Northern Arizona Football Opens Season at Arizona on Saturday

Northern Arizona at Arizona

GAME 1	Northern Arizona at Arizona (Saturday, Sept. 2 | 7 p.m. MST)
	Video | Listen | Live Stats
LOCATION	Arizona Stadium | Tucson, Ariz.
TV	Pac-12 Networks
RADIO	Flagstaff: 93.5 FM & AM 930 KAFF Country Legends
	Prescott: AM 1450 Fun Oldies
	Phoenix: NBC Sports KDUS 1060AM
	Tucson: ESPN KFFN-AM 1490/104.9 FM
GAME NOTES	Northern Arizona | Arizona
FOLLOW US	NAU Football on Facebook | NAU Football on Twitter | NAU Football on Instagram

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Aug. 28, 2023) – It was a happy bus ride back up to Flagstaff the last time the Northern Arizona University football team traveled down to Tucson, and the Lumberjacks are looking to repeat that feeling this week.
 
Northern Arizona (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky) takes on the University of Arizona (0-0, 0-0 PAC-12) this Saturday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m. Mountain Standard time at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. The game will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks, while Mitch Strohman and Kevin Stephens will have the call on the Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network.
 
After finishing 3-8 overall last year with a 2-6 mark in conference action, the Lumberjacks were selected to finish eighth in the Big Sky Preseason Poll by the media and ninth by the coaches. Arizona sat at 5-7 overall and 3-6 in conference play at the end of 2022 and were voted eighth by the Pac-12 coaches.
 
"I'm having more fun coaching this year than I have in 38 years of coaching football. I mean that, and I've told a lot of people that," said fifth-year head coach Chris Ball. "This is a great group of young men. They're special, they love each other, they care about each other, they love the game, they want to be good, they've worked extremely hard, and I go out there every day and they're smiling and having fun. You can tell that energy is the best it's ever been, and we have depth at every position. It's just fun, I'm having a great time and enjoying the time I get to spend with my players. It's very refreshing."
 
Saturday marks the 18^th matchup between the Lumberjacks and Wildcats, as the two have played every other year annually since 2002. All-time, Arizona leads the series 15-2 and are 10-1 since 2002.
 
The two squads last met on Sept. 18, 2021, where Northern Arizona came away with the 21-19 victory in Tucson for its first-ever win against a Pac-12 opponent. Former NAU quarterback RJ Martinez came in as a true freshman and led the Lumberjacks on a 10-play 60-yard drive that ended with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Hendrix Johnson to give NAU the 21-13 lead. A touchdown put Arizona within striking distance, but the two-point conversion attempt was stopped by the Lumberjack defense, resulting in NAU's third FBS win since 2012.
 
"There are no jitters. We're excited and very anxious to play. We almost have to calm down our players and not let them get too excited or too distracted to compare," concluded Ball. "Sometimes, when you're anxious to play you don't prepare mentally like you should. We've had great practices and a lot of energy. We have to focus on the mental part. Physically, I think we're ready, it's just getting the game plan implemented."
 
The Lumberjacks bring back six offensive starters, seven defensive starters, plus three specialists from 2022. Senior defensive lineman Eloi Kwete was the lone pick for NAU on the Preseason All-Big Sky team. Kwete has 35 games of experience with 141 total tackles, 62 of which are solo. Kwete has racked up 26.5 tackles for loss, resulting in 131 yards. He also has 16 career sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
 
Northern Arizona hit the transfer portal and recruiting trail hard, bringing in 36 transfers for the Fall. The Lumberjack offense also has a plethora of new coaches in Austin Davis (offensive line), Joel Filani (wide receivers), Bailey McElwain (tight ends) and Austin Jones (running backs). Kevin Clune takes over on the defensive side as NAU's new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, and he's joined by newcomers Kresean Reed (cornerbacks) and Harrison Beemiller (nickelbacks).
 
The Wildcats placed two players on the Preseason Second-Team All-Pac-12 in wide receiver Jacob Cowing and offensive lineman Jordan Morgan. They were joined by six others who earned an honorable mention nod. Morgan was a Pac-12 honorable mention nod in 2022 after ranking 21^st in the nation in blocking last year. Morgan helped Arizona rank sixth in the nation in passing and 21^st in total offense behind returning quarterback Jayden de Laura who threw for 3,685 yards and 25 touchdowns last year. Cowing caught 85 passes for 1,034 yards. He led the Pac-12 in receptions and tied for second with seven touchdowns.
 
It's no secret that after RJ Martinez transferred out of the program after compiling 4,590 yards passing and 30 touchdowns in two seasons, the Lumberjacks have a hole to fill at quarterback. However, they have options with six quarterbacks listed on the 2023 roster. While Niko Haen is the only one to have taken a snap in the blue and gold, the offensive staff went to work in the offseason to bring in a pair of transfers in Kai Millner (Cal) and Daniel Britt (Montana) and brought in true freshman Adam Damante. The trio joins Haen, Angel Flores and PJ London.
 
While the quarterbacks may be a bit on the inexperienced side, their targets are not, as NAU returns its top six reception leaders from last season. At the top is second team All-Big Sky selection, Coleman Owen, who hauled in 690 yards on 62 catches with four touchdowns. Hendrix Johnson returns with the chance to make history, as he is only 33 receptions away from becoming NAU's all-time leader in career catches. He currently sits at sixth all-time with 169. Additionally, one more receiving touchdown will place him in the career top-ten. Johnson enters his senior year with 2,281 career receiving yards.
 
The Lumberjacks are set on the running back front as well. Draycen Hall returns after a season that saw him start in just four games but lead the team with 546 rushing yards on 133 carries to go with two touchdowns. Hall also ranked third on the team with 344 receiving yards on 50 catches and a score.
 
In all on the offensive side of the ball, the Lumberjacks return six starters in Caiden Miles, Johnson, Owen, Isaiah Gerena and Jamal Glaspie. Johnson, Owen, Hall and Glaspie represented Northern Arizona on both the Phil Steele and the Bluebloods preseason All-Big Sky teams.
 
As a group, the Lumberjacks will look to improve on 2022's end of season NCAA rankings that saw the squad excel and rank ninth in fourth down conversion, 19th in passing offense, 22nd in completion percentage, 36th in first down offense, and 63rd in total offense, among others.
 
Another strong veteran presence for the defense is senior Mark Ho Ching who started nine out of 10 appearances last year on the defensive line. He had 20 tackles, two breakups, a fumble recovery and 3.5 tackles for loss. Nehemiah Magalei started in two contests and had 25 tackles. The duo has 39 combined games of experience. Colby Humphrey is a returning defensive back who played in nine games with seven starts last year. He led the team with nine pass breakups and had a blocked kick to go with 29 total tackles.
 
Eemil Herranen was named a Phil Steel Freshman All-American last year at punter. He played in 11 games and punted 50 times for a total of 2,089 yards, ranking fourth in the conference with 41.8 punting yards per game. Also listed at punter are sophomore Marcus Lye and Arizona State transfer, Brody Richter.
 
In all on the defensive side of the ball, the Lumberjacks return seven starters in Eloi Kwete, Ho Ching, Jhasi Wilson, Heston Lameta, Hightower, Humphrey, and George Steele. In addition to Kwete being named preseason All-Big Sky, he also landed on preseason teams for Phil Steele and the Bluebloods. He is also the lone returning All-Big Sky player from the 2022 season after he landed on the third team.
 
"We are a close team. We spent a lot of time in the offseason when our transfers came in of doing a great job of becoming a closer-knit group. We have a lot of energy, a lot of energy, a lot of personality, and we've upgraded every position on the field," added Ball. "I feel good about where we're at. It's the best team we've had. It's taken a while but coming into this week we have 83 players on scholarships, and we've never had that before and it shows. We're deep in a lot of positions, it's just taken a while for us to get here."
 
Joining Kwete on the preseason Phil Steele and Blueboods teams are Herranen, Wilson, Lameta, Steele and Ho Ching.
 
As a squad, the Lumberjacks excelled and ranked 65^th nationally with 6.5 tackles for loss per game, 50^th with 2.09 sacks per game and were 44^th in all of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) with two blocked kicks, all marks they will look to improve heading into 2023.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Lumberjacks head to Fargo, N.D. for a matchup against North Dakota. Kickoff on Sept. 9 is set for 1 p.m. MST on Midco Sports Two.