No. 7 Northern Arizona overcame a sluggish start by scoring 27 unanswered points across the second and third quarters, then held off a late Southern Utah rally for a 34-27 road win. The Lumberjacks retained the Grand Canyon Trophy, extended their winning streak to four games and stayed tied for first in the Big Sky.

By the Numbers
  • Final score: NAU 34, Southern Utah 27.
  • NAU: 7-2 overall, 5-1 in Big Sky play; Southern Utah: 3-6 overall, 2-4 in conference.
  • NAU totaled 512 yards of offense, including 292 passing yards and 220 rushing yards.
  • Ty Pennington completed 23 of 27 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns; Quran Gossett had 203 all-purpose yards.
  • Southern Utah finished with 184 rushing yards, below its 266.1-yard average entering the game.
Yes, But

NAU’s decisive run put it up 27-10, but Southern Utah cut the margin to seven after a field goal and a fumble-recovery touchdown. The Lumberjacks sealed the win by keeping possession late, as Pennington ran for 75 yards on three consecutive carries before going down at the 1-yard line.

State of Play
  • NAU has won four straight and remains tied for first in the Big Sky at 5-1.
  • The Lumberjacks have won five consecutive Grand Canyon Rivalry games and will keep the trophy in Flagstaff.
What’s Next

NAU visits Cal Poly on Nov. 7 for its final regular-season road game.

Bottom Line

NAU turned a poor opening quarter into a statement win with a balanced offense and a defense that largely contained the FCS’s top rushing attack. The late scare underscores that the Lumberjacks still need to finish games cleanly as they pursue the Big Sky title.