FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 21, 2025) – The push for an FCS Playoff bid begins this weekend when No. 20/22 Northern Arizona heads back on the road to Pocatello, Idaho to face Idaho State on Saturday. The two teams coming off a bye week kick off from ICCU Dome at 3 p.m. MST.
The Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network pregame show begins at 2 p.m. MST with
Mitch Strohman and Kevin Stephens on the call. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Lumberjacks (4-3) and Bengals (2-5) are two of five teams in the league, along with Northern Colorado, Cal Poly and Weber State, with a 1-2 Big Sky record.
"Idaho State is a really physical football team and they're well-coached," said head coach Brian Wright. "Their scheme on offense is difficult to defend as our guys saw last year. This will be a game that will come down to who the tougher team is and who executes under pressure the best."
Prior to NAU's bye week, the Lumberjacks fell to No. 6/6 UC Davis, 45-24, on Oct. 11. The loss was NAU's second straight after winning four in a row.
NAU hopes to find success coming out of the bye week like it has over the last two seasons. The 'Jacks are a combined 7-1 in the regular season following their bye week in the last two years, including four consecutive wins last season to earn an at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs for the first time in seven years.
"What flipped last year was that our team continued to believe without getting the results on the scoreboard at the end of the game," Wright said. "We felt like there was a lack of buy-in, at times, because we weren't winning, and once we got more buy-in, even when results weren't showing up, we started to play better. We started to play better complementary football as a team and that's something we need to do now."
To get back on track, NAU is seeking more consistent play in all three facets of the game. The Lumberjacks have only averaged 17 points per game in their two recent losses to No. 5/5 Montana State and UC Davis after scoring 30-plus points in their four wins prior. Defensively, NAU has allowed an average of 39.5 points over its last two games.
Although Ty Pennington and Kolbe Katsis continue to be one of the dynamic quarterback-receiver duos in the FCS, the Lumberjacks' running game is evolving with the play of Seth Cromwell and Quran Gossett. Cromwell and Gossett have combined for 11 rushing touchdowns, the second-most by a Big Sky running back duo. Meanwhile, Pennington ranks seventh in the FCS in passing yards (1,802) and Katsis is 26th in receiving yards (531).
Brandon Wong has boosted NAU's defense since making his season debut after an offseason injury, recording 24 tackles and 5.0 tackles-for-loss in four games. Wong is coming off a career-best performance of 10 tackles and 2.0 sacks at UC Davis.
His return has established a strong linebacker unit that features the team's top two tacklers in Travis Arena and Ramere Davis. Arena paces the team with 52 tackles, 6.0 tackles-for-loss and 5.0 sacks, while Davis has recorded 36 tackles, 5.0 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks and a team-high eight quarterback hurries.
The 'Jacks look to get back in the win column against an opponent they have had success against in recent history. NAU has won three straight and 14 of the last 15 meetings versus Idaho State, including a 30-26 victory at home last season.
They will have to do so against one of the FCS' best passing teams. Jordan Cooke, who ranks fourth nationally individually with 282.3 yards per game, quarterbacks the nation's third-leading aerial attack with a Big Sky-best 325.3 yards passing per game. Cooke's top target is Michael Shulikov, who is sixth in the FCS in receiving yards (643) and eighth in receiving yards per game (91.9).
Idaho State ranks 11th in total offense at 466.1 yards per game and 17th in scoring offense at 35.0 points per game. Both marks are second in the Big Sky behind Montana.
Prior to their bye, the Bengals fell to Montana State, 48-14, and have dropped two straight since opening conference play with a 26-18 road win at Northern Colorado. Despite its 2-5 overall record, the Bengals have been in several games late. Idaho State held a lead early in the fourth quarter on the road at both UNLV and New Mexico and three weeks ago, the Bengals went into the fourth quarter with a two-score lead on Montana.
While Idaho State ranks eighth in the league in scoring defense at 32.0 points allowed per game and 10th in total defense at 456.1 yards per game, the latter which ranks 116th in the FCS, the Bengals are one of the country's best behind the line of scrimmage. Idaho State is top 10 in the country in both sacks (2.86) and tackles-for-loss (7.3) on a per game basis.
Stay up to date with Northern Arizona football by following the Lumberjacks on X and Instagram.
