UI Needs More Than Gall Vandals Look For Success On The Road In Challenging Nau
If Northern Arizona’s football team is half as tough as NAU coach Steve Axman’s wife, Idaho might be in for a long evening.
Axman’s wife, Marie, put off having gall bladder surgery until Monday. “Typical stubborn coach’s wife,” Axman explained. “She didn’t want to miss the game.”
If Idaho has designs on a winning season, it had better not miss the game, tonight’s 5:05 Big Sky Conference battle with No. 13-ranked NAU at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.
It’s the last two words of that last sentence that concern Idaho. The Vandals have lost seven straight road games, including four this season.
And it doesn’t get any easier.
“Across the board, NAU is a better football team than Montana,” said UI’s first-year coach, Chris Tormey, whose 3-4 team faces two more ranked opponents (No. 11 Northern Iowa and No. 24 Boise State) the next two weeks.
An assistant coach from 1980-94, Tormey has never been on a team with a losing record. Idaho hasn’t had a losing season since 1981.
In contrast, these are grand times at NAU, pursuing its first Big Sky Conference title since 1978. The Lumberjacks have never qualified for the I-AA playoffs.
The Lumberjacks are succeeding the way Idaho used to succeed.
“We’ve never had the offensive linemen that enabled us to run the football until this year,” Axman said. “When you’re one-dimensional it’s a lot easier to gang up. You look at Idaho over the years and they were excellent running and excellent passing. That’s when you’re good.”
NAU is good, averaging a conference-best 214 ground yards per game. That allows the Lumberjacks to be a bunch of ball hogs - on average, they possess the ball nearly 9 more minutes than opponents.
Swift running back Archie Amerson, a late recruit who moved to the position from cornerback just days before the season opener, is only 39 yards from 1,000.
Jeff Lewis, rated among the best senior quarterbacks in the nation, completes 68 percent of his passes.
Last year, Idaho hounded Lewis into a 25-of-48 effort with five interceptions as the Vandals won 41-14. More telling was NAU’s 70 rushing yards on 32 attempts.
“I’ve never had a team shut me down like that,” Lewis said. “I’m waiting for this year and I get my chance (today).”
Lewis, though, will be without slot receiver Rod Marshall for the first half. He was suspended for his role in an altercation with an Idaho State player last week.
Tormey compared Marshall to Weber State’s Pokey Eckford, who chewed up the Vandals with eight receptions last week.
Idaho will be without Arnold Gunn (shoulder). Reserve safety Tommy James will start at corner. Big-play receiver Robert Scott (shoulder, hip-pointer) is expected to play.
UI’s offense, consistently inconsistent thus far, faces perhaps the Sky’s fastest defense. Cornerbacks Rayna Stewart and Samaji Akili have broken up 25 passes.
“Rayna is the guy you usually don’t see in this league,” Axman said. “We have some fine corners, but they’re usually not bigger guys. Rayna’s stocky with great speed. No one’s throwing at him.”
Idaho might, because Stewart will probably defend Dwight McKinzie.
Notes
The funeral for NAU freshman Nate Cast, who died in an auto accident last week, was Friday in California. Axman had planned to attend but remained in Flagstaff to be with his ailing wife and he sent defensive coordinator Scott Pelluer. Cast visited Idaho on a recruiting trip. … In 10 major statistical categories, NAU ranks higher than UI. NAU leads the nation in scoring at 41.7 per game. … With nine stops against Weber State last week, Vandals linebacker Avery Slaughter overtook Tormey for 15th on the career tackles list.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Vandals at Northern Arizona