Northern Arizona football is going for a couple of firsts at Southern Utah on Saturday, Sept. 13.
The Lumberjacks are looking for their first road win in their first meeting against the Thunderbirds since 2021. Both teams are 1-1.
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Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
NAU and Southern Utah are playing for the Grand Canyon Trophy. Their rivalry dates back to 2012 when Southern Utah first joined the Big Sky Conference. Southern Utah now is a member of the United Athletic Conference, but will return to the Big Sky in 2026.
“When you add a rivalry, or you add a trophy to a game, it adds a little bit more to what you’re playing for,” NAU’s second-year coach Brian Wright said in news release posted on NAU’s website. “It’s going to be my first time part of this game, and obviously our program’s first time in a while to go play those guys for the trophy.”
NAU routed Southern Utah in its previous meeting in Flagstaff, 59-35. The Lumberjacks are trying to even their all-time series against Southern Utah, which has a 6-5 lead in the Grand Canyon game.
Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Montana Warren (7) pulls on Northern Arizona Lumberjacks wide receiver Joey Stout (13) during a football game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Aug. 30, 2025.
What NAU did at Utah Tech
NAU is coming off its first win, at home over Utah Tech, 38-31, on Sept. 6. The victory helped NAU move up to No. 18 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, but remain at No. 19 in the FCS Coaches Poll. In addition, NAU extended its home win streak to nine, tying its longest in program history.
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The Lumberjacks’ senior safety Jaylan Wesley got two of their three interceptions and NAU gained 162 rushing yards. That nearly doubled NAU’s amount on the ground in the team’s 38-19 season-opening loss at Arizona State on Aug. 30.
Junior running back Seth Cromwell ran for 67 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first half, against Utah Tech (0-2), which helped NAU build a 31-10 first-half lead before Utah Tech’s fourth-quarter comeback was thwarted.
NAU’s quarterback Ty Pennington had a stellar outing against Utah Tech, going 21-of-28 for 229 yards, threw one TD and a pick. He’s completed 68.3% of his passes thus far this season.
“Our guys came out early in the game last Saturday ready to play and we had a solid first half,” Wright said. “But we need to finish and play 60 minutes. We need to be focused and apply our technique for 60 minutes.”
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NAU’s 28.5-point average is the Big Sky’s second-most through the season’s first two weeks and ranked 26th nationally.
What to know about Southern Utah
After the Thunderbirds’ season-opening 46-24 home win against Idaho State on Aug. 30, they had a 30-27 loss at San Diego in an overtime thriller.
Southern Utah senior QB Bronson Barron was 22-of-38, threw for 292 yards with three TDs. The team’s top receiver was junior Gabe Nunez, who had six catches for 100 yards and a TD. Barron, who’s passed for 532 yards and six TDs with a 65.1% completion rate through Southern Utah’s first two games, spread the ball around to eight different receivers against San Diego. Juniors Shane Carr and Anson Kraut had five catches for 54 yards and four receptions for 45, respectively.
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The Thunderbirds have been mostly reliant on their air attack, accounting for 86.3% of 771 total offensive yards through their first two games.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Northern Arizona renews Grand Canyon Trophy rivalry at Southern Utah
