| Northern Arizona vs. No. 9 Montana |
CLICK ON THE TEAM'S NAME FOR THIS WEEK'S GAME NOTES FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA AND MONTANA.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 11, 2021) – Saturday will end a run of more than 1,800 days between visits to the Walkup Skydome for the Montana Grizzlies, as every Lumberjack will get their first opportunity to play at home against one of Northern Arizona's most common rivals.
Playing 50 times since their first meeting in 1966, Northern Arizona (4-5, 3-3 Big Sky) and Montana (7-2, 4-2) may have grown unfamiliar with one another. The schools have not played since 2017 and the No. 9-ranked Grizzlies arrive in Flagstaff for the first time since 2016.
With Northern Arizona's seniors set to be honored for Senior Day before kickoff, their first meeting at home against the Grizzlies comes in their final opportunity.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Walkup Skydome and will be available on
ESPN+ or
Hulu with a subscription to the Disney Bundle. The game will also be available on the Lumberjack Radio Network and at NAUAthletics.com/listen, with coverage beginning at 12 p.m.
The Lumberjacks have won the past two meetings in Flagstaff against the Grizzlies, a 45-34 final in 2016 and a 34-16 win in 2013. Playing each other in all but one year, 1971, from 1966 through 2013, the Big Sky Conference's unbalanced schedule has impacted the long-running series more than any other on Northern Arizona's traditional schedule so far. The teams have met in just three of the past six seasons, excluding the spring season with Montana electing to opt out.
As a result, few players remain from Northern Arizona's game in Missoula in 2017, a 17-15 loss as the Lumberjacks finished the final three quarters of the game without starting quarterback Case Cookus who was ejected in the opening quarter for targeting.
The Lumberjacks also played without their regular starting quarterback against the Grizzlies in 2016, with Cookus injured and replaced by Blake Kemp.
SENIOR GOODBYES
Saturday will be Northern Arizona's final home game for
Luis Aguilar,
DJ Arnson,
Harrison Beemiller,
Justin Hathoot,
Brenndan Johnson,
Donovan Outlaw,
Trevor Reinwald,
Carson Taylor,
Tristen Vance and
Lionell Wiggins. Additionally,
Luke Rudolph will celebrate Senior Day as well after concluding his playing career in the spring.
The celebration of the seniors will begin at 12:56 with 8:30 remaining on the game's countdown clock.
For Vance and Beemiller, head coach
Chris Ball said he is losing a pair of players who have had a big impact on the program since he arrived.
"I've had more fun coaching those two guys than I have in a long time. They are great on the sideline, they are fun to have at practice," Ball said. "Tristen and Harrison's leadership has been priceless this year. Their leadership and their buy in has been phenomenal. I'm really going to miss those two. They brought a lot to the table and even helped change this football program."
The graduating players also include all three starters on Northern Arizona's special teams unit, with Aguilar, Arnson and Hathoot playing together through the past five years in Flagstaff.
"That's a position that you don't ever want to get caught without a great long snapper, a kicker and a punter. We've been blessed these past three years," Ball said. "They have done a great job here leading. They have done a lot for us as far as getting this thing pointed in the right direction.
176 AWAY FROM 1K
Adding another 79 yards last week, freshman running back
Kevin Daniels enters the final two games of the season 176 yards away from reaching 1,000 for the season.
Northern Arizona has not finished the year with a 1,000-yard rusher since Casey Jahn's 1,035 yards across 10 games during the 2015 season. Just beyond the 1,000-yard mark is Northern Arizona's freshman rushing record, with Zach Bauman's 1,059 yards from the 2010 season.
Daniels enters the week 21st in the FCS with 118.0 all-purpose yards per game, primarily through his 103.0 rushing yards per game that ranks him ninth in the nation. Rushing for more than 100 yards in four contests this year, Daniels broke the 200-yard mark with 229 against Southern Utah and then put up 177 yards on the road against Idaho.
Responsible for 54% of Northern Arizona's rushing yards this season, Daniels also averages 5.84 yards per carry to rank 25th in the FCS and second in the Big Sky Conference. The per carry average would currently place Daniels in a tie for seventh for a single season.
WHAT ELSE TO WATCH FOR
Through 18 career games, receiver
Coleman Owen sits at 837 career receiving yards. Needing 163 to reach 1,000, Owen would become the 33rd player in program history to hit the mark. Averaging 67.0 yards per game this season, Owen could reach the total this season after putting up three 100-yard performances in his nine games played.
Entering the week with 82 tackles this season, 22nd in the FCS, safety
Morgan Vest is just seven away from entering the top 10 of Northern Arizona's total tackles in a season list dating back to 1995. Averaging 9.1 per game, Vest is on pace to finish the season at 100 tackles which would rank him fifth on the list and be the most for a Lumberjack in a single season since 1999.
GAMEDAY INFO
Tickets for Saturday can be purchased online at
www.nauathletics.com/buy and questions can be directed to the Lumberjack Ticket Office at LumberjackTicketOffice@nau.edu or 928-523-0639.
Northern Arizona has introduced mobile ticketing at both the Walkup Skydome and Rolle Activity Center this season. For step-by step instructions and resources, click
here. Students will need to claim their tickets online this season with step-by-step instructions available
here.
Lots will open to tailgating at 9 a.m. while the Ponderosa will open at 10 a.m. ahead of the 1 p.m. kickoff. Shuttle services also begin at 10 a.m. with pick up locations at P62 and at the campus bookstore. Doors to the Skydome will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
