Sun Devil football begins 2025 with in-state clash with NAU

On Jan 1, 2025, Arizona State football’s unprecedented 2024 season came to an end. The incredible leap that saw the Sun Devils go from 3-9 to Big 12 Champions in the program’s inaugural year concluded with a heartbreaking double overtime loss to Texas in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal.

Almost nine months later, a new season kicks off for ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham and company with sky-high expectations as the No. 11 Sun Devils take on Northern Arizona Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. MST at Mountain American Stadium.

The Lumberjacks also experienced a renaissance of sorts in 2024, finishing with an 8-5 record and returning to the FCS playoffs for the first time in eight years. Entering 2025, second-year head coach Brian Wright has his team ranked No. 18 in the preseason FCS Coaches Poll and aims to end the program’s 22-year postseason victory drought.

“I want to see who we are on Saturday,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “It doesn’t matter who we play. It’s about us, and I want to see who we are. How hard do we play? How physical do we play? How many smart decisions do we make throughout a game?”

ASU and NAU are no strangers when it comes to meeting on the gridiron, as the two schools have faced off 41 times before this upcoming matchup. The Sun Devils lead the all-time series 23-14-4, and after a 53-year hiatus ended in 2003, they’ve won seven straight, including the most recent contest in Week 1 of the 2022 season.

However, NAU has managed to rack up three wins over FBS opponents since 2012 and even led Arizona at halftime in Tucson last season before losing 22-10.

The ace up the Lumberjacks’ sleeve in working towards pulling off the upset is that, just like their opponent, the team has a large amount of returning production to work with. Not only are 23 players who played at least 100 snaps in 2024 suiting up once again, but NAU also managed to keep its entire coaching staff intact over the offseason.

“Both teams return so many guys that it’s really not as much of an opener as it is because so many guys have played so many games,” Dillingham said. “It’s more ‘How do the new teams gel together,’ the new schemes gel together, and what’s the identity of the new team?”

Big Sky Preseason All-Conference quarterback Ty Pennington is one of those 23 returners and will look to follow up a strong first season in Flagstaff. The Oklahoma native has spent his entire collegiate career under the guidance of Wright, going 11-2 against Division II competition at Pittsburg State before following his coach to NAU.

Wright’s 30 years of coaching experience, including offensive coordinator and quarterback coach gigs at Florida Atlantic and Toledo, helped Pennington throw for 13 touchdowns and lead the Big Sky conference in passing yards with 2,288 on the way to being named Big Sky Newcomer of the Year. His brand of football through the air emphasizes efficiency and minimizing mistakes, as evidenced by producing a 65% completion percentage and 145.68 passer rating while only throwing two interceptions. In addition, Pennington’s 437 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground mean defensive coordinator Brian Ward will have to scheme around his dual-threat potential.

Despite having to go without the services of their previous receiving yards leader in tight end Bryzai White, the Lumberjacks’ room of receiving threats is still loaded with potential. Redshirt senior wide receiver Kolbe Katsis also started his career with Wright at Pittsburg State, and after finishing right behind White in passes caught and receiving yards with 42 for 578 yards, he’ll be expected to take over as the primary passing target. Other receivers, such as returning redshirt sophomore Myseth Currie and Stanford transfer Jayson Raines, will be hoping to take advantage of the playing time they’ve lacked over the past few seasons. Rounding things out is dynamic redshirt senior Isaiah Eastman, who not only caught 20 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown in 2024 but was also named to the All-Big Sky team thanks to the 300 yards he collected as a punt returner.

The true engine of the NAU offense, which averaged 28 points a game the year before, lies in the rushing attack, which finished as the 33rd best in the country. Redshirt junior Seth Cromwell returns after a previous campaign of a team-leading 681 yards and nine touchdowns alongside redshirt senior and former Texas A&M running back Darvon Hubbard, who provided 408 yards and four touchdowns of his own. Ventura College transfer Quran Gossett also adds another wrinkle to the position group, coming off a season where he rushed for 1,073 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games.

For a team that has harped on improving defensive physicality and pressuring the quarterback, ASU is going to have a tough first test against a stout NAU offensive line. Redshirt seniors Ethan Kramer and Connor DePrez, along with redshirt junior Seth Smith, each started all 13 games in 2024. That’s not to mention the additions of All-UAC lineman Steven Eakins and former Cornell and Weber State guard Terrance Caldwell.

ASU’s capabilities in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball will be put to the test right away against a stout NAU offensive line. Redshirt seniors Ethan Kramer and Connor DePrez, as well as redshirt junior Seth Smith, each started all 13 games in 2024. That’s not to mention the additions of All-UAC lineman Steven Eakins and former Cornell and Weber State guard Terrance Caldwell.

“Our offense knows how to attack our defense, and I’m sure NAU is going to know how to do it as well because those guys are great coaches and those guys are going to prepare really,” defensive coordinator Brian Ward said. “We’re preparing for their very best, and they’re going to get our very best.”

What makes the Lumberjacks a serious threat to spoil the party is their defensive identity. Statistically, NAU ranked as the 18th-best total defense in the FCS in 2024. In particular, the team finished in the top 15 in scoring defense by holding opponents to an average of 19 points per game, as well as third-down conversion percentage at 32.1%.

12 of the team’s 23 returners with at least 100 snaps played belong to the defense, and three of the seven defensive players given All-Big Sky honors last season are still listed on the roster.

NAU’s presence up front is anchored by redshirt junior defensive lineman Micah Carreon. Named a member of the Preseason All-Big Sky team heading into this year, Carreon’s 46 total tackles and seven tackles-for-loss earned him All-Big Sky Honorable Mention Defense honors during the 2024 season.

Senior lineman Tausagafou Ho Ching wasn’t too far behind Carreon in the tackles department with 37 total and four tackles-for-loss. Furthermore, senior lineman Alani Ma’afu and senior defensive tackle Carlos Rivera offer quality depth as rotational players looking to step up into a more permanent role.

If there was one position that benefited from the abundance of veterans sticking around for another year, it would undoubtedly be the linebacking corps. The duo of senior Brandon Wong and redshirt junior Ammon Allen combined for 106 total tackles, 66 assisted tackles, and 11 tackles for loss in 2024. Both were named All-Big Sky Honorable Mention Defense, while Wong in particular was selected for the Preseason All-Big Sky team.

The Lumberjacks’ use of an odd stack defensive formation brings the physicality of the front seven to the forefront and creates chaos for the opposing offense before the ball is snapped.

“Coach Wright, being an offensive guy, knows what gives offenses problems, and they do a lot of things that give offenses problems,” Dillingham said. “They do a really good job of making you communicate. Their goal is to slow opponents down by forcing them to communicate constantly.”

The year prior, the bread and butter of the Lumberjacks’ defense was shutting down the other team’s passing attack. An average of just 177 passing yards allowed per game put them in the top 20 nationally.

However, the secondary experienced a significant amount of turnover in the offseason with cornerback DJ VanHook graduating, safety Zach Lewis transferring to North Dakota, and most importantly, First-Team All-Big Sky safety Alex McLaughlin leaving for Washington.

As a result, NAU will be heavily reliant on the influx of transfers such as Portland State safety Michael Hurst, Lindenwood safety Jaylan Wesley, and Southwest Baptist cornerback Jahaad Fort to have an immediate impact. A next step in progression from the new faces in the cornerback room from last season like redshirt sophomore Canyon Moses and redshirt junior Nahamani Harris, is also essential.

Redshirt senior cornerback Mikale Greer staying put is a major boost for the backfield. The Compton native became the Lumberjacks’ ballhawk in 2024, leading the team in interceptions with four.

While Arizona State owns an arsenal of offensive weapons, the vast amount of experience alongside a play-to-win mindset makes the NAU defense unafraid to face opponents at any level of competition.

“It’s a good team we’re playing,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “Top 20 defense in the FCS, a playoff team in the FCS. We played Wyoming last year, they were a nine win team. You don’t take anybody lightly.”