NAU hits road to face Northern Colorado

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- After winning its fifth straight conference opener last week, No. 25 Northern Arizona hits the road this weekend to face Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon.

The Lumberjacks are in search of their 12th straight win over the Bears. Kickoff at Nottingham Stadium is at 12:30 p.m. The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series 13-1 with an 18.6 average margin of victory. Northern Colorado's only win in the series was at home in 1978.

NAU averages 31 points per game this year,but is 1-2 on the road so far.

The Lumberjacks (3-2, 1-0 Big Sky) returned to the national polls this week, when the FCS Coaches voted the them No. 25 after a 38-35 comeback victory over Cal Poly in front of a sellout crowd of 11,545 fans at the Walkup Skydome.

Led by four touchdowns from quarterback Chase Cartwright and a pair of touchdowns from wide receiver Ify Umodu, NAU stunned Cal Poly in the final 30 seconds last week. Cartwright found Casey Jahn for the 12-yard game winning touchdown to keep NAU's home regular-season win streak alive at seven.

Jahn has a team-best 346 rushing yards, while Alex Holmes leads NAU in receiving yards with 315.

Coach Earnest Collins Jr. leads Northern Colorado (1-3, 0-1) in his fourth season with the Bears. UNC dropped its Big Sky opener versus Montana on the road last weekend, 38-13.

The Bears have lost nine straight conference games, with their last league win on Nov. 17, 2012, over North Dakota, a 28-27 victory.

The Bears are 1-0 this season at home, with a 28-20 win over Houston Baptist.

UNC has used two different quarterbacks this season. Sean Rubalcaba is 40 for 58 for 519 yards and one touchdown. Jonathan Newsom is 22 for 40 for 198 yards.