FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 29, 2026) – Before returning home for the first time in four weeks, No. 19/19 Northern Arizona football travels to ICCU Dome in Pocatello, Idaho for a nationally-ranked matchup against No. 12/14 Idaho State at 5 p.m. MST on Saturday.
The Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network pregame show begins at 4 p.m. MST with
James Malamas and Kevin Stephens on the call. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Lumberjacks are playing their third consecutive road game, and wrapping up a stretch of four road games in their first six overall as they approach the midway point of the season, on Saturday. Additionally, this will be the second of three straight games against nationally-ranked opponents with No. 3/4 Montana coming to Flagstaff next week. Meanwhile, NAU and Idaho State meeting on the gridiron as ranked teams is a rarity. The last time both teams were ranked was 2003, a game which NAU won 46-31.
"Idaho State has a lot of players back on both sides of the football," said head coach
Brian Wright. "They're very efficient on offense with a really good quarterback, good receivers. They've found a way to run the football when they want to. They've been a big passing team in the past, but they want to establish the run. I've always thought they've done a good job with their scheme defensively, so we have to have a really good plan on both sides of the ball."
NAU has had Idaho State's number recently, winning four straight meetings and 14 of the last 15 overall going back to 2005. NAU leads the all-time series, 39-17-1, and is 16-14 all-time in Pocatello.
The 'Jacks (3-2, 1-1 Big Sky) are coming off a tough 28-14 loss at No. 1/1 Montana State last week. NAU did not trail by more than a touchdown until under the final two-minute warning when Montana State tacked on the final score of the game. NAU's offense, which is averaging 435.0 yards in the last two weeks, was successful in moving the ball against the Big Sky's leading defense, but fell short deep in the red zone on three occasions, including twice in the fourth quarter.
A big reason for NAU's success offensively over the last two weeks has been the emergence of its passing attack.
Ty Pennington had his best distribution of the ball last week with four receivers –
Myseth Currie,
Joey Stout,
Darius Haskin and
Deuce Zimmerman – each totaling at least four receptions. Zimmerman led the group with 61 receiving yards, his best output of the season. Currie and Stout are developing into consistent targets for Pennington. Stout, ranked 39th in the country in receptions per game, is averaging 5.8 receptions over the last four games. Currie is averaging 5.5 receptions over the last two games.
Over the last two games, NAU is averaging 6.9 yards per play, up from 4.9 over the first three games, and more than 100 yards per game more in the air. Pennington, who moved up to seventh all-time in career passing yards at NAU last week, has thrown for 550 combined yards the last two weeks.
NAU totaled two takeaways last week to boost its FCS-leading season total to 14, officially surpassing last season's total of 13 in only five games.
Shoes Brinkley had his hand in both, forcing a fumble and notching an interception, while recording 10 tackles versus Montana State. Brinkley, who ranks 51st in the FCS with 8.4 tackles per game, notched his second double-digit tackle game of the season.
The Lumberjacks received a pair of reinforcements last week with the season debuts of
Ammon Allen and
Nikhil Webb-Walker. Allen, one of five team captains, played in his first game in 665 days following a devastating knee injury and recorded nine tackles to slot in second on the team against Montana State behind Brinkley. Webb-Walker earned the start at defensive end in his NAU debut and notched a sack, fumble recovery and forced fumble.
Idaho State held on for a 28-24 victory at Southern Utah last week, to remain undefeated on the season and win its conference opener. The Bengals forced a late Thunderbird fumble at their 3-yard line to preserve the victory. Idaho State (1-0 Big Sky), who owns an FBS win over Utah State back on Sept. 5, is off to its first 4-0 start since 1995. The Bengals have won eight consecutive games overall dating back to last season, with their last loss coincidentally coming at the hands of the Lumberjacks in ICCU Dome on Oct. 25, 2025.
A week after facing the Big Sky's top rush defense in Montana State, NAU will combat the league's top pass defense. Idaho State ranks seventh in the nation with 144.0 passing yards allowed per game and is third in pass efficiency defense at 86.59. Overall, the Bengals are second in the Big Sky allowing 17.0 points per game and are tied with the Lumberjacks for the conference-lead with seven interceptions.
Jordan Cooke quarterbacks the highest scoring offense in the Big Sky at 38.5 points per game, good for eighth in the FCS. Cooke has thrown for 945 yards and his 10 touchdowns are 13th nationally. Chedon James and Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio have combined for seven touchdown receptions between them with James ranking ninth in the FCS with four receiving touchdowns.
Jackson Irwin is the reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after posting nine tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, a sack and an interception last week versus Southern Utah. Irwin leads the team with 4.0 tackles-for-loss on the season.
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