CEDAR CITY, Utah (November 16, 2019) – Senior quarterback
Case Cookus became the all-time single-season and career passing leader for the Lumberjacks, but the Northern Arizona University football team were edged in a back-and-forth affair with Southern Utah by a 31-30 margin on Saturday afternoon at Eccles Coliseum.
The game featured a total of three ties and five lead changes as neither side would lead by more than seven points over the duration of the contest. The Lumberjacks claimed the lead for the first time at the 14:54 mark of the second quarter and as late as with 3:41 left in the third.
The Lumberjacks put together an eight-play, 80-yard drive that pushed them down to the Southern Utah one-yard line with just under eight minutes remaining in regulation, but came away empty after they were turned back by the Thunderbirds' defense on a fourth and goal attempt from a yard out. NAU would only manage one more possession after the fourth-down stop and were unable to advance the ball beyond its own 20-yard line.
Cookus completed 32-of-44 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown. He now boasts 11,632 career passing yards, pushing him past Travis Brown (11,400) for the top spot in program history. He also surpassed the NAU single season passing yardage record total set by Jason Murrietta (3,460) in 2003 with his current total of 3,664 over 11 games.
In addition, Cookus also moved past Murrietta (3,460) for the most total offense yards in a single season with his current total of 3,618.
Sophomore receiver
Brandon Porter was Cookus' top target on Saturday as he hauled in a career-high 10 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Porter soared up the NAU leaderboard from ninth to third for the most single-season receptions in program history with 76. He is just seven receptions short of breaking Alex Watson's current record total of 82 set in 2006.
Freshman Greg Robinson paced the 'Jacks on the ground with 91 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Linebackers
Brooklyn Hardiman and
Harrison Beemiller paced the NAU defense with nine tackles each.
Southern Utah was led by quarterback Chris Helbig, who finished with 290 yards and a touchdown, while completing 22-of-27 passes overall.
Thomas Duckett was the primary playmaker for the Thunderbirds with three total touchdowns (2 rush, 1 receiving) to go along with 130 rushing and 81 receiving yards. Landen Measom caught six passes for a team-best 125 yards.
Southern Utah (3-8, 2-5 Big Sky) got on the board first following a 13-play, 68-yard drive that resulted in a 24-yard field goal by Manny Berz putting the Thunderbirds ahead 3-0 6:45 into regulation.
NAU (4-7, 2-5) answered on its opening drive with a 13-play march of its own that covered 52 yards and resulted in a successful 36-yard field goal by
Luis Aguilar, tying the game at 3-3 with 3:03 left in the first quarter.
The Lumberjacks capitalized on a Southern Utah turnover to take its first lead of the game on a diving 31-yard touchdown grab by Porter, which put the 'Jacks ahead 10-3 at 14:54 of the second quarter.
The score was set up by a forced fumble by Beemiller on the Thunderbirds' preceding drive, which was recovered by NAU's
Aaron Andrews at the Lumberjacks' 42-yard line.
The Thunderbirds responded three plays later with a flea flicker that went 44 yards after Helbig found a wide open Duckett who took it in for a touchdown and deadlock the scoreboard at 10-10 just 1:53 in the second quarter.
On the same drive that Cookus became NAU's all-time leader in passing yardage, he ripped off a 20-yard run through the middle of the Thunderbirds' defense for a touchdown that put the 'Jacks ahead 17-10 at the 10:13 mark of the second.
The lead was short lived however as Southern Utah tied the game for the third time at 17-17 on a seven-yard scoring burst by Duckett just under five minutes later.
Cookus kept adding on records to his resume as he broke the mark the NAU record for most passing yards in a season on a 31-yard connection to
Brandon Porter that set up a successful 20-yard field goal by Aguilar give the lead back to the 'Jacks at 20-17.
Following a big fourth-down stop by the NAU defense in the red zone, the Lumberjacks had one final opportunity to add points before the break following a 31-yard completion from Cookus to Porter, but Aguilar saw his perfect streak from under 50 yards when he sent a 42-yard field goal wide on the final play before intermission.
After forcing a punt on the Lumberjacks' first possession of the second half, Southern Utah took the lead for the first time since they were ahead 3-0 on the strength of a 11-play, 90-yard drive that was keyed by a 56-yard completion by Helbig to Meason and culminated in a 11-yard scoring rush by Karris Davis – making score 24-20 SUU.
NAU reclaimed the lead on its next drive on a bruising 11-yard TD rush by Robinson – his third score of the season – to put the 'Jacks ahead 27-20 with 3:41 left in the third.
Southern Utah answered four plays later with a 54-yard dash by Duckett for his third overall touchdown of the game, flipping the lead for the fifth time in favor of the Thunderbirds at 31-27 with 93 ticks remaining in the third quarter.
Aguilar booted his third field goal of the game, from 46 yards out, to trim the deficit to 31-30 at the 12:40 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Lumberjacks close out the 2019 season next Saturday, November 23 against Idaho in a 2 p.m. MST kickoff from the Skydome.
NAU's showdown with the Vandals will mark the annual Senior Day Game and will be aired live on Your Phoenix CW, NAU-TV, Pluto TV (539) and the Lumberjack Radio Network.
To purchase tickets to next Saturday's NAU-Idaho clash online at
nauathletics.com/tickets or by calling the Lumberjack Ticket Office at 928-523-0639.
Postgame Notes – at Southern Utah – November 16, 2019
- NAU senior quarterback Case Cookus finished with 325 passing yards to increase his season total to 3,664, which passes Jason Murrietta's 2003 total of 3,472 passing yards for the highest single-season total in NAU history.
- Cookus also finished with 334 yards of total offense to bring his season total to 3,618 – which also passes Murrietta's 2003 total of 3,460 yards for the most in a single season in program annals.
- Cookus became the program's all-time leader in career passing yards with his current total of 11,632 – which moved him past Travis Brown's (1996-99) previous record total of 11,400.
- Cookus also moved past Brown for fourth-most career passing yards in Big Sky Conference history.
- Cookus' 334 yards of total offense increased his career total to 11,799 and moved up three spots into seventh place in Big Sky career annals –vaulting past Montana's Dave Dickinson (11,513), Sacramento State's Garrett Safron (11,619) and Eastern Washington's Vernon Adams (11,670).
- Saturday's loss to Southern Utah extended NAU's current losing streak on the road to 10 games with the last win coming vs. UTEP at the Sun Bowl on Sept. 1, 2018.
- Southern Utah's Eccles Coliseum has seen more touchdown passes by Case Cookus (7) than any other stadium outside the NAU's home venue, the Walkup Skydome.
- Next week's 12-member senior class will be honored before the final home game at the Skydome in 2019.
- Members of the senior class include: Aaron Andrews, Chris Jules, Adonis Battle, Brandon Worthy, Khalil Dorsey, Cole Habib, Joey Gatewood, Ceejhay French-Love, Tommie Dorsey, Joe Logan, Case Cookus and Marcel Myers.
- Sophomore Brandon Porter hauled in 10 catches to increase his season total to 76 – which ranks as the third-most in a single season in NAU annals.
- Porter finished the contest with career highs in receptions (10) and tabbed 100 or more receiving yards for the fifth time this season.
- Neither team punted until the second half – NAU punted for the first time on its opening possession of the second half, while Southern Utah didn't attempt a punt until the 10:41 mark of the fourth quarter.
