FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 13, 2022) – Coming off a dramatic Family Weekend victory last Saturday at Findlay Toyota Field, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks head out on the road to begin the second half of their schedule.
Now sitting at 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big Sky, the Lumberjacks have their first conference victory this season and will hope to prevent the UC Davis Aggies from doing the same this weekend. Coming off their bye week with a 1-4 record overall and 0-2 mark in the Big Sky, the Aggies are much better than one would assume without doing some research.
"They have played No. 3, No. 5 and No. 7 and a Pac-12 school," said Lumberjacks head coach
Chris Ball. "They have played a tough, tough schedule. They are a good football team, do not look at their record. Look at them on tape, they are very talented and they are well-coached."
Saturday's game will be available on
ESPN+, as well as
Hulu with a subscription to the Disney Bundle, with Scott Marsh Scott Gordon on the call for the live stream.
Mitch Strohman and Kevin Stephens will handle the radio call on the Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network with coverage beginning at 3 p.m. MST.
Voted No. 22 in the AFCA Coaches Poll before the season began, UC Davis opened its season with Cal, South Dakota State, Weber State and Montana State while sandwiching in a 43-13 victory over San Diego between the four losses. According to the NCAA's Statistical Database, the Aggies have faced the fifth-toughest schedule with six combined losses from their opponents and three of the four FCS programs ranking among the Top 6 at the time of their respective games.
UC Davis has been outscored by just 15 points combined, with the losses at South Dakota State and home against Weber State by a total of just seven points. Nearly half of the Aggies' points allowed have come in the second quarter this season, the same 15-minute stretch the Lumberjacks have struggled in as well.
However, Northern Arizona impressed at the end of the second quarter last week with a score just seconds before halftime and carried it over into the third quarter with another touchdown less than two minutes after returning to play.
THE MIDDLE EIGHT
Driving 90 yards in eight plays across just 1:34 of play, Northern Arizona retook the lead at 21-20 over the Cal Poly Mustangs last Saturday. Cashing in their final possession of the first half, with
RJ Martinez sneaking from a yard out, the Lumberjacks came out and added seven more with a three-play, 75-yard drive effectively behind the arm of Martinez and the speed of
Hendrix Johnson.
"We talk about winning the middle eight, the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half and we did that in this game," Ball said. "You do that and you have a 75 percent chance of winning the game. It's a very, very important time for us and our kids know that."
Finding
Isaiah Gerena for 10 yards and
Jamal Glaspie for 15, Martinez opened the two-minute drill with a pair of first downs before
Draycen Hall broke free for 54 yards to get the Lumberjacks in the red zone.
The 90-yard scoring drive was one of two in the first half against the Mustangs as Martinez led the Lumberjacks on a 13-play, 90-yard touchdown drive near the end of the first quarter with Glaspie catching a 3-yard touchdown to cap it off. Just one of the 13 plays went for 11+ yards, as the sophomore quarterback meticulously moved Northern Arizona down the field across the 5:44 drive.
"You think I would be surprised, but just by his work ethic, his knowledge of the game and the things he does, it really doesn't surprise me," Ball said. "He comes to work every day, he understands what the game plan is, he knows where to throw the ball, he knows when to hand the ball off, he knows where to get out of the pocket, he is just a special player."
It was the first time since 2010 that Northern Arizona recorded a pair of 90-yard touchdown drives in a single game. Now seventh in the FCS at 25.67 completions per game, 20th in passing yards at 1,434, 32nd in completion percentage at 64.4 percent and 39th in passing touchdowns with his nine, Martinez ranks among the nation's best at the quarterback position.
Additionally, the 1-yard touchdown run to cap off the late first half drive was his ninth career rushing score while he broke 300 yards passing for the fifth time in his 14 career games played.
"The future is bright with him at that spot," Ball said. "Every time we take the field and we've got him, we have a chance. If we can protect him and the way our receivers are playing, I think we can throw the ball against anybody."
WEAPONS OF THEIR OWN
While Martinez was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year last fall, UC Davis boasts the Big Sky's Preseason Offensive MVP. A three-time All-American and four-time All-Big Sky honoree during his career for the Aggies Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. enters the weekend third in the conference with 492 rushing yards while adding another 220 through the air for 144.2 all-purpose yards per game.
Joining Gilliam Jr. as a threat on the ground and through the air, running back Lan Larson is at 207 yards receiving and 149 yards rushing this season to rank around the Top 20 of the conference himself.
With All-Big Sky Second Team all-purpose player Trent Tompkins occasionally in the backfield as well, rushing and catching passes despite his listing as a quarterback, and Second Team tight end McCallan Castles with a pair of touchdown receptions this year, UC Davis quarterback Miles Hastings has a variety of options in a creative offensive attack under head coach Dan Hawkins.
"Hawk has done a great job there," Ball said. "They have a great running back. He is up there in rushing and receiving, and their quarterback is playing really well."
Last season the Lumberjacks kept Gilliam Jr. in check with just 51 yards rushing on 17 carries and another 28 through the air on four receptions, but Larson broke off a 41-yard touchdown catch and Tompkins ran for a 54-yard touchdown.
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