Nov. 8, 2003
Box Score
Flagstaff, AZ --- Caleb Eastman came off the bench and led a valiant comeback effort, but five interceptions by the Bengal offense spelled doom as the #20 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks defeated the #22 Bengals 46-31 in Flagstaff, knocked the Bengals out of the Big Sky title hunt, and propelling the 'Jacks to a potential third playoff berth in the last five years.
The loss dropped Idaho State to 6-4 overall and they finish with a 4-3 league record. The Bengals can do no worse than tie for third place. The Lumberjacks are finish 5-2 in the league, and they can earn share of the title with a loss by Montana. However, that scenario would likely keep them from the playoffs, much like it did last year for Idaho State.
The Bengals went to Eastman after the half, and he engineered the comeback. After his first drive ended after a deflected pass for an interception in the end zone, Eastman led ISU on touchdown march with Isaac Mitchell going over from a yard out. Jeremy Hershey tacked on a 41-yard field goal to make it 36-20 after three.
Early in the fourth it looked as though ISU would cut into the lead again, but Eastman's fade pass in the end zone for Sale' Key was picked off. Eastman responded with a perfect pass to Akilah Lacey in the corner of the end zone at the 4:51 mark, and then Eastman dove in for the two-point conversion. After a Paul Ernster field goal, ISU answered with a 44-yarder of their own by Hershey with 57 seconds left. Hershey's onside kick was fumbled by NAU, but Josh Thornburg recovered it and ran it in for a bizarre 42-yard touchdown to give the Jacks a 46-31 cushion.
With a win, the Bengals would have clinched second place in the conference, due to Eastern Washington's 34-25 win over Montana State in Spokane, as the Eagles scored two touchdowns in a 20 second span late in the last two and a half minutes.
The Bengals got off to a rough start as Northern Arizona scored on their first two possessions of the game for a 13-0 lead. Idaho State then answered when David Beverly scored from two yards out. The drive was engineered by Roman Ybarra, who entered the game during the drive after starting quarterback Mark Hetherington suffered a concussion.
Ybarra struggled on the day however, going just 8-for-22 for 128 yards and three interceptions, including a pick the first play after Michael Hodges recovered a fumble on the NAU 15-yard line. Ybarra finished the half 2-of-15, and with ISU at 2nd-and-goal at the NAU 7 with 10 seconds left, Ybarra scrambled and was tackled after a 1-yard gain and the clock ran out before ISU could kick a field goal.
The Bengals, who can still finish with back-to-back seven win seasons for the first time in the school's 99-year football history, travel for their final road game of the season next Saturday against Cal Poly, who is also battling for an at-large playoff berth.
Notes
Idaho State started the game with five wide receivers, with Akilah Lacey and Jeff Davenport starting for Isaac Mitchell and Edwin Thompson... Sale' Key extended his streak to consecutive games with a catch to 25 straight games with a 17-yard catch at the 3:14 mark of the first quarter ... Hetherington was knocked out of the game after getting off a pass late in the first quarter ... Steve Burch was ejected in the second quarter after a personal four for kicking ... Anthony Henderson picked off his first career pass with a pick in the third quarter.
