After a nine-month wait, Arizona finally gets its 2026 season rolling, and it does so with a familiar wrinkle: for the third straight year, the opener comes against a team that already has a game under its belt.
That team is Northern Arizona, which shook off a 24-3 hole at home on Saturday and beat Eastern Washington 34-27. The Lumberjacks grabbed the lead for good with 3:54 left when Ty Pennington hit Nassim Isaac on a 2-yard touchdown pass.
Arizona handled NAU 22-10 the last time the teams met in 2024, and the Wildcats have now won the last two meetings since that ugly home loss in 2021 during Arizona’s 20-game losing streak.
To get a better read on what NAU brings into this matchup, we asked Brenden Martin, sports editor of the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff, a few pointed questions.
Martin said NAU’s comeback started with a shift in the trenches and on special teams. Eastern Washington converted twice on third-and-moderate on its opening drive, and a 100-yard kick return touchdown by freshman Lindsay Graves sparked a run of 24 straight points. He also pointed to possession swings as a major factor, noting that EWU controlled the ball for much of the first half while NAU owned it for more than 20 minutes in the second, including two drives that each lasted over six minutes.
Pennington, one of the few returning starters on offense, had a shaky start before settling in. Martin said he went just 2 for 4 for 16 yards in the first quarter, then finished 15 for 27 for 164 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
The rough spots showed up outside the hash marks, where he struggled to connect with wide receiver Joey Stout. Still, Pennington did damage with his legs, running for 66 yards and often extending plays when Eastern Washington gave him room.
Martin gave him a B- for the opener, but added that he’ll need to be much better against an Arizona defense that finished second in FBS in interceptions in 2025.
NAU also got 100-yard performances from Quran Gossett on the ground and Jeter Purdy through the air, but Martin called Gossett’s day the bigger surprise. The run game wasn’t working early, yet Gossett kept drives alive late by fighting through contact.
He also noted that new running backs coach Preston Mays is still learning the room, while tight ends have long been a favorite target for Pennington. Purdy, he said, could easily be a primary target again on Saturday.
On defense, Martin singled out redshirt senior safety Shoes Brinkley and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Jackson Murray as the names Arizona fans should watch. Brinkley tied for the team lead with nine tackles, arrived from McNeese State last year, and quickly rose into a captain’s role as the vocal leader of the group. Murray also had nine tackles in his NAU debut after one game last year at Colorado State, and the Scottsdale native figures to be the first line of resistance against Arizona’s run game.
Martin also addressed Brian Wright’s future. Wright is 53-18 as a college head coach and 16-10 at NAU, but Martin said he’s under contract for two more years after the 2026 season.
He said it would take a lot to pull Wright away, and that any real conversation about a move would likely require major upset wins over Big Sky powers such as Montana State and Montana. For NAU’s third year under Wright to count as a success, Martin said it would need to mean an FCS Playoff berth and at least a competitive first-round game.
As for Saturday, Martin sees a game that can stay respectable, even if Arizona controls it. He pointed to NAU’s history of making these matchups interesting and said the Lumberjacks have enough to cover if the defense rebounds from its slow start against Eastern Washington.
But he also said Wildcats fans shouldn’t be sweating if Arizona stacks a few early scores. His final call: Arizona 41, NAU 10.
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