Northern Arizona defeats Eastern Washington 34-27 in season opener

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks overcame a 21-point deficit to defeat the Eastern Washington Eagles 34-27 at Cheney on September 1. Eastern Washington established an early 24-3 lead in the second quarter behind Nate Bell, who finished the game with 307 passing yards and two touchdowns. The momentum shifted after a 100-yard kickoff return by the Lumberjacks triggered a stretch of 24 unanswered points. Although Eastern Washington tied the score at 27-27 in the fourth quarter, Northern Arizona secured the lead with a touchdown pass on fourth down with 3:54 remaining. Northern Arizona quarterback Ty Pennington led the second-half comeback, while Jeter Purdy contributed 105 receiving yards. The result marks the first loss of the season for Eastern Washington.

• 7:52 PMYahoo Sports — Eagles suffer close loss in season opener