1996_Northern_Arizona_Lumberjacks_football_team
1996 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team
American college football season
The 1996 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 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The team compiled a 9–3 record and was No. 6 in the NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant rankings. Running back Archie Amerson won the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding offensive player in NCAA Division I-AA football.
| 1996 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 31–42 vs. Furman | |
| Conference | Big Sky Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 6 |
| Record | 9–3 (6–1 Big Sky) |
| Head coach |
|
| Defensive coordinator | Bill Busch (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Walkup Skydome |
Seasons ← 1995 | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Montana $^ | 7 | – | 0 | 14 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Northern Arizona ^ | 6 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal State Northridge | 4 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weber State | 4 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Washington | 3 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana State | 3 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho State | 1 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sacramento State | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portland State | 0 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In their seventh year under head coach Steve Axman, the Lumberjacks compiled a 9–3 record (6–1 against conference opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 506 to 333, and finished second out of nine teams in the Big Sky.[1] The team played its home games at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, commonly known as the Walkup Skydome, in Flagstaff, Arizona.
During the regular season, the team lost only two games, one against Division I-A New Mexico (33–49) and the other to No. 2 Montana (32–48).[1]
The Lumberjacks were invited to play in the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. In the program's first ever Division I-AA playoff game, they lost to Furman by a 42–31 score before a crowd of 8,700 at the Walkup Skydome.[2]
The team was led on offense by running back Archie Amerson. He rushed for 2,079 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns (both NAU records) and received the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding offensive player in NCAA Division I-AA football.[3] He had six 200-yard rushing games during the 1996 season, and his single-game totals of 289 yards against Portland State and 281 yards against Weber State rank among the top 10 rushing games in NAU history.[4] His seven rushing touchdowns against Weber State established a Division I-AA record.[5]
Quarterback Travis Brown also had a record-breaking season with 3,398 passing yards (then a school record) and also set NAU single-game records with 474 passing yards against Montana and seven passing touchdowns against Sacramento State.[3]
Ricky Pearsall also set a Division I-AA record with 216 punt return yards against Western New Mexico.[5]
The 1996 team also set the school's single-season scoring record with 63 touchdowns.[6] Its 75-0 win over Western New Mexico was the largest point total and largest margin of victory in school history.[6]
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31 | Western New Mexico* | No. 20 | W 75–0 | [7] | ||||
| September 7 | at New Mexico* | No. 16 | L 33–49 | 24,892 | [8] | |||
| September 14 | Southern Utah* | No. 16 |
| W 43–13 | 8,021 | [9] | ||
| September 21 | at Portland State | No. 16 | W 38–24 | 10,137 | [10][11] | |||
| September 28 | Cal State Northridge | No. 13 |
| W 32–14 | 9,028 | [12] | ||
| October 5 | No. 18 Weber State | No. 12 |
| W 59–45 | 13,877 | [13] | ||
| October 12 | at Montana State | No. 10 | W 49–18 | 12,967 | [14] | |||
| October 19 | Sacramento State | No. 7 |
| W 51–32 | 14,471 | [15] | ||
| October 26 | at No. 2 Montana | No. 6 | L 32–48 | 18,847 | ||||
| November 2 | Idaho State | No. 8 |
| W 50–38 OT | 9,689 | [16] | ||
| November 9 | at No. 20 Eastern Washington | No. 6 |
| W 13–10 | 3,915 | [17] | ||
| November 30 | No. 13 Furman* | No. 6 |
| L 31–42 | 8,700 | [2] | ||
| ||||||||
- "2013 Northern Arizona Football Media Guide" (PDF). Northern Arizona University. 2013. p. 79. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- Matt Wixon (December 1, 1996). "Playoff wait turns to pain". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. 13, 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- 2013 Media Guide, pp. 31, 54-55.
- 2013 Media Guide, p. 53.
- 2013 Media Guide, p. 54.
- 2013 Media Guide, p. 61.
- "NAU needs a real test". Arizona Daily Sun. September 1, 1996. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- Ed Johnson (September 8, 1996). "Lobos Fell Lumberjacks". Albuquerue Journal. pp. H1, H4 – via Newspapers.com.
- Jason Stone (September 15, 1996). "Jacked up at the Dome". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. 19, 24 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Portland State drops first Big Sky game". Statesman Journal. Associated Press. September 22, 1996. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
- "Amerson too much for Vikings". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. September 22, 1996. p. C3. Retrieved October 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
. - Jeff Fletcher (September 29, 1996). "Matadors Save Face but Lose in Arizona". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C10. Retrieved June 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- Matt Wixon (October 6, 1996). "Amerson saves the day". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. 13, 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- "NAU impressive in win over Bobcats". The Montana Standard. Associated Press. October 13, 1996. p. B5 – via Newspapers.com.
- Tom Lisa (October 21, 1996). "Brown steals the crown: NAU freshman quarterback throws seven touchdowns in Jacks' 51-32 victory". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. 15, 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- Jason Stone (November 3, 1996). "Skydome scare". Arizona Daily Star. pp. 21, 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- Matt Wixon (November 10, 1996). "It's good! Jacks in playoffs: Late kick lifts NAU to 9th win, new level". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. 13, 15 – via Newspapers.com.
