FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 30, 2025) – The month of October will present No. 13/13 Northern Arizona with a number of challenges and it begins this Saturday at Findlay Toyota Field at the Walkup Skydome with the defending Big Sky champion No. 3/3 Montana State rolling into Flagstaff for a 2 p.m. MST kickoff.
Saturday's game is the first of three in October for the Lumberjacks against teams currently ranked in the top 15. Next week, NAU travels to No. 7/7 UC Davis and the 'Jacks conclude the month against No. 12/15 Idaho in front of a national ESPN2 television audience on Halloween night.
The nationally-ranked matchup between NAU and Montana State will be televised by Scripps Sports and streamed live on ESPN+. The Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network pregame show with
Mitch Strohman, Kevin Stephens and
James Malamas begins at 1 p.m. MST. Tickets are available to purchase at this
link.
NAU continued to ascend up the national rankings following its 31-17 road victory over Portland State last week. The Lumberjacks enter the week No. 13 in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, a new high for the program since the end of the 2013 season. Off to its best start at 4-1 since 2012, NAU looks to move to 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2017 with a win this weekend.
"We've played a lot of good football and I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far this season," said head coach
Brian Wright. "We've had to come back in a few games and hold on to a couple at the end, but in the end, our whole organization has found a way to win. At the end of the day, that's the stat that matters and that's what we work so hard for."
At stake is also the Lumberjacks' program-record nine-game winning streak in the Walkup Skydome, a streak that extends back to the end of the 2023 season.
For the first time this season, and in six games overall going back to last season, the Lumberjacks eclipsed 200 yards rushing against Portland State.
Quran Gossett paced the ground attack with a career-high 112 yards, becoming the first Lumberjack this season with a 100-yard effort. As a team, NAU averaged 6.2 yards per carry versus the Vikings, nearly two yards better than their season average.
NAU's running game complemented
Ty Pennington's 262-yard performance in the air. Pennington has thrown for 200 yards in all five games this season, matching his total from all of last season. Pennington currently ranks third in the FCS in passing yards (1,347) and is 12th in all of Division I, including the FBS.
The Lumberjacks, defensively, held the Vikings to just one offensive touchdown, which occurred on the opening drive. The rest of the game, NAU forced four punts, two turnovers on downs, a field goal and an end of half drive, while allowing a season-low 17 points allowed in all.
NAU and Montana State will meet for the first time since 2023 and only the fourth time since 2019. The Bobcats have won each of the last three matchups following a stretch in which the 'Jacks won three straight head-to-head meetings from 2015-17.
Saturday will be a matchup of strength versus strength. As a team, the Lumberjacks have scored 30-plus points in four consecutive games for the first time since 2019. NAU ranks 19th nationally with 34.2 points per game and is 20th in total offense at 429.4 yards per game. Meanwhile, Montana State is 14th in total defense allowing on average 296 yards per game and the Bobcats are top 30 in both rushing defense (115.0) and passing defense (181.0).
Montana State heads to Flagstaff on the heels of a resounding 57-3 win over Eastern Washington last week. The Bobcats, now 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big Sky, are playing on the road for the first time since Week 1 at Oregon following four consecutive home games. Last season's national runner-up was picked to repeat as champs in the preseason conference coaches and media polls. Montana State has won two of the last three conference titles and has not finished lower than second in each of the last four seasons.
"We have not been shy with our team and our organization about winning two championships," Wright said. "One of those trophies is the Big Sky Conference championship trophy and Montana State has held that title for a few years. Go back a number of years and they've had great success. They've been at the top and we aspire to be at the top. To do that, you need to build a championship culture, regardless of who you're playing, and this week we have the opportunity in the Dome to play the team at the top."
Aside from a top defense, the Bobcats are 25th in the FCS in total offense (413.0). Justin Lamson has thrown for 1,005 yards and ranks fourth in the country by completing 73% of his passes. His primary target has been Taco Dowler, who leads the team with 332 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Not only is NAU looking to snap a three-game losing streak to Montana State, and pick up its first win over the Bobcats since 2017, but the Lumberjacks are also hoping to pick up their first win over a top five opponent since 2015. The Lumberjacks have dropped five consecutive games to top five teams dating back to their 52-30 road win at No. 4 Eastern Washington on Nov. 4, 2015. The last time NAU beat a top five team at home was Oct. 25, 2014, a 28-27 stunner of No. 2 Eastern Washington.
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