Final Statistics (PDF)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – A late first-half scoring surge helped Northern Arizona overcome a strong early defensive effort by Missouri State en route to a 37-23 season-opening victory over the Bears Thursday evening at Walkup Skydome. NAU scored 17 points in the final 8:10 of the second period to snap a 3-3 tie, as wide receiver Brandon Porter accounted for two Lumberjack scores as part of the game's critical stretch.

In all, Porter passed for a touchdown and caught two more, finishing the game with six receptions for 140 yards, while completing his lone pass of the game for a back-breaking 55-yard scoring strike. NAU quarterback Case Cookus turned in a big night as well, connecting on 18-of-29 passes for 290 yards and two TD tosses to Porter that turned a one-possession game into a 21-point NAU bulge.

The Bears' third consecutive opening-game loss overshadowed a strong second half by senior quarterback Peyton Huslig, who completed 20-of-35 passes for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Huslig's prime target—fellow senior Tyler Currie—led the Bears with six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Missouri State kicked off its 108^th season of varsity football on a promising note, driving 62 yards deep into NAU territory on its initial offensive possession of the campaign, and limiting the Lumberjack offense to 10 rushing yards and three first downs in the first quarter, while registering key stops on each of NAU's first four third-down attempts of the night.

But Porter led the crucial outburst by the home team, tossing a 55-yard touchdown pass before reeling in an 8-yard scoring catch in the closing seconds of the second quarter to hand NAU a 20-6 halftime lead.
After Luis Aguilar booted his second field goal of the game to put NAU in from with 8:10 left in the half, Porter took a lateral pass from Cookus and found a wide-open Stacy Chukwumezie for a long scoring toss that gave the Lumberjacks a 13-3 advantage.

Parker Lacina answered with his second successful field goal to momentarily pull the Bears (0-1) back within one score, but a series of defensive miscues by MSU would open the door for one more NAU strike. Four total penalties—including three that directly led to Lumberjack first downs—set up Cookus' eight-yard toss to a leaping Porter in the endzone with just 18 ticks left on the clock.

Despite turning in a strong defensive performance in the opening period, the Bears struggled to generate sustained drives over the game's first 30 minutes. NAU shackled the MSU ground game, holding the Bears to 38 rushing yards on 24 first-half carries. The Lumberjacks (1-0) permitted just 109 yards of MSU offense in the half, limiting the Bears to 3-of-11 on third-down attempts.

MSU's offense opened the night with a promising 62-yard drive, as a pair of NAU 15-yard penalties aided the Bears' cause. Peyton Huslig ripped off a nine-yard rush to the Lumberjack 33, before a targeting call pushed the ball deeper into NAU territory. A pair of short rushes moved the Bears to the 13, before the NAU defense held its ground on third down, and Lacina's 30-yard field goal attempt was off the mark.

The Lumberjack defense would lock down the proceedings from that point, allowing just 13 combined yards on the Bears' next six offensive possessions. MSU would get on the board after a muffed NAU punt return and a Titus Wall fumble recovery, setting up Lacina's career-long 45-yard field goal that gave the Bears a 3-0 edge with 7:10 remaining in the first quarter.

The half was marred by a flurry of yellow flags, as the two teams combined to register 16 penalties for a total of 164 yards over the game's first 30 minutes.

NAU controlled the tempo in the second half as well, getting a 62-yard Cookus-to-Porter touchdown pass to extend the margin to 27-6 early in the period, before Joe Logan's four-yard run capped a 69-yard drive that handed the Lumberjacks their largest lead of the night with 1:50 left in the third.

Huslig engineered a pair of 75-yard scoring drives late in the contest, first connecting with Damoriea Vick for 13 yards and Jordan Murray for 26 to set up a 30-yard strike to Tyler Currie late in the third period. The senior signal-caller then found DJ Frost on a 24-yard toss with just over six minutes to play in the game.

But the Bears could not overcome a stout NAU run defense that yielded just 40 rushing yards on MSU's 32 carries. The Lumberjacks also limited the MSU offense to 4-of-16 third-down conversions for the game.

With his big second half, Huslig recorded his ninth 200-yard game as a Bear. His two scoring passes—the 23^rd and 24^th of his career—moved him into a tie with Jay Rodgers for eighth on MSU's all-time TD pass chart. Huslig (4,383) also passed Kierra Harris (4,284) for the No. 4 spot on the Bears' career passing yardage list.

Up next, the Bears travel to New Orleans for a non-conference contest against NCAA FBS foe Tulane on Sept.14, before returning to Springfield to open their 2019 home slate the following Saturday (Sept. 21) against nationally-ranked Kennesaw State. Single-game tickets for all 2019 MSU home contests are available through MissouriStateBears.com, in person at the OMB Box Office at JQH Arena, or by phone at (417) 836-7678.

Postgame Notes:  Thursday's game marked Missouri State's first season opener against an FCS foe in five years, as well as the Bears' first-ever game on Arizona soil…With the loss, the Bears fell to 51-54-3 all-time in season openers and 9-6 all-time in such games against FCS opponents…Peyton Huslig made his 23rd consecutive start for the Bears at quarterback, while Lorenzo Thomas started for the 18^th straight game at wide receiver; on the defensive side of the ball, McNeece Egbim logged his 19^th start in a row at linebacker and Angelo Garbutt started his 15^th straight game, also at linebacker…Eight Bears made their first starts in Maroon and White as well, including four of MSU's five offensive line starters (Ian Fitzgerald, Derek Kohler, Daniel Allen and Landon Bebee), running back Donovan Daniels, defensive end Anthony Payne, cornerback Nick Hessefort and linebacker Paris Jackson…Jackson and Matt McClellan each logged career highs with seven tackles apiece…Brendan Withrow's 64-yard punt in the opening quarter represented the second-longest of his Bears career, trailing only his 70-yard boot in the 2017 season opener at Missouri; Withrow also booted a 63-yarder in last year's season opener at Oklahoma State…Lacina converted a career-best three field goal tries, matching the fourth-best single-game performance by a Bears kicker…MSU was flagged 11 times in the contest, marking its worst single-game showing in that category since Sept. 10, 2016 road win over Murray State (12).
 
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