The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (2-2, 0-0) are returning home to begin Big Sky conference play as they take on Sacramento State (2-2, 0-0) on Saturday (Sept. 28) in Flagstaff.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MST.
NAU’s wins came against Lincoln (California) and Utah Tech. The Lumberjacks lost their second game last week at Incarnate Word.
Sacramento State (2-2, 0-0) has won two straight and is ranked No. 10 in the latest AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, up one spot from last week. The poll ranks teams in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. NAU was among others receiving votes with five.
Last Week
The Lumberjacks lost 38-14 to Incarnate Word on Sept. 21 in San Antonio.
In a turnover-heavy game, NAU was unable to produce in the second half. Ty Pennington completed 20 of his 35 passing attempts and threw for 247 yards and a touchdown. His leading target was Bryzai White, who tallied 63 yards on four catches. Ta’ir Brooks had 54 receiving yards, and Darvon Hubbard rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
The Lumberjacks’ defense gave up a 97-yard touchdown run by Incarnate’s Dekalon Taylor, who totaled 184 yards and two touchdowns on the night.
From the coach
“Obviously, we are disappointed in the outcome. I’m disappointed at our lack of execution. That’s a good football team over there, and when you play a good team, you have to block, tackle and take care of the football. You have to convert on fourth down and take advantage of field position, all of the things that we didn’t do tonight,” head coach Brian Wright said after the game, according to an NAU news release.
Saturday’s game
Sacramento State’s two-game win streak came with wins over Nicholls State and Texas A&M-Commerce. Hornets‘ quarterback Carson Conklin has thrown for 682 yards and eight touchdowns on the year and Elijah Tau-Tolliver has run for 422 yards and three touchdowns.
Looking ahead
NAU again will hit the road on Oct. 5 to take on the Idaho Vandals (3-1, 0-0) in their second conference matchup. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MST.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Northern Arizona football plays Sacramento State to open Big Sky play
