Northern Arizona Holds Off Idaho State's Late Rally 38-31
Idaho State threw for 385 yards, scored 17 points in the last 13 minutes, and still lost. Northern Arizona won 38-31, and the reason is sitting in the rushing column: 33 carries for 235 yards against 27 for 95.
The Lumberjacks got on the board first and never gave it back. Ty Pennington found Jeter Purdy for an 86-yard touchdown in the first quarter, Idaho State tied it at 7-7 early in the second, and Northern Arizona answered with two rushing scores (Kenveon Stone from 7 yards, Quran Gossett from 1) to lead 21-7 at the half. A field goal made it 24-7 in the third. Idaho State pulled to 24-14 before the fourth began, and a Pennington touchdown pass to Braylon Gardner restored the 17-point cushion at 31-14 with 12:58 left.
Then it got interesting. Jordan Cooke hit Julian Mason for a 7-yarder to make it 31-21, Stone added another 7-yard run to push it to 38-21 with 2:45 to go, and Cooke and Mason connected again from 13 yards at 1:04. A Mason Lindberg field goal with 26 seconds left cut it to 38-31. That is where the clock ran out on the rally. Idaho State also gave away two interceptions to Northern Arizona's none, which is the kind of gap a 17-point rally does not cover.
Northern Arizona is 4-1 and Idaho State drops to 3-1. Fantasy-wise, this was a passing game on one side and a ground game on the other. Cooke and Mason cashed in on the losing side, and Pennington did it on the winning one.