FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – After falling behind 24-0 in the first half, the Southern Utah University football team's offense came alive to close the deficit to 10 multiple times, but could not complete the comeback as Northern Arizona came out on top in the battle for the Grand Canyon Trophy, 59-35, Saturday night at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome.

The loss dropped SUU to 1-6 overall and 0-4 in Big Sky play. The Lumberjacks improved to an even 3-3 and 2-1 in conference competition with the victory.

"We've got a lot of guys who have been through a lot, and they're never going to stop fighting. That's what I was most proud of tonight," said SUU head coach Demario Warren. "We fell down 24 and cut it to 10 multiple times. We had opportunities but the defense just didn't play well enough for us to be successful tonight. We've got to fix that side of the ball. It's my job to go in there and see what's going on and see how we can get better."

After looking dead and spotting NAU a 24-0 lead, the Southern Utah offense came to life in the second quarter. The first scoring drive of the afternoon for the Thunderbirds took 12 plays and 75 yards. SUU worked its way down the field to the four-yard line when quarterback Justin Miller scored on a keeper to get the T-Birds on the board. The next drive went much quicker as Karris Davis exploded for a 65-yard run to set up a first and goal for SUU. Two plays later, the Thunderbirds converted on third down and found the endzone via an eight-yard pass from Miller to Brandon Schenks.

Coming out of the halftime break, SUU's defense could not keep the Lumberjacks out of the endzone, but the offense picked up right where it left off. On a third down and 10 in its own territory, Miller connected with Schenks on a 17-yard pass to move the chains and keep the drive alive. On the very next play, Miller hit Frank Harris III on a 55-yard bomb to move Southern Utah to the NAU three-yard line. Isaiah Williams then capped the drive with a rushing touchdown on the following play.

After a stop from the defense on the ensuing drive, the T-Bird offense marched down the field again courtesy of 38 and 20-yard bursts from Davis and Williams. Miller then hit receiver Ethan Bolingbroke for a 17-yard gain to place Southern Utah at the one-yard line, and Thomas Duckett punched in the score to bring the Thunderbirds within 10.

SUU would go on to score one more touchdown on a quarterback sneak by Miller, but the 'Jacks scored three of the final four touchdowns in the game to secure the victory.

Miller finished the night with 321 yards passing to go with his three touchdowns. Bolingbroke set career highs for the third consecutive game and led the Thunderbirds in receiving with 14 catches for 145 yards. Harris III added 65 yards while Schenks recorded the lone receiving touchdown of the night. Davis and Williams both broke the 100 yard barrier on the ground with 110 and 101 yards, respectively.

Defensively, La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis and Quaid Murray led the team in tackles with 10 apiece. The pair also combined for two tackles for loss.

The T-Birds will return home next week for a matchup with Northern Colorado. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. MT at Eccles Coliseum with the game available to watch on ESPN+.

POSTGAME NOTES

-Justin Miller's two rushing touchdowns were his first since rushing for a score against Weber State last season

-Karris Davis' 65-yard rush in the second quarter was the longest of his career. Davis later added a 38-yard run in the third quarter

-Running back Isaiah Williams found the endzone for the third time in the last four games, and hit the century mark for the first time in his career

POSTGAME QUOTES

"I've been through a lot, so I'm attracted to guys who have gone through a lot in their lives. We have a lot of character on this team. We've overcome a lot of adversity, and that's what our team is built on. No matter what comes at us, we're never going to quit. I think that's the main staple of our team."

-Warren on his team's character after fighting back from an early deficit

"They've got one week to prepare for us just like we've got one week to prepare for them. We've been able to watch them play a little bit, so we just want to get out there and try to do the best job that we can."

-Warren on preparing for Northern Colorado

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