ST. GEORGE, Utah (September 19, 2026) – Rolling up a season-high 495 yards of offense, No. 20/19 Northern Arizona secured a 35-23 road victory over Utah Tech Saturday night at Greater Zion Stadium.
 
The victory sends the Lumberjacks into the resumption of conference play with a 3-1 record. From here on out, NAU will play a Big Sky schedule with its non-conference slate behind it starting with next Saturday's nationally-televised matchup against No. 1/1 Montana State.
 
"I really liked this team's resiliency," said head coach Brian Wright. "None of us thought we were playing very well or coaching very well, but to watch our team stay composed and get ready for the next play is something we can carry with us moving forward."
 
Ty Pennington threw for a season-high 311 yards and Kenveon Stone and Myseth Currie both recorded career-best performances to pace NAU's offense. Stone ran for 90 yards, and for the second consecutive week posted two rushing touchdowns, while Currie set career-highs of five receptions and 117 yards receiving.
 
NAU averaged 8.11 yards per play, its most since the Lumberjacks' last trip to St. George two years ago. Meanwhile, Utah Tech (0-4) averaged only 4.29 yards per play and managed 266 yards of offense – both of which were significantly lower than NAU's season averages. The Lumberjacks entered the evening allowing 518.3 yards of offense and 7.74 yards per play.
 
The NAU defense pitched an immaculate first quarter, forcing four Utah Tech three-and-outs in the first 15 minutes. The Trailblazers only totaled 14 offensive yards on 12 plays, while the 'Jacks struck first on the scoreboard. NAU gained the initial 7-0 advantage on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Ty Pennington to Jeter Purdy for the latter's second scoring reception of the season.
 
NAU quickly padded its lead on an 8-yard touchdown rush by Stone a minute into the second quarter. Stone's first of two touchdowns in the game was set up by a career-long 50-yard reception by Currie.
 
Buoyed by the two touchdowns, NAU took a 14-0 lead into halftime, but the Trailblazers got back into the game with 17 points in the third quarter. Utah Tech got on the board three plays into the third quarter as Pennington was intercepted by Brady Sorenson, who returned it 35 yards for a pick-6. 
 
Pennington and the 'Jacks wasted no time though, regaining their composure two plays later. Darius Haskin got behind the secondary and Pennington found him for a 63-yard touchdown, giving NAU a two-touchdown lead again.
 
After its first seven drives ended in either a punt or a turnover, the latter as a result of Deliyon Freeman's second interception in as many weeks, Utah Tech strung together its first scoring drive of the contest to close to 21-14 with 6:10 left in the third quarter. Follwing Haskin's touchdown, the Trailblazers went 75 yards on 11 plays, capped by Ace Chatman's 15-yard scoring run. Utah Tech added a Dax Iverson 45-yard field goal before the end of the quarter to close NAU's lead to 21-17 going into the final period.
 
As it did throughout the evening, NAU had an answer following a Utah Tech score. After Iverson's field goal, Pennington immediately hit a streaking Currie for 43 yards down the left sideline. Five plays later, Pennington went untouched for a 7-yard touchdown rush.
 
The Trailblazers once again sliced the Lumberjacks' lead with seven minutes remaining on a Chatman 22-yard touchdown, but the 'Jacks landed the final haymaker on the next drive. Holding a 28-23 advantage, NAU put the game out of reach when Stone scampered for a 33-yard touchdown with 3:46 on the clock.
 
"First off, I want to thank God," Stone said. "I have to give all the credit to the o-line. They worked their butts off today and tonight wouldn't have happened without them."
 
In total, the Lumberjacks answered three of the Trailblazers' four scores with a score of their own.
 
Quran Gossett complemented Stone's efforts on the ground with 69 rushing yards of his own. NAU averaged 5.4 yards per attempt and ran for 184 yards, its third game with at least 180 rushing yards this season.
 
Leading NAU's season-best defensive performance was Jaiden Letua, who totaled six tackles and forced a fumble. Freeman, the reigning Big Sky Co-Defensive Player of the Week, was one of three Lumberjacks with five stops and in addition to his interception, he also had a pass breakup.
 
NAU's contest against top-ranked Montana State next Saturday in Bozeman, Mont. will be televised on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. MST.
 
"There's some really good and some things we're going to have to get better at really quickly, especially for next week to give ourselves a chance," Wright said. "As I told the team in the locker room, I love their grit and how they stay calm, but we have to clean up some of our mistakes."
 
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