FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Northern Arizona's offense on Saturday came away with bragging rights in defeating the defense 62-53 in the Lumberjacks annual spring game at Lumberjack Stadium.
"This group has been working really hard the last four months and to see them finally on the field for 15 practices, it's great to see that they are very ambitious," NAU coach Jerome Souers said. "They're a talented group of young men and we have a lot of growth and development ahead of us. I saw improvement at every position and the new coaches we added to our staff are very talented coaches."
Highlighting the first half was a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jordan Perry to wide receiver Dejzon Walker with 3:05 left in the second quarter. The longest pass of the half came from Hunter Correll who found wide receiver Emmanuel Butler for a 30-yard connection.
"We did a great job coming out in the rain -- it was pretty windy -- and adjusting to the weather," Butler said. "Coming into the spring with a new faster offense at 7,000 feet, we grew lot and I'm expecting big things from the offense next year."
The offense garnered five first downs in the second quarter; two coming on defensive penalties. Despite a 17-point second quarter from the defense, the offense took a 24-19 edge into halftime.
There were zero touchdowns in the third quarter, although quarterback Kyren Poe found Butler for the game's longest pass of 35 yards. Thanks to a quick handed defense that put up 29 points to start the second half, the game turned into a defensive shift as it saw the offense trailing 48-34 after three quarters. The defense got a big jolt with interceptions from cornerbacks Marcus Alford and Mo White II and linebacker Jake Casteel.
In the fourth quarter, running back Corbin Jountti scored the offense's first of three touchdowns with a four-yard run with 11:59 to go. Poe found Butler for a seven-yard touchdown and Perry connected with wide receiver EJ McClanahan on a 20-yard catch to wrap up the big scores.
The defense got points in the fourth quarter after forcing a three-and-out midway through the quarter. Linebacker Tyler Tibbetts added two points on a tackle for loss to end the game.
"We made some big plays and forced a lot of turnovers and that was our goal today," Alford said. "We gave up a few (touchdowns) but our offense is good. As a defense, we played hard with a lot of effort and that was another one of our goals."
Top players on the offense were Butler who scored 14 points, while Walker added 12 points. Perry finished with two passing touchdowns and Poe tallied one.
On defense, Casteel scored 14 points for the defense off a pair of interceptions. Alford and White II picked up seven points each off interceptions, while defensive lineman Nick Johnson scored seven points after recovering a fumble.
"From the start of spring, we grew a lot. We had a lot of young guys, especially in the secondary, and everyone's confidence grew as the spring went on. Now we can go into the season without nerves and just be excited," Alford said.
NAU opens the 2015 season on the road at Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 5.
