Northern Arizona defeats Eastern Washington 34-27 after trailing by 21 points in the first half
Ty Pennington hit Nassim Isaac with a short touchdown pass on a fourth-and-goal play in the fourth quarter and the Northern Arizona defense held on downs inside its own 10-yard line to preserve a 34-27 victory in a season and Big Sky opener on Saturday night. The Lumberjacks, ranked 25th in the FCS, won after briefly trailing by 21 points in the second quarter. Following an interception, the…
Flagstaff, Arizona (AP) — With a crucial fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Ty Pennington, Northern Arizona emerged victorious over Eastern Washington, overcoming a 21-point deficit in the first half. Isaac became the first recipient of a touchdown for NAU, securing a 34-27 win in their inaugural season opener. The Lumberjacks, ranked 25th in the FCS, demonstrated resilience following a halftime score of 24-17.
Lindsey Graves' 100-yard kickoff return after an EWU touchdown set the stage for NAU's comeback. A critical interception led to Quran Gossett's 2-yard touchdown run, pushing the score to 24-17 at the break. In the third quarter, NAU added a short field goal, and Pennington connected with Jeter Purdy on a 30-yard touchdown pass, putting the Lumberjacks ahead 27-24.
Eastern Washington narrowed the gap with Soren McKee's 37-yard field goal late in the game. NAU's defense then stifled the Eagles, forcing two turnovers before sealing the win. Pennington completed 164 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns while being intercepted once. Gossett amassed 103 rushing yards, and Purdy gathered 105 receiving yards.
For Eastern Washington, Nate Bell threw for 307 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Their next opponent: Northern Iowa on Saturday. Northern Arizona will face Arizona in a Saturday matchup.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
