FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 17, 2026) – Joey Stout and Jon Wilson posted the best games of their careers to help No. 8/10 Northern Arizona overcome an early 14-0 deficit and post a 38-25 Homecoming victory over Portland State Saturday night at Findlay Toyota Field at the Walkup Skydome.
 
The win was the Lumberjacks' third straight as they improved to 6-2 overall. The 6-2 start heading into NAU's bye week matches the Lumberjacks' best record through eight games since 2017. NAU (4-1 Big Sky) remains in a tie for first with Weber State at the top of the conference standings.
 
"It was a hard-fought game," said head coach Brian Wright. "Credit to Portland State, their players and staff. They were very physical and had a great scheme on both sides of the football. Our guys battled, especially in the second half, and did a better job of executing after a rough start. You have to show up every single week in this conference and our guys were resilient again today."
 
Stout was phenomenal, recording 271 all-purpose yards including career-highs of nine receptions and 163 receiving yards. Stout's first career touchdown, a 6-yard catch in the flat, gave NAU its first lead of the game early in the third quarter. He also added a 30-yard rush and 78 yards on two punt returns.
 
Meanwhile, Wilson helped NAU close out the win with a pair of fourth quarter rushing touchdowns – the first two of his career. Wilson scored from a yard out and then from 32 yards, the latter of which provided NAU with a 38-17 lead with 1:51 left in the game. The redshirt sophomore made his first career start and totaled 13 rushes for 84 yards.
 
Stout and Wilson were catalysts in an NAU offensive effort that posted 495 yards of total offense. The Lumberjacks ran for 203 yards on the ground as a team, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, in their third 200-plus yard rushing effort of the season.
 
As NAU's offense got into a groove, so did the Lumberjacks' defense as they settled in after the Vikings dominated the first 17 minutes. Portland State set the tone with a seven-minute opening drive, scoring the game's first touchdown at the end of a 14-play, 75-yard drive. The Vikings then marched 60 yards on 12 plays, covering another 6:54 off the clock into the second quarter, to take a 14-0 advantage.
 
Portland State (2-5, 2-2 Big Sky) possessed the ball for nearly 14 of the first 17 minutes, but the Vikings were grounded for much of the remainder of the game. In taking a 14-0 lead, Portland State totaled 135 yards of offense on its first two drives. Over their final eight drives, the Vikings had just 204 yards, 75 of which came on their final touchdown drive after the game was out of reach.
 
"We believed in our game plan," said Ziggy Loa, who set career-highs of seven tackles and 2.0 tackles-for-loss. "We attacked things the right way and did our assignment, our 1/11th, and living by the standard that Coach Wright sets."
 
Francisco Orduno Jr. knocked through a 23-yard field goal on NAU's second drive, putting the 'Jacks on the board. After NAU got its first defensive stop, the Lumberjacks converted a short field set up by Stout's 44-yard punt return with Myseth Currie on the receiving end of a 13-yard dart from Ty Pennington to send the 'Jacks into halftime trailing 14-10.
 
NAU was sparked by yet another special teams play to open the third quarter, as Tyler Manship was successful on a fourth-and-3 fake punt, tossing a 15-yard first down completion to Jaxen Robinson to extend the drive. Stout's receiving touchdown put NAU in front, 17-14, briefly only for Portland State to tie the game with a 42-yard field goal from Joshua Hossmann Lees with 13 seconds left in the quarter.
 
Pennington, the reigning National Offensive Player of the Week, led the Lumberjacks on the eventual game-winning drive to start the fourth quarter. Pennington rushed for 20 yards on third-and-1 and later 15 yards on fourth-and-1 before plowing for a 1-yard touchdown rush with 10:21 remaining.
 
The touchdown by Pennington, who threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns in addition to 57 yards rushing, was the first of three NAU scores in the final 15 minutes. The Lumberjacks scored 21 unanswered points following the Vikings' field goal to lift them to their fourth home win of the season.
 
"This team is mentally tough," Wright said. "They stay together, play for one another. It doesn't matter which side of the ball has the momentum. It's a sign of a good football team; finding different ways to win games. We haven't had the best starts and we have to get that figured out certainly, but our guys battle and execute."
 
Although the Lumberjacks' FCS leading defense was shut out of the takeaway column for the first time this season, they did post a season-high 7.0 tackles-for-loss with Loa pacing the way with two, including a half sack. Braeden Kaczmarek had 1.5 sacks and Devin Murphy notched his fourth sack in the last three games.
 
NAU returns to action after its bye week on Oct. 31 at Southern Utah for the annual Grand Canyon Rivalry game. The Lumberjacks will be back in the Walkup Skydome on Nov. 14 versus Weber State. Tickets for NAU's final two home games can be purchased here.
 
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