FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 4, 2021) – As one has likely come to expect in the 13-team Big Sky Conference, the race for FCS Playoff berths is poised to come down to the final few weeks of the regular season.
For the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-4, 3-2 Big Sky), the opportunity to make a significant statement nationally presents itself during the final stretch as a pair of Top 25 opponents arrive in the Walkup Skydome over the next two weeks. First up, the No. 7 UC Davis Aggies (7-1, 4-1 Big Sky) arrive in Flagstaff following their bye week for the first of three challenging games to conclude the regular season.
While Northern Arizona has No. 10 Montana ahead next week and UC Davis returns home to face No. 5 Eastern Washington and No. 16 Sacramento State to wrap up the regular season, the two meet for the first time since 2018 and the first time in Flagstaff since 2017.
The relatively young series history dates back to only 2012 when the Aggies joined the Big Sky as an affiliate in football, and the home team has come away with a victory in five of the six games. The Lumberjacks are 3-0 in Flagstaff against the Aggies, but have yet to face a UC Davis team with this kind of national recognition at home.
UC Davis entered the 2018 matchup at home ranked No. 6 and handed a Northern Arizona team, playing without a traditional quarterback, a 42-20 loss. Aggies head coach Dan Hawkins, now in his fifth season with the program, lost to the Lumberjacks 45-31 in his first season at his alma mater.
Just two players who started the last meeting remain with the Lumberjacks,
Tristen Vance and
Carson Taylor, while
Luis Aguilar,
DJ Arnson,
Justin Hathoot and
Matthew Kempton also played against the Aggies.
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.
SECONDARY STABILITY
The Aggies enter Saturday with the 30th-ranked offense in the FCS at 421.0 yards per game. While its rushing attack, led by Ulonzo Gilliam Jr.'s 91.9 yards per game, 21st at 195.2 yards per game, the Aggies pass attack also averages 225.8 yards per game to rank 45th in the FCS.
Junior
Morgan Vest, coming off a two-interception game against Idaho that earned him Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, will be a key part of stopping either phase of the game. And while the safety will be assisted up front by veteran linebackers
Harrison Beemiller and
Tristen Vance, the backend of Northern Arizona's defense might be getting a little healthier after a few weeks of mixing and matching healthy players in key roles.
"It's been a little bit different. We got
Devontae Ingram back which was big, Morgan has been consistent. I thought
Trejan Apodaca played really well on Saturday," said Northern Arizona head coach
Chris Ball, adding the team has rotated at the other corner position opposite Ingram and may add a little more depth back to the position this weekend.
While Vest picked off two passes, Ingram snagged one of his own in his return to the field. Northern Arizona has intercepted 10 passes this season, 16th in the FCS, and recovered seven fumbles for 17 total takeaways. That puts the Lumberjacks inside the nation's top 20, right alongside the Aggies who have 13 interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
On both sides of the ball, Saturday presents another opportunity for Northern Arizona to back up one of its most repeated mantras.
"The number one thing is to own the ball," Ball said. "That's creating takeaways and taking care of the ball offensively. If you didn't know the score of a game, and I handed you a stat book and you had to guess who won, you'd look at the turnovers."
SUCCESS ON THE GROUND
With three games currently remaining on the schedule, freshman
Kevin Daniels is just 255 yards away from Northern Arizona's first 1,000-yard rusher since Casey Jahn in 2015. The program's freshman record is just past the 1,000-yard benchmark, with Zach Bauman's 1,059 yards in 2010.
Daniels sits 13th nationally with his 745 yards and is ninth at 106.4 yards per game on the ground. Adding in his receiving yards, Daniels is also 19th in the FCS with 120.57 all-purpose yards per game.
The impressive production has provided fellow freshman
RJ Martinez with a reliable threat on the ground as he works through his first collegiate season.
"He learned the offense and did a good job during the offseason getting into shape," Ball said. "He's done a good job and each week he's getting better and better. It's a hard transition from high school to college. To take your game to the next level, you've got to understand the finer things of playing that position and pass protection is a big part of it too. Those are things that he's doing better that he didn't have to do in high school."
Northern Arizona's offensive line has also proven itself this season while working through injuries of its own. While
Donovan Outlaw and
Jonas Leader have locked down the tackle positions on the left and right side respectively, the interior has been a mix of four players at the guard positions and center.
PJ Poutasi,
Jalen Hooper,
Noah Barta and
Maxwell Flores have all started for Northern Arizona this season as deputy head coach and offensive line coach
Bob Connelly continues to build on the depth the team worked toward in the spring season.
"Coach Connelly does a good job of that, he makes his guys learn all the positions," Ball said. "All the inside guys know how to play center and all the outside guys know how to play guard. He does a good job of getting those guys prepared and we are very flexible up front."
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.
Fans can also present their tickets to the football game at Northern Arizona's Senior Night volleyball match against Sacramento State at 6 p.m. to receive free admission.
