Five turnovers doom Lumberjacks

GREELEY, Colo. -- Kyle Griffin returned an interception 84 yards for a touchdown and Northern Colorado's defense forced five turnovers in the second half to lead the Bears to a 24-17 victory over Northern Arizona on Saturday.

Griffin's pick-6 was the second of the game for the Bears, the first a 91-yard interception by Dominick Sierra that put Northern Colorado up 17-10 with 5:15 left in the third quarter.

The Lumberjacks (3-3, 1-1 Big Sky) led 10-3 at the half but gave up 14 points in turnovers after the break and missed opportunities to score.

"We were moving the ball pretty well, but we weren't finishing the drives," NAU coach Jerome Souers said. "I think we had too many penalties at that time, but we were remaining in the game due to our defense. The turnovers that turned into touchdowns were tough at first, and then devastating at the end, which probably cost us the game."

After Northern Colorado went three-and-out with 2:29 to play, Northern Arizona had a final chance to tie it. Kyren Poe's second pass was intercepted by A.J. Battle to seal the win.

Griffin has had an interception in four out of five games this season for the Bears (2-3, 1-1).

"It was a tough game," Souers said. "Give credit to our opponent. They played well today, and we have a lot of mistakes to repair. We have to look at the chemistry of our team to create a better performing unit."