FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The Southern Utah Thunderbird football team suffered a heartbreaking loss to the hands of rival Northern Arizona, 34-33, inside the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome on Saturday afternoon, with the Lumberjacks claiming the Grand Canyon Rivalry Trophy until the two teams meet on the final weekend of the regular season.

NAU won the contest on the final play of the game, earning a walk-off victory. 

"We made some mistakes, but that's college football," SUU head coach Demario Warren said following the contest. "That's why we're out here, we want to play these kinds of games, have this kind of feeling and have games come down to the final play.  It was an exciting game. It's disappointing that we lost, but it is what it is."   

The first touchdown of the contest belonged to the Thunderbirds, as Justin Miller found Tanner McLachlan through the air to put SUU up 6-0. 

After NAU got a safety, the two teams went into the second quarter with the score at 6-2.

Brandon Schenks caught his first touchdown of the contest to kick things off in the second quarter, putting the Thunderbirds ahead 13-2. 

Following NAU's first touchdown of the game, Miller found Schenks once again to push the visitors ahead 20-9.  

The Lumberjacks added another touchdown before the conclusion of the first half, with the Thunderbirds leading 20-15 at the break. 

After NAU scored on a 55-yard touchdown to start the second half, Miller found Schenks for a third time to put the Thunderbirds on top 27-21. Schenks' third touchdown of the day came on a 41-yard pitch-and-catch. 

Northern Arizona scored another touchdown before the third quarter came to an end, taking a 28-27 advantage into the fourth quarter.   

In the fourth quarter, the Thunderbirds got back on the board and back in the lead with a Landen Measom touchdown from Miller. That gave SUU a 33-28 advantage with 14:56 to play. 

Neither team scored again until the final play of the game, when Coleman Owen caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Keondre Mudtee to cap off an eight-play, 81-yard drive to claim a 34-33 victory.  

At quarterback, Miller finished with 29 completions for 288 yards and five touchdowns for the Thunderbirds. 

Schenks was the recipient of three of Miller's touchdown throws, and caught five total passes for 74 yards. 

Measom finished with 10 catches that pushed Southern Utah forward 118 yards. He also finished with one touchdown. 

Dayne Christiansen led SUU's rushing attack with 44 yards. 

AJ Stanley led SUU in tackles with 10 total. La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis had two sacks and a forced fumble for the T-Birds, along with seven total tackles. Francis Bemiy had five tackles and a sack for SUU. 

"I can't complain about my team, I've got to do a better job as a head coach," Warren said. "I think we can win a lot of games this year, so we'll get back to the drawing board and get our guys in the best position to be successful." 

Southern Utah started the contest with just one full time offensive assistant coach on the sideline or in the box due to COVID-19 protocols. 

"Kenan (Smith) did a great job calling the game, he got thrown in late and I thought he did an amazing job," Warren said. "And on defense we came out strong, the first nine points weren't on them, so (Robert) Bala did a great job having those guys ready to go." 

SUU will host their home opener next Saturday inside Eccles Coliseum, as they play host to the Idaho State Bengals. Kickoff in Cedar City is set for 12 p.m. MT. 

Keep tabs on the Thunderbirds all year by following @SUUFB on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Football page on Facebook.