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Postseason History
1958 NAIA Playoffs Gustavus Adolphus 41, NAU 12 Tucson, Ariz.
1958 - NAIA Championship Northeastern Oklahoma 19, NAU 13 1958 NAIA Holiday Bowl St. Petersburg, Fla.
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After beating Gustavus Adolphus in the first round of postseason play, NAU met Northeastern Oklahoma in the NAIA championship Holiday Bowl. The Lumberjacks and Oakies battled it out all game up and down the field, but the most exciting play came in the fourth quarter when the Lumberjacks tried to mount a comeback in front of an 8,500-plus crowd and about 15 million more watching the game on CBS. With time running out and the Lumberjacks down 19-7, NAU drove downfield 92-yards powered by the arm of quarterback Ted Sorich to score a touchdown, but the extra point was missed. With only minutes left and the Jacks down six points, NAU’s defense did everything in its power to get the ball back. But the Oakie offense was strong, and as time ran out, NAU had to settle for NAIA national runner-up.
1977 - NCAA Division II First Round Jacksonville State 35, NAU 0 Flagstaff, Ariz.
In its first postseason game in 19 years the Lumberjacks were blanked at home 35-0 in front of a crowd of 7,584 by Jacksonville State. The Jacks, who never managed to get any points on the board, were beaten in almost every aspect of the game. Jacksonville St. more than doubled the rushing production of the Jacks and came up with 19 first downs while NAU only had 12. After scoring two touchdowns in the last four minutes of the first quarter, Jacksonville St. hit the locker room at halftime with a 21-0 lead. After scoring two more touchdowns in the third, Jacksonville St. was finally quieted in the fourth quarter with the game ending at 35-0.
The record-setting Lumberjack football team returned to the postseason for the first time in almost 20 years and the first time as a I-AA program, dropping a 42-31 game to Furman in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Although the Jacks statistically outscored Furman in first downs, rushing yards, passing yards and possession time, they could not manage to put enough points on the board. Northern Arizona failed to advance as the Paladins scored 21 unanswered points in the last 6:19 of the game. NAU started quickly, scoring 21 straight points to take a 21-7 halftime lead. Furman tied the game after three periods, but NAU assumed a 31-21 lead with 6:19 left. The Paladins rallied, taking the lead with 31 seconds left then sealing the win with an interception return for a TD. In his final game as a Lumberjack, Archie Amerson rushed for 206 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, while Travis Brown threw for 260 yards.
2001 - NCAA Division I-AA First Round Sam Houston State 34, NAU 31 Huntsville, Texas
Alex St. Peter’s 20-yard field goal as time expired ended Northern Arizona’s season as Sam Houston State posted a 34-31 victory in the first round of the NCAA I-AA playoffs. Sam Houston State (10-2) advances to face top-seeded Montana, while the Lumberjacks complete the 2001 campaign at 8-4. St. Peter’s game-winning kick was setup by a 58-yard completion from Josh McCown to Matt Buss that put the Bearkats in scoring position. SHSU had taken possession of the ball on the 32-yard line with just 24 seconds on the clock after a NAU touchdown. NAU had tied the game on a fouryard pass play from Preston Parsons to Clarence Moore. It completed a 12-play, 73-yard drive to tie the game. Parsons finished with a career-high 338 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receivers Clarence Moore and Johnny Marshall both had career afternoons. Moore had eight catches for 153 yards with two touchdowns, while Marshall had 149 yards on six catches with a touchdown. The Bearkats led 24-14 at the half behind three rushing touchdowns in the opening 20 minutes. Sam Houston scored the opening touchdown on a two-yard run by Joe Rauls. The extra-point attempt failed. NAU then rebounded two plays later when Parsons hit Marshall on a 75-yard bomb for a 7-6 lead. The Bearkats then got a 42-field goal from Joey Price and a one-yard run by McCown to build a 17-7 lead. NAU responded with a 10-play drive to pull within three at 17-14 when Tom Winn caught a 12-yard pass from Parsons.
2003 - NCAA Division I-AA First Round Northern Arizona 35, McNeese State 3 Lake Charles, La.
Northern Arizona (9-3) upset topranked and top-seeded McNeese State behind freshman quarterback Jason Murrietta’s five touchdown passes and a strong defensive effort en route to a 35-3 win in Lake Charles. Murrietta completed 24-for-35 passes for 285 yards and five touchdowns, hitting nine different receivers on the night. Four different receivers caught touchdowns, including two by senior Chris Nash, who had a gamehigh seven receptions. Murrietta and Nash started the scoring with a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The Lumberjacks added a second score on an 11-yard pass to Ramen Green for his first career touchdown and a 14-0 lead. McNeese managed its only points of the night on a 27-yard field goal from John Marino with 8:23 left in the second quarter. NAU built its lead to 21-3 on a 7-yard pass from Murrietta to Clarence Moore. The Lumberjacks held McNeese State scoreless in the second half, adding touchdowns in each quarter to complete one of the biggest first-round upsets in NCAA I-AA playoff history. It was the worst loss at home for the Cowboys since 1990. McNeese, which had been ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of the year and had appeared in last year’s 1-AA championship game, completed its season at 102.
Jared Allen passed for 228 yards and three touchdowns and the Florida Atlantic defense - led by sophomore cornerback Willie Hughley’s two big plays that led to 14 points - stymied the Northern Arizona offense through the first half as FAU, a thirdyear member of the Division I-AA football
ranks, posted a 48-25 win over the host Lumberjacks in a quarterfinal matchup before 9,134 fans in the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome. The Owls’ speed proved to be a daunting factor in the contest on the Walkup Skydome turf, both offensively and defensively. FAU forced three turnovers, including a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown by Hughley in the third quarter to make the score 27-3, then a 25-yard fumble return by Hughley that set up a three-yard TD pass from Allen to Doug Parker to make it 41-3. In the first half, the Lumberjacks’ offense had a difficult time getting any momentum on any drives, as NAU was held to 127 yards and just three points at halftime as the Owls vaulted to a 24-3 lead. The Lumberjacks got offense rolling in the second half, but it was too late. NAU rolled up 267 yards of offense after halftime and scored 22 points in the fourth quarter thanks to recovering an onside kick and a 57-yard pass from receiver Clarence Moore to fellow receiver Chris Nash - off a lateral from freshman QB Jason Murrietta - that closed the scoring.
2013 - Football Championship Division Playoffs - First Round South Dakota St. 26, Northern Arizona 7 Flagstaff, Ariz.
The Northern Arizona (9-3) football team hit the field for their first Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoff game since 2003. The Lumberjacks were able to strike first against visiting South Dakota State (8-4), but the Jackrabbits battled back and came away with the 26-7 win in the Walkup Skydome. For the Lumberjacks, the game ended a 10-year drought for NAU in the playoffs. Two hours before kickoff, the NAU Athletics Department announced that head coach Jerome Souers would not be coaching after suffering from complications that arose from a recent back surgery. Under the helm of interim head coach and defensive coordinator Andy Thompson, the Lumberjacks took the field in honor of their head coach. “Not having your head coach is tough, but I think the kids prepared well and worked hard,” said Thompson. “We didn’t execute well and I think that was the big difference. They were able to execute and score and we didn’t do a great job stopping them. We weren’t able to score on offense, so it came down to execution.” After a scoreless first quarter, senior All-American running back Zach Bauman rushed six yards into the end zone to give the Lumberjacks the lead. The touchdown also gave Bauman the title of “All-Time NAU Points Scorer” with 310 career points scored. South Dakota State was able to tie the game when Zach Zenner zipped by a NAU defender and ran 87 yards to the house. By the end of the first half, both Zachs had reached the 100 yards rushing plateau, as they did not disappoint the crowd. Enter the second half of the game, and NAU found itself pinned down on its own one-yard line after a false start was called on the first play of the drive. The Lumberjacks were unable to scramble out of the end zone, leading to a safety and a 9-7 lead for the Jackrabbits. Less than one minute later, Zenner broke loose again, this time for a 34-yard touchdown. South Dakota State was able to tack on a 20-yard field goal (Justin Syrovatka) and seven-yard touchdown (Reggie Gandy) in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory and advance to the second round of the playoffs. The Lumberjacks finished the season with a 9-3 overall record for the second straight season. Twenty-two seniors highlighted the NAU roster, as they will be missed next season. The Lumberjacks close out their season with an FCS-best eight defensive touchdowns. lead back up to 17 with a short touchdown. Northern Arizona answered with an 11-play, 65-yard drive, but it stalled at the 10-yard line leading to a field goal and the final points of the game for the Lumberjacks. San Diego outgained Northern Arizona 439 to 238 and controlled the time of possesion 38:03 to 21:57. The Lumberjacks finished the game just 2-of-13 on third downs.
The Northern Arizona (7-5) football team reached the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoff following a 6-2 record in the Big Sky Conference. San Diego (10-3) finished a perfect 8-0 in the Pioneer Football League, reaching the playoffs for the second straight season. The Lumberjacks fell behind 17-0 to the Toreros early in the second quarter, with the team’s first score coming as Case Cookus hit Terell Brown for a six-yard touchdown on a six-play, 82-yard drive. A turnover midway through the second quarter allowed San Diego to push the NAUFOOTBALL @NAU _
