2003 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team

The 2003 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a member of the Big Sky Conference (Big Sky) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their sixth year under head coach Jerome Souers, the Lumberjacks compiled a 9–4 record (5–2 against conference opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 409 to 305, and finished in a three-way tie for the Big Sky championship.^[1]

2003 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football
Big Sky co-champion
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 25–48 vs. Florida Atlantic
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 10
Record	9–4 (5–2 Big Sky)
Head coach	Jerome Souers (6th season)
Home stadium	J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome
Seasons ← 2002 2004 →

2003 Big Sky Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 14 Montana +^		5	–	2					9	–	4
No. 10 N Arizona +^		5	–	2					9	–	4
No. 21 Montana State +^		5	–	2					7	–	6
No. 22 Idaho State		4	–	3					8	–	4
Weber State		4	–	3					8	–	4
Eastern Washington		3	–	4					6	–	5
Portland State		1	–	6					4	–	7
Sacramento State		1	–	6					2	–	9
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The Lumberjacks were invited to play in the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs and defeated No. 1 McNeese State on the road in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was the program's first ever victory in the Division I-AA playoffs.^[2] They then advanced to the Quarterfinals, losing to No. 13 Florida Atlantic.

The team played its home games at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, commonly known as the Walkup Skydome, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The team's statistical leaders included Roger Robinson with 1,108 rushing yards and Jason Murietta with 3,472 passing yards (including 431 yards against Sacramento State), Clarence Moore with 1,184 receiving yards, and Paul Ernster with 101 points scored.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	Saint Mary's*		Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 44–3	4,152	^[4]
September 6	at No. 20 (I-A) Arizona State		Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	L 14–34	60,069
September 20	at No. 22 Portland State		PGE Park Portland, OR	W 23–0
September 27	No. 14 Cal Poly	No. 25	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 24–7
October 4	at Weber State	No. 17	Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT	W 48–29
October 11	at Sacramento State	No. 14	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	W 24–21	5,107
October 18	Eastern Washington	No. 14	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 54–31
October 25	at Montana State	No. 10	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	L 17–21
November 1	No. 10 Montana	No. 15	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	L 21–59	12,821
November 9	No. 22 Idaho State	No. 20	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ	W 46–31
November 15	at Sam Houston State	No. 18	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	W 34–18	2,118	^[5]
November 29	at No. 1 McNeese State	No. 16	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 35–3	14,300	^[2]
December 6	No. 13 Florida Atlantic	No. 16	Walkup Skydome Flagstaff, AZ (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 25–48	9,314	^[6]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. (PDF). Northern Arizona University. 2013. p. 79. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
2. Ed Odeven (November 30, 2003). "A first worth savoring: NAU hammers No. 1 McNeese State for its first ever I-AA playoff victory". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. B1, B7 – via Newspapers.com.
3. 2013 Media Guide, p. 64.
4. Ed Odeven (August 31, 2003). "Sensational start". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. B1, B7 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Murrietta's 2 TD passes, scoring run propel NAU". Arizona Republic. November 16, 2003. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Ed Odeven (December 7, 2003). "Owls – in a hoot". Arizona Daily Sun. pp. B1, B6 – via Newspapers.com.