FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 6, 2025) – Playing at Findlay Toyota Field at the Walkup Skydome for the first time this season, No. 19/19 Northern Arizona sprinted out to a 31-10 halftime lead en route to a 38-31 victory over Utah Tech on Saturday.
The victory evened the Lumberjacks' record to 1-1 in 2025 and was their eighth consecutive at home, tying the program record set in 1978-79 for longest winning streak in the Skydome. Utah Tech fell to 0-2, with two one-score losses to nationally-ranked teams.
"I'm proud of how our team fought until the end, especially the last few plays in punt coverage and then the interception by Jaylan (Wesley)," said head coach
Brian Wright. "I'm certainly disappointed in the second half, getting outscored 21-7, but I give a lot of credit to Utah Tech. We got the win though, and it's always good to win at home."
Jaylan Wesley's second interception of the afternoon sealed the victory, as he secured Reggie Graff's overthrow and giving NAU possession with under a minute remaining in the game. Prior to that, the Trailblazers had scored touchdowns on two consecutive drives to cut into the Lumberjacks' 38-17 lead and climb within a score.
NAU racked up 391 yards of offense, including 162 on the ground after only totaling 89 yards rushing last week at Arizona State.
Seth Cromwell led the Lumberjacks with 67 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while
Ty Pennington and
Darvon Hubbard each added a score on the ground.
Defensively, the Lumberjacks picked off the Trailblazers three times with Wesley accounting for two of them.
Quentin Moten recorded the other, intercepting Bronson Barben deep in the red zone on the game's opening drive.
Utah Tech received the opening kickoff and quickly moved into NAU territory two plays in. The drive was stifled though as Moten snagged his first interception as a Lumberjack two plays later.
The Trailblazers defense responded immediately by notching an interception of their own on the Lumberjacks' first drive, which gave them possession at the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Barben connected with Daniel Thomason for a nine-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Utah Tech lead.
NAU did not take long to answer, putting together an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by Cromwell's first of two touchdowns from 2 yards out. The 'Jacks snagged a 14-7 lead with a 12-yard touchdown run by Pennington on their next drive, and they never trailed again.
Wesley's first interception of the game, coupled with a 39-yard return, directly led to Cromwell's second touchdown, which gave NAU a 24-7 lead midway through the second quarter. After Utah Tech responded with a field goal, snapping 24 unanswered Lumberjack points, Pennington found a streaking
Kolbe Katsis for a 49-yard catch-and-run score for the first half's final points.
As dominant as the Lumberjacks were in the first half, building a 31-10 lead, the Trailblazers did not go away in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter.
Hubbard's 8-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter put NAU ahead 38-17, before Utah Tech put together a pair of touchdown drives around an NAU three-and-out. Asa Chatman's 17-yard touchdown rush put Utah Tech within a score with 4:29 remaining and the Trailblazers got the ball back after forcing a punt with 1:34 remaining.
However, Utah Tech's bid to spoil NAU's home opener came to an end with Wesley's interception. Wesley, playing in his first game in the Skydome, is the first Lumberjack with multiple interceptions since Morgan Vest in 2021.
"At the end of the day, it's not about stats. I'm a team player and I'm trying to win the game at the end of the day," Wesley said. "I'm going to do anything I can to put us in a position to win the game. I read my keys and made a play when it came to me."
Pennington completed 21-of-28 passes for 229 yards in addition to 47 yards rushing.
Jeter Purdy and
Joey Stout each posted a team-high four receptions, while Katsis led all players with 82 yards receiving buoyed by his long touchdown.
Travis Arena (12) and
Quinlan Popham (8) were NAU's top two leading tacklers, with both senior linebackers setting career-highs in tackles. In addition to his two picks, Wesley also posted a team-best 2.0 tackles-for-loss.
For the third time under Wright, NAU recorded at least three turnovers on defense and continued it streak of 16 consecutive games with at least one turnover forced going back to the end of the 2023 season.
The Lumberjacks travel to Cedar City, Utah next week to face Southern Utah at 5:30 p.m. MST. The matchup between former – and future – Big Sky rivals with the Grand Canyon Trophy on the line will be the teams' first since 2021.
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