NAU Football Opens 2022 Season on Thursday in Tempe Against Arizona State

For the Lumberjacks, it'll be head coach Chris Ball's first chance to face the program he spent four years with as a co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach and does so with the Sun Devils well aware of the Lumberjacks' most recent match-up with an in-state opponent from the Pac-12.

"We have played some really good teams in the Big Sky. Week in and week out, it's easy to get distracted by the hype of the game. If you're playing a ranked team or you're playing an Arizona State, it sort of distracts you from your preparation," Ball said. "We just concentrate on getting better each day and as long as we stick with that formula it takes away from the distraction."

Scheduled to play one another in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic pushed Northern Arizona's season to the spring and Arizona State played just four conference games during the fall. As a result, the teams ended up with their longest stretch without playing since the series resumed in 2003 following more than 50 years without a meeting.

Thursday's game will be available on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Arizona and the Pac-12 Now app, as well as the Lumberjack Radio Network and on NAUAthletics.com/listen. Roxy Bernstein and Lincoln Kennedy will be on the call for the Pac-12 Network while Mitch Strohman and Kevin Stephens handle radio, with Stayson Isobe reporting from the sideline.

A HISTORY LESSON

Just as was the case against the Arizona Wildcats, Northern Arizona last defeated Arizona State when the teams played in the Border Conference, a 19-13 final score in October 1938. Unlike against the Wildcats, the Lumberjacks once held the series edge with a 14-8-3 advantage through the first 25 meetings between 1915 and 1938. However, in the 15 games since Northern Arizona has mustered just one tie, 13-13 in 1946, and dropped the past 10 meetings. Six of those have come since 2003, with Thursday's 7 p.m. kickoff at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe the first of four games scheduled through 2029 with another set for 2034. 

Meanwhile, Herm Edwards' Sun Devils surely took notice of their Pac-12 rival falling to Northern Arizona 21-19 last September, the first loss for the Wildcats to the Lumberjacks since 1932 and Northern Arizona's first-ever win against a Pac-12 school.

Arizona State has yet to lose to an FCS program since the NCAA's top division split into I-A and I-AA, now FBS and FCS, in 1978. Holding a perfect 16-0 record, the Sun Devils have primarily faced the Lumberjacks and other Big Sky Conference programs. A 19-7 scare against Sacramento State in 2019 stands as Arizona State's closest result against an FCS opponent as the Sun Devils hold eight wins by more than 30 points and another four by at least 20 since 1988.

A DIFFERENT START

While quarterback RJ Martinez took over the position in the victory against Arizona last September, the sophomore was still third in the pecking order headed into last fall's season opener. 

This time around, the reigning Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year is solidified in the starting role after throwing for 1,714 yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions in eight games last season. Completing 61.8 percent of his passes, Martinez finished his first year with a 0.91 interception percentage, nearly setting the program's single-season record.

A threat on the ground as well, Martinez rushed for five scores on 53 carries last season and will have essentially all of his offensive weapons back in 2022.

"It's a big testament to all the coaches and all the players around me that pushed me to be better every day," Martinez said of earning Big Sky Freshman of the Year last fall. "It's not just my award, it's really the whole team's award because it's not just me that goes out there on Saturdays and scores points. It's the offensive line that does a great job protecting me, it's the receivers that get open and obviously having Kevin Daniels running the ball for 1,000 yards really helps. And I mean, having a great defense that gets turnovers and gets the ball back for us."

Northern Arizona returns nine starters on offense, including Daniels fresh off the first 1,000-yard rushing season by a Lumberjack since 2015 as well as Hendrix Johnson and Coleman Owen who led the team with 509 and 713 receiving yards last season. In fact, the Lumberjacks bring back six of their top seven receivers from 2021 in addition to an offensive line with four returning starters and five others with previous starting experience.

VETERANS UP FRONT AND IN THE BACK

The Lumberjacks' defensive line and secondary return a handful of long-time Lumberjacks as Anthony Sweeney and Morgan Vest boast All-Big Sky Conference honors during their career while Eloi Kwete, Mark Ho Ching and Cosmas Kwete lead an experienced defensive line into the 2022 season.

"Our whole team is back and they have played a lot of football, but we still only have like eight seniors," Ball said. "They are confident, and they are very driven. They've got a goal to win the Big Sky championship this year."

Underclassmen Colby Humphrey, Kamdan Hightower and Brady Shough in the secondary as well as Sheldon Newton on the line have produced impressive performances early on in their careers and will remain crucial pieces to the defense in 2022. 

The Lumberjacks return five starters on the defensive side of the ball but have created depth over the past two seasons with injuries forcing underclassmen into significant playing time. Experienced newcomers Alonzo Davis, George Steele and Logan Bayus add to the depth as the trio has all played in at least 26 games at their previous colleges before joining Northern Arizona during the offseason.

A QUICK LOOK AT ASU

The Sun Devils enter the 2022 season with a drastically different look than when they finished their 2021 season at the Las Vegas Bowl last December.

Entering the year without their top three rushers, top four receivers and a new starting quarterback in Emory Jones, Arizona State's new-look offense will make its debut against Northern Arizona.

Jones, a transfer from Florida, threw for 3,347 yards, 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions for the Gators across 37 games in four seasons. Most of Jones' work came last season, as he played in 13 games for Florida while completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,734 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Also a threat on the ground, Jones also rushed for 759 yards and four scores with 5.3 yards per carry.

Wyoming transfer Xazavian Valladay joins the Sun Devils' top returning rusher, Daniyel Ngata, as the possible focus in the run game while junior Andre Johnson is Arizona State's top returning receiver. Joining Johnson as the top returners outside will be Bryan Thompson and Elijah Badger while Vanderbilt transfer Cam Johnson is the top newcomer with collegiate experience.

Defensively, linebackers Merlin Robertson and Kyle Soelle earned Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference honors with the former named to the second team and the latter an honorable mention. Soelle finished the 2021 season with 88.0 tackles, four pass breakups, two quarterback hurries and an interception while finishing with 8.0 tackles for loss while Roberston added 64.0 tackles and three interceptions.

Up front, BJ Green led the Sun Devils with 5.0 sacks last season while Anthonie Cooper finished third with 3.5 sacks and 5.0 total tackles for loss as part of his 30 total tackles. Meanwhile, Arizona State effectively must replace its entire secondary from last season due to graduations, with two players from the group now on an NFL roster.

Stay up-to-date on all NAU Football news this season by visiting NAUAthletics.com and following NAU Football on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the fall season.