No. 19 UIW heads to No. 17 Northern Arizona on Saturday for the second-ever matchup between the two programs. UIW defeated the Lumberjacks 38-14 last year in San Antonio.
The two FCS playoff-hopefuls look to add a ranked win to their resumes.
Northern Arizona vs. UIW On TV
The matchup between Northern Arizona and UIW can be watched on ESPN+.
The game will kick off at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 20. The contest is taking place on Findlay Toyota Field in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Northern Arizona vs. UIW Preview
A prove-it game of sorts for both teams.
Northern Arizona still has some doubters lingering on how good a team it really is. The Lumberjacks made the postseason last fall with just seven Division I wins and one ranked win, and then they lost 24-0 at Abilene Christian in the first round. To start this year, they are 2-1 (loss at FBS Arizona State) and 2-0 vs. the FCS. But the two wins are one-score games against unranked opponents — 38-31 vs. Utah Tech and 52-49 at Southern Utah.
UIW has fallen rapidly in the national polls after being in the preseason Top 5. The Cardinals lost 20-6 at Nicholls in Week 0, and then beat Eastern Washington 31-21. Last week, UIW lost to FBS UTSA 48-20. With back-to-back ranked opponents coming (hosting Abilene Christian next week), it desperately needs to go at least 1-1 these next two games to get some momentum back.
The Cardinals are making a quarterback switch in hopes of turning things around. EJ Colson, a redshirt freshman transfer from UCF, is replacing Richard Torres. Colson was an ESPN four-star recruit coming out of high school. After trailing 31-0 last against UTSA, Colson provided a spark off the bench, finishing 17/24 for 213 yards and three TDs.
A fun quarterback battle could be in store. NAU’s Ty Pennington has been fabulous in his second season leading the offense. He’s completing 67% of his passes (63/94) for 799 yards, five TDs, and one interception.
I have some concerns about NAU’s defense, allowing 31 and 49 points against FCS competition. UIW has the offensive talent to be much better than it’s shown, and Colson could get things moving and grooving. The Jacks are tough at home, though, and haven’t suffered a loss in the Walkup Skydome since 2023.
Prediction: Northern Arizona 28-24
