| Northern Arizona vs. Utah Tech |
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Sept. 11, 2023) – For the first time in 296 days, the Northern Arizona University football team will take to the friendly confines of Findlay Toyota Field inside the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff as the Lumberjacks will be hosting Utah Tech for its home opener.
Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Mountain Standard time and will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and on the Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network with Mitch Strohman and former NAU quarterback, Kevin Stephens, on the call.
Tickets are available
HERE, and fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 12:30 p.m. for the annual "Running of the Freshmen" and to Light Up the Dome for the pregame light show.
Both the Lumberjacks and the Trailblazers are 0-2 and are coming off losses to ranked opponents.
Northern Arizona has played its first two games on the road, falling to Arizona (37-3) and No. 15/17 North Dakota (37-22). Against North Dakota,
Kai Millner completed 20 of his 33 pass attempts for 258 passing yards and led the team with 76 yards rushing. He contributed on all three touchdowns, completing a six-yard touchdown pass to
Bryzai White and a 37-yard pass to
Coleman Owen. The other scores came on a 13-yard rush by Millner and a 26-yard field goal by
Marcus Lye, his second of the season.
After two games, Millner ranks 24
th nationally in total offense with 251.5 yards per game.
As a team, the Lumberjacks set season-highs in passing yards (274), rushing yards (171) and total offense (445) and were just edged by the Fighting Hawks who put up 448 yards of total offense. NAU outscored UND in the fourth quarter, 13-7.
Utah Tech is a member of the United Athletic Conference, which is in its first season. The Trailblazers opened the season against a pair of ranked Big Sky Conference teams, losing to No. 3 Montana State on the road and most recently, No. 13 Montana at home. Of Utah Tech's five non-conference games, four are played on the road.
Montana scored 43 unanswered points over Utah Tech leading into the fourth quarter, where the Trailblazers evaded a shutout with a pair of 23-yard and 7-yard touchdown passes. The seven-yard pass capped a 78-yard drive, the longest of the night for the Trailblazers.
Together as a team, Utah Tech is averaging 16.5 points per game and allowing 53. It averages 335 yards of total offense per game while giving up 517.5. Through just two games this season, the Trailblazers have thrown 90 pass attempts. Utah Tech has also thrown six interceptions so far this season, while NAU has not thrown one as Millner has completed 34 successful passes without an interception.
To compare, NAU averages 124.5 rushing yards, 230 passing yards and 354.5 yards of total offense per game while Utah Tech has been held to 76 yards per game on the ground and 259 yards through the air.
Ironically, Saturday will mark 17 years to the day that Utah Tech and Northern Arizona last met. The lone meeting between the two squads took place on Sept. 16, 2006 at the Skydome where the Lumberjacks ran away with a 66-14 victory. Back then, Utah Tech was known as the Dixie State Red Storm and NAU opened up a 35-7 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. The Lumberjacks scored six touchdowns that day, with an even three through the air and three on the ground, led by former quarterback Jason Murrietta who completed 5-of-8 passing attempts for 186 yards.
Utah Tech is a member of the brand-new, nine-team, football-only, United Athletic Conference that combined teams from the WAC and the ASUN. The Trailblazers are in their third season in the Football Championship Subdivision and finished 4-7 last season with a 2-2 mark in WAC play.
In 45 seasons at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, the Lumberjacks have posted a 167-88 overall record. Northern Arizona will be looking for its first home-opening win for the first time in two seasons, with the last victory coming in a 34-33 fashion over Southern Utah on Feb. 27, 2021.
The Lumberjacks get to stick around Flagstaff for their next game, as they host Montana on Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. MST for its Big Sky Conference opener. Northern Arizona will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Day and fans can get a free baseball tee with a purchase of a ticket at
this link. The Griz are currently ranked No. 11 in the FCS Stats Perform Top-25 with a 2-0 record.
