NAU so far...

@ Arizona State - Loss (3-40); ASU (1-4)
@ Sam Houston State - Win (10-3); SHSU (2-2)
#22 North Dakota - Loss (24-27); UND (3-2)
Idaho - Loss (10-27); UI (3-2)
@ Portland State - Loss (27-35); PSU (1-3)
Cal Poly - TBD

In the run game, the Lumberjacks are currently being led by RB Draycen Hall with 181 yards on 41 carries. RB Kevin Daniels has 129 yards on 36 carries while RB George Robinson has 89 yards on 31 carries. NAU only has 4 rushing TDs on the season and 3 of them have come from QB RJ Martinez who has 88 rushing yards on 33 carries.

QB RJ Martinez has completed 123 passes on 194 attempts (63.4%) for 1075 yards with 5 TDs and 6 INTs. WR Coleman Owen leads the receivers with 31 catches for 285 yards and 2 TDs. WR Jamal Glaspie has 24 catches for 250 yards.

On defense the Lumberjacks are led by DB Morgan Vest who has 44 total tackles and 5 pass break ups. LB Jhasi Wilson has 33 total tackles with 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. NAU current has a turnover margin of -3.

The NAU offense has really struggled to get going this season, but they did finally start to open up against PSU. Their run game has looked particularly... not great, but we have to do a better job of containing mobile QBs and Martinez has the ability to run. I think this should be a win for the Aggies, but NAU has managed to stay close to some not bad teams.

Everyone keys on TT now, but I have a thought.

Integrate Gunnor Faulk into the mix / trick play planning. In his limited action, he looks nimble. Get him involved in the Bye week... maybe set up a play for Sac State?

BTW... beautiful Fake Punt! ... though I can't imagine taking 2 penalties.

If we bring another QB into the rotation it would be because he can throw the ball downfield.
When TT is in to take a direct snap, they aren’t trying to fool anyone. When that works it’s because if TT being difficult to tackle. He is unique among our QBs in that respect. Now if he could only pass.

If Gunnor can run and complete 65% of passes, it's another potential wrinkle.

Is Hawkins saving a year of eligibility on our 2 new transfer WRs who haven't played?

One game at a time.

Wow Stat from Bob Dunnkng today.

"Two-time defending champion Sacramento State, 4-0, is home against struggling Northern Colorado, 2-3. The Hornets are 16-1 in Big Sky play under third-year head coach Troy Taylor."

From a source who will remain unnamed. Tattersall is out for the year and so may Buchanan be (who may play <=4 games if able and get a medical redshirt?).

Our 2 leading receivers are running backs (Lonzi and Lan).
I still believe this is the issue on offense- and the reason we aren’t winning ballgames.

QB needs to effectively get the ball downfield.
Hastings isn’t necessarily a running threat either. I’m not down on the guy, he is a great leader and effectively running the offense he is being given.

I think it’s been established that Tompkins ain’t gonna be asked to throw the ball downfield as a QB, and there must be a reason why Faulk has never been the starter.

The answer next year might be Dixon with his size, and presumably, arm strength.

With all of that said, I could be completely off-base and the issue could be inexperienced or ineffective WRs! I’ve noticed Babb hasn’t played much, and Chaz Davis looks great at times but seems like he’s got a short leash. I’ve always hoped we would target Castles more downfield- but maybe defenses are keying on him as he seems like our only downfield threat.

Those are our two leading receivers in terms of yards, Larison is sixth in catches.
But your point generally is correct, we don’t complete passes down field.
The Montana State commentator on the broadcast indicated they were lining up all within eight yards of the line of scrimmage, to stop the run and the short stuff.
I don’t think Hastings is very accurate with the deep throws.
I don’t think the receivers we're playing are fast for this level of football. Davis, Babb possibly exceptions to that, but the rest are possession receivers,
We’re playing a number of guys who might make yards after catch, Gilliam, Tompkins, Hutton, Larison. Against the teams we’ve played so far with good defense that’s difficult to rely on.

Yeah, getting the ball deep and lack of a mobile QB makes us very predictable. Seems like defenses are stacking the box with the hopes of keeping Gilliam contained. Against weaker teams we can win. Top25 is a different story.

Hawkins always has interesting/entertaining press conferences. The fake punt was on college game day (didn’t know till pointed out in press conference).

I found it interesting/frustrating that both the Montana media and ESPN stats confused Justin Poerio for Jackson Cloyd. They do have the same jersey numbers but their name in on their jersey too. Now Cloyd is going to have to explain to his grandkids why his career rushing stats are 0 carries and no yards rather than an impressive 23 yard average. Interestingly, I heard Jackson Cloyd’s name called on the intercom at the Bozeman airport on Tuesday for a flight leaving to LAX (he played at Orange Lutheran, so must have been him). Never saw him show, and Hawk said Mon-Wed. We’re normal days with Th/Fri off for players in bye week so don’t know what that was all about.

Spool to 1:28:50 for fake punt in “you had one job” segment. I thought the blue helmets looked pretty slick in person.

https://youtu.be/nD3b2YDslMo

The fake punt was an amazing call. It worked because no one on the Montana State coaching staff or any of their players or anyone else in the stadium or watching the game on TV remotely expected it.. I jumped off the couch when I saw it. It was a brilliant play!

I find Hawkins quite interesting when he speaks: “Football as a metaphor for life” comes to mind. Stay clam. Stay settled. Stay in the middle. Very zen like. Impressive.

That’s two press conferences where Hawkins says a player on the punt team calls the play. Hawkins doesn’t know it’s going to happen. They coach it, and turn when to call it over to a player, in this case Smalley.

It makes sense if they see the defense sleeping. QBs have something similar where they can tap the center if they see a QB sneak opportunity. He made a low key reference to lacking big plays.

I know this isn’t a new observation, but the depth chart doesn’t bear more than a passing resemblance to the game starters. For instance Cotton has started three of the five games and isn’t in the depth chart. Mouisset has started the last two and he isn’t either.

https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/bob-dunning-uc-davis-spirits-good-in-welcoming-northern-arizona/?fbclid=IwAR0ecco_06vNyL1uFxVJUZdg5_smeRNpoz1Gpd8DdL2nY81tLyNlBqfdG2c

“ Hawkins is fond of reminding his charges of 1981, his junior year as an Aggie fullback, when UC Davis opened the season with — you guessed it — a 1-4 record in what back then was just a 10-game season.
Even more discouraging, the fourth loss was an overwhelming 30-0 setback to arch-rival Cal Poly, after which UCD head coach Jim Sochor had a long discussion at midfield with starting quarterback Ken O’Brien, who went on to be a first-round selection in the NFL draft.
What Hawkins pointed out was that after that 1-4 start 41 years ago, the Aggies won their last five games — four of them by single digits — and claimed their 11th straight conference title in a streak that would reach 20 consecutive championships.“

In 1981, Cal Poly was a scholarship school coming off a D2 national championship year, and had won three of the preceding four meeting with Davis. Davis didn’t play comparable opponents in league, and only tied for the title.

thanks for pointing out that “the 80’s” was 40 years ago. That hurt almost as much as when one of my employees told me his parents were my age.

Just got the scouting report from the Poly @ NAU game last week...sounds like Poly's QB got hurt...Baldwin went for 2 twice early in the game, missed them both, they missed a FG... sounded like Poly just let it slip away.

Quite a turn for a coach who was so successful at EWU.

It has been a massive shift in offensive philosophy down there. They're still putting it together, and when your QB goes down it usually hurts.

I was at that game - 41 years ago with my roommates - ouch.

It was still Far Western Conference and the overall competition was not as stiff as now.

Another thought about Hawkin’s early statement about this year’s team being “the best ever”. I would say that 5 teams in Big Sky are better than last year (Montanas, Weber, Sac, and Idaho). And Poly is better but still down. I think the reality is that other teams have improved, so you have to improve more than those to gain an edge. Regardless, I do not think this years team is better than last year’s unless one compares against the team of the last 4 or so games of last year’s season.

I watched the Poly game. poly’s backup qb, who started last year actually did fairly well. It was a pretty evenly matched entertaining game.

I was there as well so we must be of similar vintage, wink.

Was that game at SLO?

Yes in SLO.

yah, if we were wine it might be better - but I don’t think aches and pains are wine characteristics.

Game day, lets go Aggies!

GO AGS!