rushing touchdown, his second score of the game and team-leading 10th overall this season.
Portland State (5-4, 3-2 Big Sky) tried to answer on its final possession of the half, pushing its way to the NAU 11-yard line. The Vikings' came away empty however when sophomore Perkins snagged the first interception of his career in the end zone with just 19 ticks left in the first half.
The Lumberjacks kept the pressure on in the second half with a six-play, 75-play yard drive on their initial possession of the third quarter which resulted in a 27-yard scoring toss from Cookus to
Gino Campiotti, to up the lead to 28-9.
Charlie Taumoepeau keyed the first touchdown of the game for Portland State with a 61-yard reception that set up a one-yard plunge by Sirgeo Hoffman, who then followed with a successful two-point conversion run to get the Vikings to within 28-17 at the 11:07 mark of the third quarter.
Williams added his fourth field goal of the game at the 4:52 mark of the third to get Portland State to 28-20. The Vikings drove 55 yards in 10 plays over 5:22, but for the fifth time in six trips inside the NAU 31, the Lumberjack defense was able to limit Portland State to just three points or less.
The Lumberjack defense stiffened once again on the next Portland State possession as it sent the Vikings away empty when Williams finally failed to connect on a 42-yard field goal after PSU got deep into NAU territory.
Portland State had a chance to tie the game with 10:07 remaining following a one-yard touchdown run by Malik Walker that closed out an 11-play, 90-yard march. The Vikings still came away trailing 28-26 when a pass attempt by PSU quarterback Davis Alexander sailed high on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt.
The Lumberjacks hit the road next weekend for a clash at Eastern Washington on Saturday, Nov. 2 in a 1 p.m. MST kickoff.
NAU's showdown with the Eagles will be aired live on Pluto TV (534) and the Lumberjack Radio Network.
Postgame Quotes
Junior kicker Luis Aguilar
On Game-Winning Field Goal
"Going into that kick, I was just business as usual. I treat it all the same. Me, Justin (Hathoot), and D.J. (Arnson) trust each other with our lives, so going out there was just about executing."
Senior quarterback Case Cookus
On final drive
"We felt at home with the two-minute drive. Every week we practice two-minute drives, sometimes the defense gets the best of us and we're able to learn from those situations, but our guys got open today. We trust Luis (Aguilar) with our lives. This was an awesome team win."
Postgame Notes – vs. Portland State – October 26, 2019
- Saturday's game marked Portland State's first visit to Flagstaff in seven seasons with the last coming on Sept. 29, 2012.
- The Lumberjacks have won the last four meetings with Portland State and have not dropped a home contest to the Vikings since 2006.
- Freshman Hendrix Johnson's 62-yard touchdown catch from Case Cookus in the first quarter was the longest reception of his career and his fourth straight game with a scoring catch. Johnson has caught five touchdown passes over the last four games.
- Senior Joe Logan notched his team-leading ninth touchdown of the season with a 15-yard rush in the opening quarter.
- Logan added his second touchdown of the game and 10th of the season with a four-yard run in the second quarter.
- Sophomore Nate Perkins recorded his first interception of his career with 19 seconds left in the second quarter.
- Senior quarterback Case Cookus now has 10,765 career passing yards and moved into second place on the NAU career list and into eighth place among Big Sky Conference all-time leaders.
- Cookus finished with 363 passing yards – his sixth game this season and 17th in his career with over 300 passing yards.
- Cookus tossed two TD passes and now has 98 in his career – the most in NAU career annals and tied for second-most among Big Sky career leaders.
- The Lumberjacks are a perfect 4-0 in games played at the Skydome this season.
