FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 8, 2025) – With the calendar flipping to November, the Northern Arizona football team flipped the script as well, putting together their most complete game of the season in front of a Homecoming crowd at Findlay Toyota Field at the Walkup Skydome. NAU dominated Northern Colorado, 49-10, and improved to 6-4 on the season.
"It was a really good team win against a Northern Colorado program that has played a lot of good football this year," said head coach
Brian Wright. "We put last week's disappointing loss behind us throughout the week. We played good, sound football in all three phases and I'm proud of our group."
The win was NAU's third consecutive on Homecoming and fifth in the last six seasons, while also keeping its undefeated all-time home record in Flagstaff against Northern Colorado at a perfect 12-0.
NAU scored a touchdown on its opening drive and never looked back, posting its largest margin of victory this season.
In doing so, the Lumberjacks totaled 481 yards of offense (their highest output in five games), held the Bears to a season-low points allowed (10) and yards allowed (285) and notched a special teams touchdown for the second consecutive game.
The Lumberjacks, who evened their Big Sky record to 3-3, raced out to a 14-0 first quarter lead on a 14-yard touchdown pass from
Ty Pennington to
Jayson Raines and a 4-yard rushing score from
Darvon Hubbard.
After Northern Colorado put in a field goal,
Quran Gossett barreled his way for a 7-yard touchdown run with two minutes left in the first half. The Bears (3-7, 1-5 Big Sky) quickly answered with a touchdown drive to cut their deficit to 21-10 right before the half, but proved to leave too much time on the clock.
Kolbe Katsis received the ensuing kickoff and promptly found a lot of turf in front of him, returning the kick 100 yards for a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining. The kick return touchdown was the first by a Lumberjack in six years since Elijah Marks' own 100-yard return against Northern Colorado in 2017.
"I can't do that without the kick return team," Katsis said. "When 10 people do their job, it's up to me to do mine. I saw the hole and then I saw green grass, and I hit it."
"It's the play of the game because of the momentum that started to swing in (Northern Colorado's) favor," said Wright of Katsis' touchdown. "To grab that momentum back, to grab that score back in that moment was huge."
With a 28-10 halftime lead in hand following Katsis' touchdown, the Lumberjacks seized the momentum back and never relinquished it.
Seth Cromwell added a pair of rushing touchdowns in the third quarter and
Ryan Fontaine capped the scoring with his first career rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, NAU's defense shut out Northern Colorado in the second half as the Lumberjacks forced two punts, a turnover on downs and a takeaway.
Quentin Moten padded his team-lead with his fourth interception – and third in as many games – in the fourth quarter.
Facing the FCS' 11th-leading passer in Eric Gibson Jr., NAU locked down the Bears' dangerous passing attack. Gibson Jr. was held to 151 passing yards and Carver Cheeks, the fourth-leading receiver in the FCS, was kept in check with only 28 yards receiving on four receptions.
The Lumberjacks tallied a season-best seven pass breakups, paced by
Mikale Greer's three.
With the defense turning in its best performance of the season, NAU's offense averaged a season-high 8.0 yards per play. Pennington was highly effective, completing 20-of-23 passes for 270 yards with
Isaiah Eastman recording a team-leading seven receptions for 77 yards.
NAU posted five rushing touchdowns for the first time this season and rushed for 189 yards. Cromwell led the team with 50 yards on the ground to go with his two scores, increasing his season total to nine.
Buoyed by his 100-yard kick return, Katsis recorded 194 all-purpose yards, including 88 receiving yards on three receptions.
The Lumberjacks wrap up their home schedule next Saturday against Cal Poly at 2 p.m. MST. NAU's Senior Day recognition will take place in the Walkup Skydome prior to kickoff.
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