Northern Arizona University Athletics issued the following announcement on Aug. 14.
Now 11 days removed from the opening day of fall camp, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks held their first scrimmage as they continued to prepare for their season opener against the No. 1 Sam Houston Bearkats.
The Bearkats, winners of the FCS Championship just three months ago at the conclusion of the spring season, kick off their title defense against the Lumberjacks in the Walkup Skydome on Sept. 2.
"I think they realize it; they look at the calendar. They know it's 19 more days before we play," Lumberjacks head coach Chris Ball said following Saturday's scrimmage. "As coaches now, we've got to look at the scrimmage and look at who is going to help us and who is not. The players know when that game is and they will be ready."
Ball and his staff elected to hold some players out of the scrimmage in order to keep them fresh through the remaining few weeks of camp, offering an opportunity for the depth of the roster to show where they are through the first 10 practices of the fall.
After the defense opened the day strong, generating a strip sack in the end zone among one of its stops, Northern Arizona's offense picked up as the day wore on. Freshmen Kevin Daniels, Tyson Grubbs, Joshua Maignan and Elijah Taylor all reached the end zone during the second half of the scrimmage.
Daniels, Grubbs and Maignan each spent the spring season with the Lumberjacks, as their first fall in the program was pushed into the spring, while Taylor is in his first official camp with the program.
"We will take a look at the tape and see how it looks. I was pleased with the way the defense started and then pleased with the way the offense finished," Ball said. "We have just got to know this week has to be a great week for us. We can't have any setbacks; we have got to continue to get better each day. That's going to come along with getting our core group of guys ready to play."
Tickets for the season opener against Sam Houston can be purchased online at www.nauathletics.com/buy while questions can be directed to the Lumberjack Ticket Office at LumberjackTicketOffice@nau.edu or 928-523-0639.
Set for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Thursday night, the Sept. 2 opener will be Northern Arizona's first game in the Skydome with fans in attendance since Nov. 23, 2019. The game marks the return of the annual Running of the Freshmen while also including the Sprinting of the Sophomores who were unable to participate last year.
Season tickets for all five of the Lumberjacks' home games in the Skydome are available for as low as $75 for general admission. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more on a per game basis, as well as a Pick-Two Flex Mini Plan for any two home games for as little as $36 per person.
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