FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Oct. 10, 2024) – The stages get a little bigger this time of year, but ranked road matchups are nothing new for the Northern Arizona Football team.
The Lumberjacks, who are nationally ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll at No. 24, are preparing to make the trip to Missoula, Mont., to play No. 14 Montana. It marks the fifth road game in the last six weeks for NAU – with four of those being played against ranked opponents.
Kickoff at Washington-Grizzly Stadium is set for 1 p.m. Mountain Standard time on ESPN+ and on Scripps Sports. For fans in the Phoenix or Tucson area, the game will be televised on KNXV 15.2 in Phoenix and KGUN 9.3 in Tucson. Mitch Strohman and Kevin Stephens will also have the call on the Northern Arizona Healthcare NAU Lumberjack Radio Network.
Northern Arizona is 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in Big Sky Conference play, most recently coming off a loss at No. 10 Idaho by a score of 23-17. NAU trailed 20-10 at the half but didn’t allow a second-half touchdown. PJ London stepped in at quarterback in the second half for an injured Ty Pennington and scored his first career touchdown on a two-yard scurry to give NAU a chance to win at the end but the ‘Jacks couldn’t capitalize.
The Grizzlies are 4-2 overall and are also 1-1 in conference action after losing to Weber State 55-48 in overtime last week at home.
Saturday will be NAU’s first trip to Missoula since 2017 where the Lumberjacks lost 17-15. Last season, Northern Arizona got the best of the No. 13 ranked Grizzlies in Flagstaff. NAU was 0-3 at the time and led from start to finish to beat Montana 28-14. It was Montana’s only regular season loss in 2023 and the only loss until the FCS National Championship.
This weekend’s matchup is the 53rd overall meeting with the Griz leading 37-15. In Missoula, Montana owns a 20-5 overall record including 14-2 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Since 2010, Montana holds a slight 5-4 advantage over NAU with the Lumberjacks winning one-straight. Northern Arizona has not won in Missoula since 2012, losing two-straight.
NAU’s defense has been a big story so far this season. As a team, the ‘Jacks rank 13th nationally in total defense, only allowing 296.0 yards per game. Additionally, NAU ranks 19th nationally in scoring defense (20.3), 31st in interceptions with five, third in kickoff return defense (13.00) and sixth in third down conversion percentage defense (.267).
Alex McLaughlin leads the team with 39 total tackles and 3.5 sacks, followed by Ammon Allen (38 tackles) and Tommy Ellis (36 tackles). Four different Lumberjacks have recovered a fumble and five different players have at least one interception this season.
The Lumberjack defense will have its work cut out for them, as Montana ranks third in the FCS in rushing offense with 264.7 rushing yards per game and second in total offense with 502.7 yards per contest. Eli Gillman leads the conference with 634 rushing yards on 68 carries, racking up 10 rushing touchdowns. Nick Ostmo follows with 460 yards and three scores.
For the Lumberjack offense, it’s Darvon Hubbard who leads the team in rushing yards with 287 yards on 59 carries. In a balanced running attack, three other ‘Jacks have ran for over 160 yards so far this season.
Tight end Bryzai White paces the Lumberjacks with 273 receiving yards on 17 catches and three touchdowns, scoring in two-straight games. He’s followed by Tay Lanier with 212 yards on 17 catches. Ty Pennington has started all six games, completing 83 of his 126 pass attempts for 957 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions.
Northern Arizona returns to Findlay Toyota Field inside the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome for Homecoming on Oct. 19 against Idaho State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MST.
