FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Oct. 3, 2024) – In a ranked matchup between two top 25 teams, the No. 25 Northern Arizona University football team is heading to Moscow, Idaho to face No. 10 Idaho on Saturday, Oct. 5. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Mountain Standard time from the P1FCU Kibbie Dome.
The game will be broadcast online on ESPN+ and on television in surrounding Moscow areas on SWX. Mitch Strohman and Kevin Stephens will have the call on the Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack NAU Radio Network. A Spanish radio broadcast will also be available
here online.
Northern Arizona is 3-2 on the year and started Big Sky Conference play 1-0 after defeating No. 10 Sacramento State last Saturday in Flagstaff by a final score of 34-16. The victory is NAU's fourth over a ranked FCS opponent in the last seven tries. It marks NAU's highest ranked win since beating No. 6/7 Weber State in 2018 in Flagstaff.
First year head coach
Brian Wright picked up his 40
th career victory and his third at NAU. It is the first time the Lumberjacks have won their first two home games of the season since 2019, improving to 3-2 for the first time since the Spring of 2021.
NAU was rewarded waking up on Monday morning to find itself ranked No. 25 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 for the first time since Sept. 10, 2018 – which was 316 weeks ago.
Idaho is the third-straight ranked FCS opponent NAU has faced this season and the second on the road. The Vandals are also 3-2 overall but started 0-1 in conference action after a 28-26 loss at No. 14 UC Davis. All five of UI's opponents have either been ranked FCS or FBS opponents with four out of five coming on the road.
This is the fifth meeting in the last six seasons between the two foes after an extended period apart thanks to Idaho's run as an FBS program. Since Idaho returned to the Big Sky in 2018, each team has won two out of the four meetings. Idaho won in 2019 and 2022, and NAU won 19-9 in the Spring of 2021 in Flagstaff and 38-31 during the Fall of 2021 in Moscow. The win in the Spring snapped a 10-game losing streak to Idaho, allowing NAU to win back-to-back meetings over the Vandals for the first time since 1978 and 1979.
Idaho leads the all-time series, 18-6 and 8-3 in Moscow. The last meeting happened on Sept. 24, 2022, in Flagstaff where the Vandals won 27-10.
The Vandals rank fifth in the FCS in sacks, led by Keyshawn James-Newby who is second nationally with 6.5 on the year. On the offensive side, backup quarterback Jack Wagner has picked up two wins in his first three starts. Nate Thomas leads the way with four rushing touchdowns, while Jordan Dwyer has added three receiving touchdowns.
After the win over the Hornets, a pair of 'Jacks in
Alex McLaughlin and
Marcus Lye earned Big Sky Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week awards. McLaughlin racked up nine tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and forced a fumble that was recovered for a touchdown. Lye made two field goals, including a career-long 52-yard attempt, made all four extra point attempts for 10 kicking points on the day and all seven of his kickoffs went for touchbacks.
The NAU defense ranks fourth nationally in third down percentage defense, allowing opponents to convert just 22.6 percent of the time. The Lumberjacks also rank 11
th in the FCS in passing yards allowed per game (157.8), 15
th in total defense (292.6), and 23
rd in team sacks per game (2.6).
Signal-caller
Ty Pennington has been making his mark on the Lumberjack offense. The redshirt-freshman has started all five games, completing 71 of his 109 pass attempts (65.14%) with no interceptions. He's accumulated 843 passing yards and thrown for six touchdowns while rushing for three other scores.
Five games in, Northern Arizona has four players who have already rushed for over 100 yards this season. In addition to Pennington,
Darvon Hubbard has racked up 273 rushing yards on 52 carries with three touchdowns.
Seth Cromwell has rushed 34 times for 150 yards and two scores, while
J'Wan Evans has 155 yards on just 17 carries plus one touchdown in four games.
Fifteen different Lumberjacks have caught a pass this season but it's tight end
Bryzai White who leads the way with 201 yards on 13 catches and two touchdowns.
Ta'ir Brooks has three touchdowns, collecting 188 yards on 10 catches.
BJ Fleming (163 yds, 9 catches),
Tay Lanier (162 yards, 12 catches), and
Isaiah Eastman (114 yards, 9 catches) all have over 100 receiving yards so far this year.
On the defensive front,
Michael Beresford,
Mikale Greer,
Tommy Ellis,
Zach Lewis and
DJ VanHook lead the team in interceptions with one each.
McLaughlin leads the team with 34 total tackles and 3.5 sacks to go with a forced fumble.
Ammon Allen has racked up 32 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss to go with a fumble recovery that was returned for a touchdown.
Tommy Ellis rounds things out with 27 tackles, a sack, and an interception.
The Lumberjack offense is 17
th in the FCS in scoring offense with 33.4 points per game, ranking 25
th in total offense with 397.3 yards per game.
Following Saturday's game, the Lumberjacks head back out on the road to face another ranked opponent in Montana. The Grizzlies are currently ranked eighth in the FCS Stats Perform Top 25 and ninth in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Montana will be looking to avenge a 28-14 upset from NAU last year in Flagstaff, its only loss of the season up until falling in the National Championship game to South Dakota State.
