Lumberjacks Open 2021 Season With FCS Champion Sam Houston; Set for Five Total Home Games

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (May 17, 2021) – Returning for the Fall 2021 season with a full 11-game schedule, including five contests in the Walkup Skydome, the Northern Arizona University football program will face some of the nation's top competition this year.

Opening the 2021 season with a Thursday night matchup and the annual Running of the Freshman on Sept. 2, NAU hosts Spring 2021 FCS Champion Sam Houston Bearkats, the first meeting between the programs since 2003. 

Finishing a perfect 10-0, the Bearkats rolled through their six games in the Southland Conference by outscoring their opponents 269-93. Ranked No. 4 in both national polls and the No. 2-seed in the FCS playoffs, Sam Houston beat Monmouth in the opening round of the 16-team bracket before knocking off long-time FCS power North Dakota State in the quarterfinals.

Having knocked off the winner of eight of the past nine titles, Sam Houston then took down the 2016-17 champion James Madison in the semifinal. Leading 17-7 entering the fourth quarter of the national championship match, Sam Houston scored with just 16 seconds left after South Dakota State rattled off 14 straight points to take a late lead.

It was the Bearkats third appearance in the title game, with a pair of losses to North Dakota State in 2012 and 2013.

The two schools first played one another in the 2001 FCS Playoffs, with the Bearkats hosting the Lumberjacks in the first round. After advancing with a 34-31 victory, Sam Houston traveled to Flagstaff and served as the home opener for NAU in 2002.

The Lumberjacks beat the No. 14 Bearkats 40-14 and handed Sam Houston another defeat to conclude the 2003 regular season. Facing off in Huntsville, Texas, NAU beat Sam Houston 34-18 two weeks prior to opening the FCS playoffs.

Following the home opener, the Lumberjacks head out for the first of three consecutive road games beginning with a Sept. 11 matchup in Vermillion, South Dakota against the Coyotes. NAU and South Dakota were scheduled to play in Flagstaff during the original 2020 schedule, but the game was lost with the move to a conference-only schedule in the spring.

The two programs faced off in 2013 and 2014, with the home team winning each meeting. NAU defeated South Dakota 22-16 in its 2013 home opener with the Coyotes earning a 28-21 victory a year later in Vermillion. 

South Dakota played just four of its eight games originally scheduled in the spring, finishing with a 1-3 record.

A trip south to face the Arizona Wildcats and first-year head coach Jedd Fisch concludes the non-conference schedule on Sept. 18. The Lumberjacks and Wildcats faced one another in two of the past three fall seasons and are scheduled for four more meetings through 2027.

With the Big Sky Conference electing to roll over the original 2020 schedule into the fall of 2021, NAU's schedule will look similar to what some people may remember.

A Sept. 25 matchup with the Northern Colorado Bears will serve as first-year head coach Ed McCaffrey's Big Sky debut after his program opted out of the Spring 2021 schedule. 

A return home on Oct. 2 will serve as Family Weekend with the Lumberjacks taking on the Idaho State Bengals for the first time since the 2018 season. The second home game will lead into a bye week as the Lumberjacks will be able to remain in Flagstaff for much of the month before facing off with the rival Southern Utah Thunderbirds for the final time as Big Sky opponents.

The battle for the Grand Canyon Trophy on Oct. 16 will also be Homecoming Weekend in Flagstaff, as NAU looks to retain the trophy and beat Southern Utah for a third straight game for the first time since the stretch from 2008 to 2010.

The Lumberjacks swept their two games against the Thunderbirds this past spring, with a 34-33 victory in Flagstaff to open the season in February and a 28-20 win in Cedar City to conclude Southern Utah's season on April 10.

Playing for the third time in a calendar year, and fourth time in the stretch of 13 Lumberjack games, NAU and Southern Utah's matchup is currently the last scheduled meeting between the programs moving forward as the Thunderbirds depart for the WAC.

With one run of road games out of the way, NAU is scheduled for another set of back-to-back trips on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 against Sacramento State and Idaho respectively. The Hornets and Lumberjacks last played in Flagstaff during the 2019 season, but NAU's last game in Sacramento came in 2013. The 2018 meeting between the teams in California was canceled due to wildfires in the area, and the teams played in Flagstaff in 2015 and 2017.

Similar to Southern Utah, NAU and Idaho will play for the third time in a stretch of 14 games for the Lumberjacks. A loss at home concluded the 2019 season for NAU while a 19-9 victory wrapped up this past spring's schedule.

Hosting their final two games in Flagstaff before completing the regular season on the road, NAU hosts the UC Davis Aggies on Nov. 6 for its Native American Heritage Game and the Montana Grizzlies on Nov. 13 for Senior Day. The Lumberjacks and Aggies last played in 2018, a 42-20 victory at home for UC Davis, with the most recent meeting in Flagstaff being a 45-31 win in 2017.

Montana has not played in Flagstaff since the 2016 season, a 45-34 victory for NAU, and the programs last played in Missoula during the 2017 season.

To finish the regular season, NAU travels to San Luis Obispo, Calif. to face the Cal Poly Mustangs, for the first time since 2018. The programs were scheduled to play in Flagstaff this past April, but Cal Poly's decision to opt out of the remainder of the season canceled the contest.

Northern Arizona University Athletics, in conjunction with University and local officials, is continuing to prepare for all scenarios in regards to fan attendance policies for the fall 2021 football season.
 
All updates will be communicated through NAU Athletics social media accounts and nauathletics.com as soon as they become available, including but not limited to information related to ticket sales timelines, game start times, fan experience enhancements, health and safety protocols, promotional information, and team news. Click here to add yourself to the interest list for tickets to the upcoming season.