The Wildcats will play the first Div. I FCS playoff game in program history at 2 p.m. Saturday while hosting the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks.
The matchup was decided and announced on Sunday’s FCS playoff selection show. It will be the fourth all-time meeting between the two teams and the first since the Lumberjacks beat the Wildcats 27-21 on Sept. 6, 2014.
Head Coach Keith Patterson said the team is grateful for the opportunity to not only play in the playoffs but to host the game too.
“It’s an honor,” said Head Coach Keith Patterson. “It’s a tribute to our players and everything they’ve done to get to this point in the season.”
Despite scoring only four points fewer per game than the Wildcats, the Lumberjacks will enter Saturday’s game ranked 31st in the FCS in scoring offense. The Wildcats have scored 35 points per game which ranks them at 16th.
In the regular season, NAU had an 8-4 record under first-year head coach Brian Wright. The team also won six games against Big Sky conference opponents; only losing to the University of Idaho and Montana University.
The Lumberjacks have been successful in multiple ways on offense, passing for over 220 yards per game while adding over 190 yards on the ground. Along with their statistical success, the Lumberjacks shift and adjust their formations through several schemes making the team unpredictable and harder to stop.
“They’re very well coached,” Patterson said. “They’re very multiple on both sides of the ball, and they don’t do anything to beat themselves.”
Redshirt freshman running back Seth Cromwell has led the offensive production on the ground, rushing for over 650 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
Despite Cromwell’s high production, the Lumberjacks utilize several rushers in their offensive scheme; quarterback Ty Pennington and running backs Darvon Hubbard and J’Wan Evans have all amassed over 300 yards on the ground and a combined 13 touchdowns.
Pennington has also led the passing attack, throwing for 2123 yards and 13 touchdowns while only throwing one interception in his 11 games.
The Wildcat defense will look to bounce back after allowing 32 points against Stephen F. Austin University to close out their regular season.
In a split game under center, quarterbacks Maverick McIvor and Carson Haggard combined to throw for three touchdowns and 258 yards.
It was unclear why Haggard played the second half instead of McIvor. However, Patterson said in his Monday morning press conference that he is “fully expecting” McIvor to play in the next matchup.
Patterson said that for the team to be successful it will need to continue to do the things it has done throughout United Athletic Conference games.
“We just need to get out there and play sound fundamentally,” Patterson said. “Just trying to play with absolutely great effort.”
Along with the program’s first-ever FCS playoff game, the Wildcats will make history as linebacker Will Shaffer and McIvor are finalists for defensive and offensive player of the year awards on their respective sides of the ball. McIvor is also a finalist for the FCS Walter Payton Award.
Shaffer has accumulated 48 solo tackles and assisted on 60 while compiling two sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. McIvor has thrown for 3675 yards, 29 touchdowns, five interceptions and has a passer rating of 146.98 while completing over 63% of his passes.
Head Coach Keith Patterson was also named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award for FCS Coach of the Year.
