FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 22, 2022) – While they've already played three games this season, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks' pursuit of a Big Sky Conference championship effectively begins this week as they host the Idaho Vandals at Findlay Toyota Field.
Opening up the eight-game conference schedule with Idaho (1-2, 0-0 Big Sky) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Northern Arizona (1-2, 0-0 Big Sky) looks to bounce back from a tough loss to the No. 19 North Dakota Fighting Hawks at home last week.
"They are well-coached with an athletic quarterback and two good running backs," said Lumberjacks head coach
Chris Ball. "They are deep at the linebacker position and they have a good corner. I like our matchup against them. It's Big Sky play, every goal we have is still on the board."
Through three games, Northern Arizona's defense has proven capable of slowing down opposing offenses overall, especially in the passing game. Ranked among the Top 30 of the FCS in passing yards allowed (15th, 156.3 yards per game), passing efficiency defense (24th, 118.18) and total defense (30th, 329.7 yards per game), the Lumberjacks are also just outside the Top 30 in third down conversion defense (33rd, 35.1%).
It'll be four meetings in four seasons between the programs after an extended period apart thanks to Idaho's run as an FBS program in the Big West Conference, Sun Belt Conference, WAC and as an Independent. Since Idaho returned to the Big Sky in 2018, Northern Arizona has won two of three meetings, including the past two during the spring season, 19-9, and last fall, 38-31, in Moscow.
Snapping a 10-game losing streak against Idaho with the spring victory, Northern Arizona has won back-to-back meetings with the Vandals for the first time since 1978 and 1979. The Lumberjacks have never won three straight over the Vandals and hold a 6-17 record all-time in the series, with a 3-9 record in Flagstaff.
Voted to finish eighth in the Big Sky Conference by the coaches and ninth by the media, Idaho is seeking its first winning season since 2016 when the Vandals went 9-4, with a 6-2 record in the Sun Belt and a victory over Colorado State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Vandals head coach Jason Eck arrived from South Dakota State last December and is coming off his first win with the program, a 42-14 victory at home against Drake.
"They are playing with a little bit more confidence. They played the two FBS schools really well early on and hung in there with Washington State until the end. They are playing with a lot of confidence, Coach Eck has done a great job of getting them ready."
Saturday's game will be available on
ESPN+, as well as
Hulu with a subscription to the Disney Bundle.
Mitch Strohman and Kevin Stephens will serve as the play-by-play announcer and analyst respectively, with Ava Nichols reporting from the sideline. The broadcast team can also be heard on the Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network with coverage beginning at 12 p.m. MST.
OWN THE BALL
A popular phrase for the Lumberjacks during Ball's tenure as head coach, the Lumberjacks have proven effective in the turnover battle through the past few seasons.
Finishing 10th and 18th nationally in turnover margin over the past two seasons, as well as 17th in the FCS in turnovers gained last fall, Northern Arizona's defense has often found itself in the right place at the right time. Last week's 27-24 loss to North Dakota was just the sixth time in 31 games under Ball that Northern Arizona failed to record a takeaway, with the Lumberjacks 1-5 in those contests. The lone win came in Ball's debut as Northern Arizona defeated Missouri State to open the 2018 season.
The Vandals enter Saturday sitting at ninth in the FCS with a plus-5 margin in turnovers, having picked off three passes and recovered four fumbles.
Northern Arizona and Idaho are two of 26 teams remaining in the FCS to have not lost a fumble yet this season, and the Vandals have thrown just two interceptions.
MAKING HIS MOVE
Catching nine passes for 136 yards and two scores last week against the Fighting Hawks,
Coleman Owen leaps up the program's all-time receiving list with his fourth career 100-yard game.
Now at 27th all-time with 1,172 career receiving yards, Owen is closing in 2022 NAU Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee Charlie Brown's 1,283 career yards and is now less than 500 yards away from the Top 20 with eight games to play in 2022. Averaging 64.82 yards per game a year ago, Owen would be in position to break into the Top 20 with a similar number this season.
A sophomore by eligibility, Owen also caught a pair of touchdowns in a game for a third time, having done so against Idaho State and Southern Utah in Flagstaff last season. In fact, eight of his 10 career touchdown receptions have come in Flagstaff with one apiece at Idaho and Cal Poly last season.
"He's faster than what you think, he's got unbelievable ball skills and runs great routes," Ball said of Owen. "His work ethic, that's probably what's most impressive. Day-in and day out, it is every single day and that kid is working his tail off. If it's not in the weight room or on the field, it's in the classroom. He's an unbelievable student."
A year ago, Owen burned Idaho for seven catches, 139 yards and a touchdown as the Lumberjacks held on for a 38-31 victory at the Kibbie Dome.
HARD WORK PAYING OFF
While it may not be the most glamorous of jobs for a wide receiver,
Elijah Taylor's performance on special teams, in addition to an impressive spring and fall at his natural position, has pushed the redshirt freshman to increased snaps early on this fall.
Already with four tackles this year on kickoffs, including one in each game and two at Sam Houston, Taylor has also caught four passes for 27 yards. Last week against North Dakota, Taylor came up with three receptions for 24 yards, one converting a first down on Northern Arizona's final scoring drive.
"The last two weeks, he's been our best special teams player. We have got to have him so he can because those three receivers played 80-something snaps this past week," Ball said. "We need a guy to come in and give those guys a breather. He's the fourth guy right now and from here on out, he'll get a lot more snaps than he's gotten."
In addition to Taylor's increase in snaps at receiver, the Lumberjacks also expect to have senior
Stacy Chukwumezie return to the field this weekend.
Nearly a year to the day of his knee injury at Northern Colorado, Chukwumezie's rehabilitation takes the final step on Saturday. An All-Big Sky Second Team selection during the spring season, Chukwumezie caught 16 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown before going down against the Bears last year.
Currently fourth in program history at 17.5 yards per reception, Chukwumezie's field stretching ability will be a welcome addition back to the field after the senior elected to return for one final year with the Lumberjacks.
GAMEDAY INFO
Tickets for Saturday can be purchased online at
www.nauathletics.com/buynow, with single game, mini-plan and season ticket packages still available. Questions can be directed to the Lumberjack Ticket Office at LumberjackTicketOffice@nau.edu or 928-523-0639.
Introduced last fall, Northern Arizona is utilizing mobile ticketing this season. For step-by step instructions and resources, click
here. Students will also need to claim their tickets online this season with step-by-step instructions available
here. Saturday's game serves as Northern Arizona's Hall of Fame Game and its Hispanic Heritage Game. Tickets packages that include the "Los Lumberjacks" hat can be purchased
here while a ticket package including a vintage 3/4 sleeve "Jacks" shirt is available
here.
Northern Arizona's 2022 Hall of Fame Induction Class, including former football player Charlie Brown, former director of cross country and track & field Eric Heins, distance runner Diego Estrada, distance runner Kristi Klinnert and the 2015 volleyball team will be recognized between the first and second quarter.
The Tundra B Lot with assigned tailgating will open at 8 a.m., while the student tailgating lot opens at 10 a.m. The Ponderosa will open at 10:30 a.m. ahead of the 1 p.m. kickoff with the Lumberjack Walk from the Student-Athlete High Performance Center into Findlay Toyota Field set for 10:45 a.m. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
Shuttle services also begin at 10 a.m. with pick up locations at the South Commuter Lot P62 and in the front of the campus bookstore.
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.
