Northern Arizona defeats Eastern Washington 34-27 after trailing by 21 points in the first half

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- , Ty Pennington hit Nassim Isaac with a short touchdown pass on a fourth-and-goal play in the fourth quarter and the Northern Arizona defense held on downs inside its own 10-yard line to preserve a 34-27 victory in a season and Big Sky opener on Saturday night. The 2-yard touchdown was the first catch for Isaac in his first career game. It gave NAU a 34-27 lead. The Lumberjacks, ranked 25th in the FCS, won after briefly trailing by 21 points in the second quarter. Their rally was jump-started by Lindsey Graves ' 100-yard kickoff return following EWU's touchdown that had made the score 24-3. Following an interception, the Lumberjacks drove 33 yards capped by Quran Gossett’s 2-yard touchdown run to make it 24-17 at halftime.