The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, coming off a bye week, head to Southern Utah on Saturday, Oct. 31, in the annual Battle for the Grand Canyon Trophy.

NAU enters the game No. 7 in both FCS polls and on a 3-game winning streak. Saturday's game in Cedar City, Utah, starts at noon and will stream live on ESPN+.

The last time NAU was ranked this high was 2002. The Lumberjacks enter the game at 6-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play, tied with No. 3 Montana State for first in the Big Sky. However, Montana State holds the tiebreaker after defeating NAU earlier in the season.

NAU's highest all-time ranking was No. 3 in 1996.

Can NAU build on strong October?

The Lumberjacks went into their bye week riding their best stretch of the season, capped by a 38-25 victory over Portland St. on Oct. 17.

Senior wide receiver Joey Stout led the way against the Vikings with a career-high 163 receiving yards on nine receptions and a touchdown. Stout added 78-punt return yards and a 30-yard run to round out a 271 all-purpose yard performance.

Senior QB Ty Pennington has been a driving force for the offense. He has accounted for nine touchdowns over the last two games and the offense as a whole has averaged 336 yards per game during the winning streak.

The bye week gave the team an opportunity to address areas for improvement.

"The main message was to attack the details," head coach Brian Wright said in an NAU press release. "There are so many things that go into preparation on a weekly basis. We made a big push towards the little things that all add up to wins, whether that's on or off the field."

The Thunderbirds enter Saturday's game 3-5 overall and 2-3 in conference play after a narrow 30-27 loss to Idaho, Oct. 24. Southern Utah erased a 10-point deficit late in the game, scoring 10 unanswered points before Idaho kicked the game-winning field goal at the gun

Southern Utah boasts one of the most productive rushing attacks in the FCS, leading the nation with 266 rushing yards a game, while ranking second in the nation in average time of possession at 33:33 a game.

Thunderbirds' senior running back Floyd Chalk is the centerpiece of the offensive attack, leading the FCS in rushing with 1,093 yards, averaging 137 rushing yards per game. Chalk has also scored 10 rushing touchdowns this season.

Southern Utah junior QB Will Burns also is a threat on the ground. Burns has amassed 843 rushing yards this season, good enough for eighth nationally, and leads the FCS with an 8.4 yards-per-carry average. Burns has also added 10 rushing touchdowns for the Thunderbirds this season.

"[Floyd Chalk] is Dynamic, he's a home run hitter," Wright said in the NAU press release. "He's a major threat with the football in his hands. They do a great job up front, creating holes and spaces for him. Once he gets in the second and third level, look out."

Grand Canyon Trophy

The Grand Canyon Trophy adds another layer to Saturday's game. NAU leads the all-time series 17-10, but the trophy series has been split, 6-6, since its introduction in 2012. The Lumberjacks have won the last four games against Southern Utah.