A win in the Big Sky was an absolute necessity last week for the Lumberjacks. They were able to find that win against Montana State with a great start in the first half where they led the game 10 to nothing going into the final thirty minutes. They will need another fast start this week against their Homecoming opponent this week in Idaho State.
Still No Cookus
Case Cookus will be out of the game again this week after a shoulder injury knocked him out of the starting line up. The hope from NAU and coach Jerome Souers is that Cookus can return later on in the season, but that hope hangs by a thread as the severity of the injury appears to be very high. The team instead will still rely on Blake Kemp, who has done well in his job replacing Cookus thus far. The East Carolina transfer was able to maintain control of the game from the quarterback condition last week in a win where he maintained a completion percentage above 60%. The only complaint was his inability to get the ball down the field with his longest completion went for just 20 yards. The 195 yards passing was a disappointing number for a team with great wide receivers, but a win in the end is the only thing that the former Big Sky favorite can focus on anymore as they try to resurrect their playoff chance with the remaining slate of conference games they have ahead of them. Whether or not Kemp is able to expand his game could play dividends later on in the season however.
Let Logan Run
A certain shine has been lit in the NAU running game over the past two weeks with the inclusion of Joe Logan as the starting running back this season. Just the last two weeks alone have made Logan a surprise addition to an offense that was already predicted to be one of the top units in the FCS. With 98 yards against Northern Colorado and 147 yards in his brilliance job against Montana State. The freshman has added a great amount of balance to an offense that was looking for a figurehead in the running back position. Going up against Idaho State, Souers would be out of his mind to not let Logan touch the ball quickly and touch the ball often. Just last week Portland State ran all over the Bengals of Idaho State with a team total of 591 yards on the ground as well as four rushing touchdowns by Paris Penn, the Vikings’ running back. If Logan can have even half of that kind of performance then the Lumberjacks could just run away with this game.
A Defender Shines Finally
Since the start of the season the Lumberjacks have been looking for a defender to step up and have a game that create some kind of an identity for them. Last week they got exactly that kind of performance out of Siupeli Anau. Earning Big Sky Player of the Week honors, Anau got three sacks that totaled 32 yards in a strong showing against Montana State. Add on to that with two forced fumbles and you have yourself a very good game. The final drive for Montana State was ended on one of those sack and fumble tackles by Anau that clinched the game at the end. The senior defensive end certainly put in the work last week and that kind of a consistent pass rush is the kind of thing NAU will need to have for the remainder of the season. With their teammate gaining national honors like he did, it will be up to the other members of the defense to show up and contribute in the same kind of capacity. With this being Homecoming weekend, the team should be motivated and the defense hungry to make plays.
The game will kick off at 4:00 PM from the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, AZ this Saturday.