FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Senior Austin Shanks made a big return to the field against Arizona State after sitting out a 2011 season that started with an injury and ended with a season on the sidelines.
“It felt great,” said Shanks after practice this week. “It felt like I had not played football in so long. It felt good to be out on the field and get the adrenalin rush of being out there.”
Shanks entered the 2011 season as an All-Big Sky preseason pick after earning second-team honors in 2010, when he recorded 65 catches for 613 yards with three touchdowns, the second-best total among receivers. His 65 receptions rank seventh on the school single-season charts, and the 5.9 receptions per game that season ranked second in the Big Sky.
The Pacoima, Calif., native got off to a good start against the Sun Devils. He gained 107 yards of total offense with three kickoff returns for 79 yards, with a long of 38 yards, one punt return for 16, and one catch for seven.
“The coaches set us up with a good scheme, and I just followed the blocks,” said Shanks, who is just happy to be back on the field. He saw action at running back in the spring but enters the UNLV game on the depth chart at receiver. He is also the starter on both the punt and kickoff return units, one of the best positions to showcase his speed.
“It was hard to sit back and watch my teammates go to battle without me,” said Shanks. “I was there at practice helping them out, doing whatever I could do. I was in a support role last year and that was cool with me.”
But now with the start to his second senior season under way, he is ready to contribute to the team like he has in the past.
“I want to go to the playoffs and get a Big Sky ring,” said Shanks. “I have not been able to experience that in my five years here. I want to do anything I can to get us there.”
ARIZONA STATE REWIND: Four days after the Arizona State game, the Lumberjacks took the practice field in preparation for game against the Rebels on Saturday. While the score was not positive, the NAU coaches will use the game as a teaching opportunity with the start of the Big Sky schedule approaching.
“When you play a game like that and have the result we did, it will expose a lot of things we obviously have to get better at,” said head coach Jerome Souers. “Arizona State played very fast and executed very well. Some of the things they showed us we have to work on schematically. Right now the focus is getting off blocks and tackling. On offense, we have to get our pads down and get movement.”
The Lumberjacks gave up 554 yards to the Sun Devils while gaining 237 yards and throwing three interceptions.
“Everybody has something to work on after a game like that, coaches included,” said Souers. “We have been at it all weekend looking for ways to get better. Having an extra day to prepare certainly will be helpful for us.”
GOOD NEWS: The Lumberjacks got good news over the weekend on the health of quarterback Cary Grossart and running back Zach Bauman, who both left the ASU game with injuries. Both are expected to play this weekend.
“We are hopeful they will be fine by Saturday,” said Souers.
Senior Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson made his Lumberjack debut against Arizona State, rushing for 82 yards on 15 carries when Bauman left the game. He showed his ability to be an asset for the team this season after transferring from California.
Sophomore Chase Cartwright went 9 for 21 for 127 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the backup role against the Sun Devils.
THREE DOT DATA: NAU is playing back-to-back Football Bowl Subdivision games in the same season for the third time in school history (2006, 2009)... NAU has not beaten a NCAA FBS or I-A opponent since 1987, posting a 7-47 all-time record in match-ups against FBS/I-A opponents since 1957... The 63 points allowed to Arizona State were the most by a Lumberjack team since a 90-0 loss to New Mexico State in 1967 and most allowed in a season opener.
SERIES HISTORY: NAU and UNLV are meeting for the eighth time in school history, with the Rebels holding a 5-2 advantage in the series. The two schools last met in the 1992 season, a 40-7 victory by UNLV in Las Vegas. The first meeting came in 1971, a 20-7 Lumberjack victory in Flagstaff.
