FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 13, 2026) – Ranked in the top 10 for the first time in 13 years, No. 8/10 Northern Arizona welcomes Portland State to Findlay Toyota Field at the Walkup Skydome for Homecoming on Saturday at 4 p.m. MST. Fans can purchase tickets at this
link.
James Malamas, Kevin Stephens and Adriana Sparks will be on the call on both the ESPN+ live stream and on the Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network. Fans can tune in to the radio pregame show beginning at 3 p.m. MST.
To kick off Homecoming week, fans are encouraged to join head coach
Brian Wright,
Ammon Allen and
Deuce Zimmerman on Wednesday, Oct. 14, for Timber Talk at The Porch Flagstaff from 6-7 p.m. MST. The monthly coaches show is free for all fans to attend.
NAU, ranked No. 8 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and No. 10 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, has the program's highest national ranking since 2013 after defeating then-No. 2/3 Montana, 49-44. The Lumberjacks are now 5-2 on the season and in a four-way tie for first at 3-1 atop the Big Sky standings with Montana, Cal Poly and Weber State. There are seven total teams, including Portland State, that has a single conference loss.
"We don't compare ourselves to anyone in the Big Sky or anyone else in the country," Wright said. "We don't consider the rankings right now. We want one ranking at the end of the season. We evaluate ourselves week in and week out. There's a lot of things we're doing well. This team loves playing the game and loves to compete. But there's still a lot left out there when you evaluate the film that we have to get corrected quickly. I'm happy with the progress we've made as a group."
NAU's 5-2 start is the program's best through seven games since 2017, a season in which the 'Jacks started 6-2 on their way to the FCS Playoffs. NAU also made the playoffs in 2013, the most recent season prior to 2017 that the Lumberjacks got off to a 5-2 start. The Lumberjacks' win over Montana last week was the program's first against a top five team since 2015, snapping an eight-game losing streak. The 'Jacks last beat a top two opponent in 2014, upsetting No. 2 Eastern Washington.
Ty Pennington earned both National and Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors after totaling six touchdowns against the Grizzlies. Most of Pennington's touchdown equity came on the ground, scoring a career-high four rushing touchdowns. While running for 52 yards, Pennington also threw for 322 yards and a touchdown and caught a 7-yard touchdown pass.
Over the last four games as NAU's offense has taken off, so has Pennington. The senior has completed 70.0% of his passes for 1,124 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception. He is also averaging 5.1 yards per carry and totaled 200 yards rushing during this stretch.
Last Saturday, Pennington shouldered a heavier load on the ground as NAU was without both
Quran Gossett and
Kenveon Stone for most of the game. Complementing Pennington in the run game was
Jon Wilson, who had just one career rushing attempt prior to Saturday. Against Montana, Wilson averaged over eight yards per carry, totaling 41 yards on five attempts in addition to hauling in two catches for 16 yards.
Along with Pennington,
Lindsey Graves also earned recognition from the league office as he was named Big Sky Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season following his second 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown versus Montana. Graves is one of two FCS players, along with Charleston Southern's Quay Kindell, with multiple kick return touchdowns this season. Graves is fifth in the FCS with 34.0 yards per kickoff return.
The Lumberjacks tallied two more takeaways versus the Grizzlies, on the first career interception by
Shahid Wilson and a
Nijrell Eason II fumble recovery on Montana's last second desperation lateral on the game's final kickoff. The two takeaways padded NAU's FCS leading total to 18 this season, with the Lumberjacks notching multiple takeaways in six of seven games.
NAU hosts Portland State for the Lumberjacks' 100th all-time Homecoming game, in which NAU owns a 61-26-2 (.626) all-time record. The 'Jacks have scored at least 30 points in each of their last six Homecoming games and have five of six in that span.
NAU owns the 19-7 all-time series advantage versus Portland State, including a 9-3 record at home. However, due to the unbalanced Big Sky annual schedule, this will be only the fourth time the Vikings are visiting Flagstaff since 2012. Last season, NAU defeated Portland State, 31-17, on the road.
Portland State heads to Flagstaff on a two-game winning streak, improving to 2-1 in conference play and 2-4 overall. The Vikings have already doubled their win output from a year ago when they went 1-11 and 1-7 in Big Sky play. The Vikings defeated Utah Tech, 30-14, last week at home, a week after snapping a seven-game skid dating back to last year with a 44-41 road win over Weber State.
Like NAU, Portland State has had success in the takeaway department, ranking 11th in the FCS and second only behind the Lumberjacks in the league with 13 turnovers. The Vikings have recovered seven fumbles, which ranks top 10 nationally. Still, Portland State is last in the Big Sky in scoring defense, allowing 45.0 points per game. However in league play, the Vikings are only allowing 28.7 points on average.
Jaxton Helmstetler is tied for the FCS lead with three fumbles recovered, and is second on the team with 47 tackles. He also has 3.0 tackles-for-loss.
Portland State has rotated through three quarterbacks with Gabe Downing earning the most playing time for a team that averages 23.5 points per game and 324.7 yards of total offense. Downing has thrown for 614 yards and four touchdowns, but has also tossed five interceptions.
"Portland State is an improved team with a new staff, and they've found their identity," Wright said. "They've won their last two football games and they play extremely hard in all three phases. They are tough and they have playmakers who catch your eye quickly."
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