THIS WEEK'S GAME NOTES FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA AND ARIZONA.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 16, 2021) – While it may still feel as though the season just began, Saturday's trip to Tucson for a meeting with the Arizona Wildcats (0-2) is the final non-conference game of the season for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (0-2).
It'll be the 11th meeting between the schools since 2002 after breaking a 57-year hiatus, and the 17th in the history between the schools. Members of the Border Conference during the 1930s and 40s, Arizona and Northern Arizona first met in 1931 with the Wildcats winning 19-12. A year later, the Lumberjacks scored their only victory in the series with a 7-6 final score on a neutral field in Phoenix.
While the two programs traveled down different paths since their days in the Border Conference together, both enter Saturday's 7 p.m. kickoff in Arizona Stadium looking for their first wins of the season. While Northern Arizona dropped games to FCS No. 1 Sam Houston and South Dakota, Arizona has lost to No. 23 BYU 24-16 in Las Vegas, Nev. and 38-14 at home to San Diego State.
With Arizona turning to a new starting quarterback as Wildcats head coach Jedd Fisch announced Will Plummer would start in place of Gunner Cruz, Lumberjacks head coach
Chris Ball Northern Arizona can not be too focused on what the opposition is doing.
"We don't really worry about the other team and what's happening with the other team," Ball said. "It's about us. We have got to fix some things that are broken and that's what we have concentrated on this week."
Saturday's game will be available on Pac-12 Network Arizona and the Pac-12 Now app, as well as the Lumberjack Radio Network and on NAUAthletics.com/listen. Chris Fisher and Lance Briggs will be on the call for the Pac-12 Network while
Mitch Strohman and Kevin Stephens handle radio.
Jeff Widener started his first career game in place of an injured
Keondre Wudtee at South Dakota, as Northern Arizona lists 27 underclassmen on its two-deep between the offense and defense.
The Lumberjacks fell behind 17-0 in the first quarter against the Coyotes before their defense held South Dakota scoreless in the second half. A strip sack by
Tristen Vance set up Northern Arizona's second-half touchdown, with Widener hitting
Hendrix Johnson for a 16-yard touchdown just six plays later.
However, the turnover battle ultimately swung in favor of the Coyotes who intercepted a pair of passes and forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter, the first lost fumble by Northern Arizona since Nov. 2, 2019. Ball said ball security remained a focus during the week, especially against the Wildcats defense that has not forced a turnover in its first two games.
"That's been something we talk about every day as a group. It's not always the quarterback's fault on those interceptions, there's a lot of other things that are involved," Ball said. "Our No. 1 priority and our goal going into the game is to own the ball. That's something we have got to do a better job of doing."
A turnover also may have helped prompt Fisch's move to Plummer from Cruz, as the latter's final pass against San Diego State was intercepted and led to a field goal midway through the third quarter. Plummer entered the game on Arizona's next offensive drive and threw for 109 yards on 8-of-17 passing and connected with Tayvian Cunningham for a 7-yard score to cap off an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
Cunningham, Stanley Berryhill III and BJ Casteel combined for 115 yards receiving in Arizona's 2019 victory against Northern Arizona and are a few of the Wildcats who remain on the roster from the last meeting. Cunningham led the way with a pair of touchdown catches in 2019 and linebacker Anthony Pandy is also still on the Wildcats' roster after registering 2.0 tackles for loss against the Lumberjacks two years ago.
Through the two games, Arizona's running game has struggled to get going early, averaging 66.0 yards per game and 2.4 yards per carry. The Wildcats allowed 17.0 tackles for loss to BYU and San Diego State, though much of the negative yardage came as Cruz finished the two games with a net of -26 rushing yards. Running backs Michael Wiley and Drake Anderson have combined for 113 yards on 33 carries.
The Lumberjacks have tallied 12.0 in their two games, led by
Carson Taylor who finished with 2.5 against South Dakota. Linebackers
Tristen Vance and
Jhasi Wilson also have 2.0 apiece this season, and have each forced a fumble.
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