Sun Devil defense has their work cut out for them against creative Northern Arizona offense

There is an undeniable buzz in Tempe at the start of the season, but our neighbors to the north have plenty of buzz of their own.

Yesterday we took a broad look at the matchup with the Lumberjacks, and today we zoom in on what NAU brings to the table on the offensive side of the ball.

The conversation on offense starts at quarterback with Ty Pennington. The reigning Big Sky Newcomer of the Year excelled in his first season at the FCS level, throwing for 2,288 yards and 13 touchdowns. Following his head coach Brian Wright from Pittsburg State provided a high level of familiarity, giving him the opportunity to thrive in a new setting.

Not only does he do it with the arm, but he does it on the ground, rushing for 437 yards and scoring 7 touchdowns. Which transitions into the rest of the Lumberjack rushing attack, namely Seth Cromwell and Darvon Hubbard. Collectively they accounted for 1,554 of the team's 2,342 rushing yards, a middle of the road performance that you wouldn't expect from a team that made the playoffs.

The midrange performance can be attributed to a brand new offensive scheme that takes some adjustment in year one. Brian Wright being a former quarterback himself has spent pretty much his entire football career picking apart defenses and finding holes to exploit. This is an offense that will be aggressive getting the ball down the field, able to flip between spreading five wide receivers and running the jumbo package, and not afraid to use either one in any situation.

Players to Watch

Aside from Pennington, one player to watch closely is graduate transfer Jayson Raines, joining the Lumberjacks from Stanford. After seeing extremely limited usage at wide receiver with three catches for 22 yards over four seasons, he steps into a role as the big man on offense, and I mean that literally. At 6'3" and 210 lbs, he presents a huge target for Pennington to throw to.

The aforementioned Seth Cromwell may evoke memories of Cam Skettebo, if only in frame. Nearly identical in size to Cam at 5'10" and 215 lbs, Seth transferred to NAU from Division II Missouri Southern State, and after a slow start to the season wound up as the Lumberjacks rushing leader with 681 yards and 9 touchdowns. Three of his last four games of the season he topped the 100 yard mark as NAU pushed their way in to the FCS playoffs, including a 132 yard and 3 touchdown performance at Cal Poly.

Final Thoughts

While undersized and often overlooked, the Lumberjacks will be coming out on offense looking to create confusion for any defense, forcing constant communication among the defensive personnel.

The key will be to not overpursue and stay in coverage lanes, keeping the play in front and not getting burned deep. The hope (expectation) is that the magic of Mountain America Stadium will swing for the Devils, stopping any hope of any potential surprise.