Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Arizona
Comeback falls short in 52-36 loss at NAU
10/25/2015 3:03:00 AM | Football
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Weber State's second half comeback came up short as Northern Arizona knocked off the Wildcats 52-36 Saturday afternoon at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.
The Lumberjacks jumped out to a 35-3 lead late in the first half and led 42-9 early in the third quarter. WSU then ran off four straight touchdowns to cut the lead to six points just over 10 minutes to play but NAU's two touchdowns late in the game sealed the win. The Wildcats drop to 4-4 overall and 3-2 in Big Sky play with three games remaining.
“You have to give NAU credit for getting us on our heels early,” said WSU head coach Jay Hill. “We fought back well in the second half but you can't put yourself in that position and that's what we did to start the game.”
NAU jumped out to a fast start with three touchdowns in the first quarter. The Lumberjacks scored on three straight possessions, all touchdown passes from freshman quarterback Case Cookus and NAU led 21-0 after one quarter.
The 'Cats started their scoring with a 52-yard field goal by senior Josh Kealamakia early in the second quarter. The 52-yard field goal was the longest field goal by a Wildcat in 10 years and tied for the third longest in school history.
NAU came right back with another touchdown pass by Cookus and then he ran in a TD to make it 35-3 with 1:00 left in the second quarter. WSU tacked on a touchdown by Treshawn Garrett late in the half to make it 35-9 at halftime.
On the first play of the second half, NAU picked off a Jadrian Clark pass and returned it 28-yards for a touchdown to make it 42-9.
That's when Weber State finally got things going. Clark put together a 6:41 yard drive capped with a 3-yard TD run to make it 42-16. On their next possession, Clark found Ross Stribling for a 27-yard touchdown that made it 42-23 late in third quarter. It was the first catch of Stribling's career.
Weber State opened the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown by Eric Wilkes that made it 42-29. Four minutes later, Wilkes scored again, this time from six yards out and WSU was within six points at 42-26 with 10:19 to play.
NAU finally got some offense going as the 'Jacks put together a 6:03 yard drive and scored on a 19-yard field goal to make it a nine point game with 4:16 to play.
WSU turned the ball over on downs on their next possession and NAU tacked on another touchdown with 44 seconds to play to seal the win.
NAU totaled 506 yards of total offense on the day, compared to 479 yards for the Wildcats. NAU had 353 yards in the air and 153 on the ground. Both teams had two turnovers on the day.
The Lumberjacks totaled 416 yards of offense in the first half, compared to just 219 for the Wildcats. However, in the second half NAU had just 90 yards while the Wildcats totaled 260 yards in the second half.
Individually, Jadrian Clark was 20-of-36 passing for 290 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown. The 290 yards passing is a career-high.
Darryl Denby led the receivers with three catches for 73 yards and Ross Stribling had three catches for 58 yards. Treshawn Garrett led the rushing attack with 17 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Cordero Dixon led the way with 10 tackles while Tre'von Johnson and Emmett Tela each had nine tackles. WSU had six tackles for loss and three sacks. Jared Afalava forced a fumble and Taron Johnson had an interception.
Weber State heads back on the road next Saturday to play at nationally ranked Eastern Washington who is undefeated in Big Sky play after a wild 43-41 win Saturday.
