FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 27, 2026) – No. 7/7 Northern Arizona begins the final stretch of the regular season on the road in Cedar City, Utah with its annual Grand Canyon Trophy rivalry game against Southern Utah. The 13th installment of the rivalry game kicks off at Eccles Coliseum at 12 p.m. MST on Saturday.
The Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network pregame show with
James Malamas and Kevin Stephens will start at 11:30 a.m. MST.
The Lumberjacks held steady at No. 7 in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and AFCA FCS Coaches Poll following their bye week. The ranking is the program's best since 2002. Additionally, NAU was No. 7 in last week's initial FCS Football Commitee Playoff ranking. The FCS Playoff Committee will reveal a second top 10 ranking next week on Nov. 5. The top eight teams announced during the Championship Selection Show on Nov. 22 will receive a first round bye and a second round home game in the playoffs.
NAU takes a three-game winning streak into Cedar City. Prior to the bye, NAU notched wins over No. 12/14 Idaho State, No. 2/3 Montana and Portland State. At 6-2 overall, NAU is off to the program's best start through eight games since 2017 and the 'Jacks are tied with No. 3/3 Montana State at the top of the Big Sky standings. Both NAU and Montana State are 4-1 in league play.
"The main message (during the bye week) was to attack the details," said head coach
Brian Wright. "There are so many things that go into preparation on a weekly basis. We made a big push towards the little things that all add up to wins, whether that's on or off the field. We pointed out where we haven't reached the standard, so there was a lot of work to do. We had to be centered in on the fundamentals that help win ball games."
The bye week has proven to be beneficial for the Lumberjacks in recent years. Over the last two seasons, NAU is 7-3 in the regular season post-bye week under Wright. Extended out to 2023 prior to Wright's arrival, NAU is 10-4 in regular season games after the bye week.
The Lumberjacks have won four straight against the Thunderbirds immediately following a stretch in which Southern Utah posted five wins in six years. Although NAU leads the all-time series 17-10, the Grand Canyon Trophy series is tied at 6-6 since the creation of the trophy in 2012.
Joey Stout snagged the headlines in NAU's 38-25 Homecoming win over Portland State on Oct. 17, totaling 271 all-purpose yards. The bulk of Stout's yardage came in the passing game as he notched a career-high 163 receiving yards on nine receptions. Stout also returned two punts for 78 yards and had a 30-yard rush. Following his career-best game, Stout is averaging 98.5 all-purpose yards per game. He is 27th in the FCS in receptions per game (5.5) and fifth in punt return average (19.1).
Ty Pennington has accounted for nine touchdowns over the last two games, including five scores in the rushing game. During NAU's current win streak, Pennington is averaging 336.3 yards of total offense. If averaged across an entire season, that would rank second in the FCS. On the season, Pennington has thrown for 1,898 yards and 12 touchdowns, while adding 294 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
NAU notched its third game with at least 200 yards rushing versus the Vikings prior to the bye, led by
Jon Wilson's career-high 84 yards. The Lumberjacks notched only two games of least 200 yards rushing last season.
Defensively, NAU will face the top rushing team in the FCS in Southern Utah, with the Thunderbirds averaging 266.1 yards per game on the ground. Behind their rushing game, the Thunderbirds rank second in the country in average time of possession at 33:33.
The Lumberjacks, coming off a season-high 7.0 tackles-for-loss with
Ziggy Loa recording a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage versus the Vikings, face the task of limiting Floyd Chalk, who leads the FCS in both rushing yards (1,093) and rushing yards per game (136.6). Chalk, one of four players with 1,000 yards rushing in the FCS, is fourth in the country with 149.5 all-purpose yards per game in his first season at Southern Utah after transferring from San Jose State.
At the quarterback position, Will Burns gives Southern Utah a dynamic 1-2 punch on the ground. Burns is eighth in the FCS with 843 yards rushing and paces the nation with 8.4 yards per carry. Both Burns and Chalk have each rushed for 10 touchdowns.
"(Floyd Chalk) is dynamic, he's a home run hitter," Wright said. "He's a major threat with the football in his hands. They do a great job up front, creating holes and spaces for him. Once he gets in the second and third level, look out. We have to be really sound and great tacklers because they have a great scheme."
Even though NAU did not add to its takeaway total against Portland State, the Lumberjacks are still tied for the FCS-lead with 18 takeaways. Southern Utah is right behind NAU in the Big Sky Conference with 15 takeaways, which places the Thunderbirds eighth in the FCS. Parker Vance leads the conference with four interceptions.
Southern Utah erased a 10-point deficit with 10 straight points in the final five minutes last week versus Idaho on the road, but the Thunderbirds fell 30-27 following a field goal with no time on the clock. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Thunderbirds (3-5, 2-3 Big Sky). Southern Utah previously beat No. 14/12 UC Davis, 38-17, on Oct. 17.
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