MOSCOW, Idaho (October 30, 2021) – While Northern Arizona's offense put up 38 points on Saturday, it was the team's defense that stepped up to close out the victory.
Morgan Vest picked off his second pass of the day, the third interception total for the team, at Northern Arizona's own 6-yard line with just a minute remaining in the game to preserve the 38-31 victory against the Idaho Vandals (2-6, 1-4 Big Sky) in Moscow, Idaho.
Turnovers proved to be a turning point for both teams throughout the afternoon, as both Northern Arizona (4-4, 3-2 Big Sky) and Idaho took first-half leads thanks to takeaways before Vest sealed the game.
The interception capped off a wild fourth quarter, as the Vandals erased a 10-point deficit before RJ Martinez and the Lumberjacks offense regained the lead with just about five minutes remaining.
Breaking off runs of 13 and 40 yards, Kevin Daniels set the Lumberjacks up just outside the red zone two plays into the drive. Rushing for 177 yards on 27 carries, Daniels grinded down the Idaho defense throughout the day. Reaching 50 yards in the opening quarter, Daniels broke the 100-yard mark at halftime and finished with four carries of 15 yards or more.
After Coleman Owen brought in a one-handed catch for 21 yards just outside the end zone, Martinez pushed through the pile for a 1-yard touchdown to put the Lumberjacks in front for the final time.
The score came just four plays after Idaho tied the score 31-31 with a 29-yard field, a victory for Northern Arizona's defense after facing a first-and-goal at the 9.
A 6-yard completion put the Vandals just three yards away from taking a lead that would have been their first since halftime. However, after Tristen Vance and Trejan Apodaca stood up Roshaun Johnson for no gain on second down, Cosmas Kwete brought down Vandals quarterback Mike Beaudry for a 9-yard sack on third down.
Vance finished with a team-high 15 tackles, followed by Vest with 10 in addition to his two interceptions.
Idaho was stuck playing catch up on its home field thanks to a bold call just three minutes into the second half by Northern Arizona's coaching staff. Facing a fourth-and-8 at midfield on the opening drive of the second half, the Lumberjacks called in a play head coach Chris Ball said he has been practicing for three years.
After snapping the ball directly to linebacker Harrison Beemiller, serving as the upback in Northern Arizona's punt formation, a massive hole opened up on Idaho's return unit. Beemiller went untouched for 25 yards before making a move against the Vandals returner and walking into the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown.
Taking a 24-21 lead on the fake, Northern Arizona added a stop on fourth down at its own 24-yard line as Idaho elected to forgo a potential game-tying field goal.
Immediately striking once again, Northern Arizona's offense needed just five plays to cover the 76 yards with Owen coming up with a 41-yard reception before finding the end zone for the from 29 yards out.
Owen lead the Lumberjacks with 139 yards receiving on seven receptions, serving as Martinez's favorite target. The freshman quarterback passed for 238 yards on 18-of-29 passing, tossing three touchdown passes to no interceptions.
The 31-21 lead courtesy of Owen was the Lumberjacks largest of the day after they jumped ahead by seven in the opening quarter.
Takeaways for each team set up scores in the first half, with the Lumberjacks earning that first lead of the game thanks to Devontae Ingram's interception in Idaho territory.
One play after Martinez hit Hendrix Johnson for a 39-yard touchdown, capping off a 3-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game 7-7, Ingram came up with the first pick against Beaudry. Setting the Lumberjacks up at the Vandals' 42, the interception was the second of the year from Ingram who missed the past few games with an injury.
A 28-yard run for Daniels on the first play of the ensuing drive set the Lumberjacks up in the red zone. After another run by Daniels and a short reception for Draycen Hall, Martinez found Matthew Kempton open in the corner of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown. Putting Northern Arizona up 14-7, Kempton's touchdown was his first since Sept. 29, 2018 at Idaho State.
While Daniels broke the 100-yard mark in the first half, Idaho's Logan Kendall pounded his way into the end zone twice to account for two of the Vandals' three first-half scores. Capping off drives of 53 and 60 yards, Kendall broke through from 1 yard out in the opening quarter and again from 2 yards out in the second quarter to tie the game 14-14.
Idaho's crucial first-half takeaway instantly turned into six points, with a strip sack of Martinez resulting in a fumble recovery in the end zone. A quick drive at the end of the first half, moving 59 yards in just 1:29 of game time, cut Northern Arizona's deficit down to four as Luis Aguilar hit a 23-yard field on the final play before halftime.
Northern Arizona now returns home to wrap up its regular season home schedule over the next two weeks. The two-game homestand begins with the UC Davis Aggies (7-1, 4-1 Big Sky) on Saturday in the Walkup Skydome, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
