FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 11, 2026) – In a pivotal late season game for both teams, No. 5/5 Northern Arizona hosts No. 18/20 Weber State on Saturday at Findlay Toyota Field at the Walkup Skydome at 2 p.m. MST. The two teams are among five within a game of each other for the Big Sky Championship with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
James Malamas and Kevin Stephens will have the call on ESPN+ and the Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network. The radio pregame show begins at 1 p.m. MST.
With Saturday serving as Military Appreciation Game, all veterans, active duty and retired service members will receive a 20% discount off of tickets. A valid military ID must be presented at the Lumberjack Ticket Office outside the East Entrance to the Walkup Skydome on game day to receive the offer. Additionally, all children 12 and under will receive free admission with discounted tickets available for parents using this
link. The kids promo will also be valid at the Ticket Office on game day.
The Lumberjacks (8-2, 6-1 Big Sky) have won five straight games and remain tied for first in the Big Sky with No. 2/2 Montana State. Weber State (6-4, 5-2 Big Sky) is a game behind in the league standings having won four of its last five games. Saturday will be the first regular season November game in the Walkup Skydome between two nationally-ranked teams since Nov. 17, 2012 when both NAU and Cal Poly were ranked.
NAU heads into the fifth meeting for the Red Rock Rivalry Trophy following a 38-10 victory over Cal Poly last weekend with the margin of victory being the largest for the 'Jacks this season. NAU and Weber State have split the previous four meetings for the Red Rock Rivalry Trophy since it was created in 2022. The teams are tied 29-29 all-time and have split the last 10 games.
Weber State holds the trophy currently after handing NAU a 48-28 loss in the season finale for both teams last November in Ogden, Utah. The loss dashed the Lumberjacks' playoff hopes in addition to taking the rivalry trophy from them.
"Certainly last year was last year. That was last year's Weber State team, last year's NAU team," said head coach
Brian Wright. "We were obviously very disappointed in the outcome of that game. But they have a brand new team and we have a different team this year. It's still the Red Rock Rivalry trophy that we're playing for, so obviously that's important. Other than that, they all count the same and this game is very meaningful for both programs here in the month of November."
The Lumberjacks are also looking to remain undefeated at home in the Dome where they have won six straight games dating back to last season. A win would also extend the Lumberjacks' overall winning streak to six games, matching the program's longest since 2017.
A strong running game and dominant defensive performance spurred NAU, which is ranked in the top five for the first time since 1997, to its fifth straight win last week in San Luis Obispo.
Ty Pennington ran for a career-high 111 yards and
Quran Gossett added 81 as part of a season-best 238 yards rushing for the Lumberjacks. Gossett accounted for three of NAU's five rushing touchdowns, setting a new career-high.
NAU has rushed for 200 yards in five games this season, including three straight. The five 200-yard games is the most by the Lumberjacks since they had seven in 2007. NAU is averaging 167.7 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry, while ranking 12th in the FCS with 24 rushing touchdowns this season.
The Lumberjacks are 8-0 this season when scoring 30 points in a game, as they rank 30th in the FCS with 32.5 points per game. Pennington is 14th individually in total offense, averaging a career-high 281.6 yards per game. While he is averaging 232.0 yards in the air per game, Pennington has been an effective runner of late, averaging 72.0 yards rushing in his last six games with seven of his eight rushing touchdowns on the season coming in that stretch.
On the other side of the ball, the Lumberjacks also set a season-low for yards allowed (249) and points allowed (10) against the Mustangs. Cal Poly only averaged 4.2 yards per play last Saturday. Over their last three games, the Lumberjacks are only allowing 303.3 yards of offense to opposition.
Devin Murphy continued to wreak havoc in the backfield, recording both of NAU's sacks in his second multi-sack game of the season. Murphy ranks second in the Big Sky with 7.5 sacks, the most by a Lumberjack since Eloi Kwete's 9.5 in 2023. Murphy is 14th in the FCS in sacks.
Weber State is coming off its bye week and last defeated No. 20/21 UC Davis, 38-14, on Oct. 31 at home. Under first-year head coach Eric Kjar, the Wildcats have turned around the program and are in contention for not only an FCS Playoff spot, but the conference title, a season after going 4-8 overall and 2-6 in Big Sky play.
Weber State is one of the top offensive teams in the country, ranking 13th in scoring (36.1) and 15th in total offense (434.3). However, the Wildcats are in the bottom 10 of the FCS with 22 turnovers. Nate Dahle, a true freshman, seized the starting quarterback job and ranks 12th in the FCS with 21 touchdowns. Dahle has thrown for 2,140 yards, but is only completing 50.6% of his passes while throwing 11 interceptions. Noah Kjar ranks second in the FCS with 11 receiving touchdowns and eighth with 902 receiving yards as Weber State's leading pass-catcher.
The Wildcats boast one of the nation's best special teams units, ranking third with six blocked kicks. Weber State is also third in kick return average (30.0). Defensively, the Wildcats are in the bottom half of the league in scoring defense (32.5) and total defense (453.6).
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