2001 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team

The 2001 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a member of the Big Sky Conference (Big Sky) during the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jerome Souers, the Lumberjacks compiled an 8–4 record (5–2 against conference opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 368 to 307, and tied for second place out of nine teams in the Big Sky.[1]

2001 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 16
Record8–4 (5–2 Big Sky)
Head coach
Home stadiumJ. Lawrence Walkup Skydome
Seasons
← 2000
2002 →
2001 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Montana $^   7 0     15 1  
No. 16 Northern Arizona ^   5 2     9 4  
Portland State   5 2     7 4  
Montana State   4 3     5 6  
Eastern Washington   3 4     6 4  
Weber State   2 5     3 8  
Idaho State   1 6     4 7  
Sacramento State   1 6     2 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

For the third time in school history, the Lumberjacks qualified to play in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. They lost by a 34–31 score to Sam Houston State in the first round.[2]

The team played its home games at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, commonly known as the Walkup Skydome, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The team's statistical leaders included Marcus King with 1,287 rushing yards (including 271 yards against Portland State and 248 yards against Eastern Washington) and Preston Parsons with 2,267 passing yards.[3] Linebacker Keith O'Neil received first-team All-Big Sky honors and later played four years in the National Football League.

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
August 30Cal State Northridge*W 30–174,633[4]
September 8Stephen F. Austin
  • Walkup Skydome
  • Flagstaff, AZ
W 10–37,011[5]
September 22at Southern UtahNo. 25W 41–126,201
September 29at No. 23 Portland StateNo. 21L 30–337,231
October 6Idaho State
  • Walkup Skydome
  • Flagstaff, AZ
W 51–2610,810
October 13at Weber StateNo. 22W 42–326,893
October 20 No. 2 MontanaNo. 18
  • Walkup Skydome
  • Flagstaff, AZ
L 37–4811,387
October 27at Montana StateNo. 21W 35–2810,857[6]
November 3 No. 21 Eastern WashingtonNo. 17
  • Walkup Skydome
  • Flagstaff, AZ
W 42–334,164
November 10at Sacramento StateNo. 16W 50–405,510
November 17at Oregon StateNo. 13L 10–4539,096
December 1at No. 13 Sam Houston StateNo. 15L 31–348,134[7]

References

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  1. ^ "2013 Northern Arizona Football Media Guide" (PDF). Northern Arizona University. 2013. p. 79. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  2. ^ 2013 Media Guide, p. 17.
  3. ^ 2013 Media Guide, p. 64.
  4. ^ Gary Fox (August 31, 2001). "Big-time finish carries NAU in opener". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. C11. Retrieved October 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  5. ^ Zack Hall (September 9, 2001). "Ugly, but it counts". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. B1, B6 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Zack Hall (October 28, 2001). "What starts well, ends well". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. B1, B6.
  7. ^ Zack Hall (December 2, 2001). "Season slips away". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. B1, B7 – via Newspapers.com.