NAU Knocks Off Arizona 21-19 for First Ever Win Against a Pac-12 Opponent

TUCSON, Ariz. (September 18, 2021) – Time and time again, the Northern Arizona defense held up when it was called on against Arizona.

And when the Lumberjacks needed one final stop, Carson Taylor's pressure off the edge helped force an incompletion on the potential game-tying, two-point conversion to hold onto a 21-19 victory Saturday night at Arizona Stadium.

"This is something that really puts us on the map. You know this game doesn't really make or break our season and we have eight conference games coming up," said NAU head coach Chris Ball. "This is a game that's going to put us on the map and we're going to get a lot of recognition for it and we're gonna enjoy it tonight, then put it to rest and start working towards a Big Sky Championship."

The victory, Northern Arizona's first against Arizona since October 1932 and first ever in Tucson, came after freshman quarterback RJ Martinez entered the game early in the second quarter for his first appearance as a Lumberjack.

Buoyed by an interception from Devontae Ingram, Northern Arizona's third and final takeaway of the night, Martinez led the Lumberjacks on a 10-play, 60-yard drive culminating in the game-winning score. After scrambling for an 11-yard gain on a third-and-9 at Arizona's 47, Martinez connected with Hendrix Johnson for a 9-yard touchdown to take a 21-13 lead five plays later.

"We've been working on it all week, so I knew what I was doing there. They took away my first two reads and then I got to my third read with Hendrix on the cross. He made an amazing catch, our running back sold the run pretty good and the O-line blocked the edge so I could get outside to make that throw. It was awesome and it was truly something that was a once in a lifetime feeling for sure."

Arizona led 13-0 with 13:05 remaining in the second quarter after Northern Arizona's defense stopped the Wildcats on a short field. The Lucas Havrisik field goal would be the final score of the game, as Arizona went scoreless across the final 43 minutes of play.

While Northern Arizona's defense made critical stop after critical stop, the biggest of the day may have been Arizona's fourth-and-4 at the Lumberjacks' 35-yard line. With 7:21 left in the third quarter, Will Plummer's pass came up short and set up Northern Arizona for its first offensive touchdown of the night, as well as its first lead.

An 8-yard pass by Martinez to Draycen Hall and an 8-yard rush by the freshman quarterback put the Lumberjacks at midfield just two plays after the stop. Another two plays later, a second-and-10 completion to Coleman Owen turned into a 28-yard gain due to a targeting penalty. 

Given a fresh set of downs at the Arizona 21, Northern Arizona turned to Kevin Daniels for gains of 6, 3 and 12 yards and a 14-13 lead with 4:16 to play in the third quarter.

"We were just tougher today and we wanted it more. We came in with the attitude that we need this and we wanted it. My linemen came in and did a great job," Daniels said. "I feel like it was a great opportunity just to play here because they had the chance and they didn't want me. I'm so grateful Coach Ball came and got me. I love this team and I love all my coaches."

Ingram's interception wasn't the only pick to help put points on the board for the Lumberjacks.

With the clock ticking down in the second quarter, freshman Brady Shough put the Lumberjacks on the board going into halftime. One play after DJ Arnson put the Wildcats at their own 26, Shough stepped in front of Plummer's pass to the left side of the field.

The first interception of his career went right into the end zone, as Shough nearly went untouched for Northern Arizona's first score of the game and the first touchdown of his career.

"I didn't do anything special non one was doing anything special, I just did my 1/11th," Shough said. "I knew what my keys were. I just made a play."
 
Cutting the Wildcats' lead down to 13-7 entering halftime, the Lumberjacks started the second half with the ball before putting after a 7-play drive that gained 14 yards. While the offense struggled to find its footing until midway through the third quarter, All-American punter DJ Arnson shined as he pinned Arizona inside its own 20 twice in the first half and four times on the night.
 
Averaging 51.6 yards per punt across his nine kicks, Arnson booted six for more than 50 yards including a long of 62 on his final kick of the night to stick the Wildcats at their own 15 with 4:30 left on the clock.
 
Though Jordan McCloud, taking over for Plummer at quarterback on the final two drives of the game, led Arizona on a scoring drive, the Wildcat's aforementioned two-point conversion fell short to seal the victory for the Lumberjacks.

The win marked Northern Arizona's third against an FBS opponent since 2012, but the first in history against a Pac-12 opponent.

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