QB Cookus, Lumberjacks look to exceed expectations
RICHARD MORIN
For the Northern Arizona University football team, expectations have provided a tumultuous relationship.
One one hand, having three players named to the 2017 preseason all-conference team circulated a lot of positive buzz throughout summer practices in Flagstaff. But on the other hand, the Lumberjacks finished just 5-6 after being picked to win the Big Sky in 2016.
Last year, preseason rankings made NAU look worse than they were. And as a result, predictions were lukewarm for this season. But for the Lumberjacks, it’s a matter of controlling what they can control.
Under head coach Jerome Souers, who enters his 20th season at the helm, NAU is tabbed to finish third in the conference this season. One of the biggest wildcards will be quarterback Case Cookus, who missed seven games last season due to a broken collarbone.
“We finished 5-6 last year, which was around middle-of-the-pack so (finishing third) could be a little high when you compare it to our last season,” Cookus said. “I was hurt, so I don’t know how much that factored into the decision. But we don’t care about that. We’re really focused on going week-to-week and hopefully winning the Big Sky.”
After winning freshman of the year honors following the 2015 campaign, Cookus shattered his clavicle in NAU’s first conference game of the season last year vs. Eastern Washington. Although he was forced to the sideline for the rest of 2016, the Southern California native feels he has developed a more wellrounded knowledge of the game.
“Once I was able to come back from surgery, I learned a lot helping the quarterbacks, being up in the booth, and just Saturday, Sept. 2 NAU at Arizona, 8 p.m., Pac-12 Networks Saturday, Sept. 9 NAU vs. Western Illinois, time TBD. Saturday, Sept. 23 NAU at Cal Poly, 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 NAU vs. Northern Colorado, time TBD. Saturday, Oct. 7 NAU vs. Illinois State, time TBD. Saturday, Oct. 14 NAU at Portland State, time TBD. Saturday, Oct. 21 NAU vs. UC Davis, time TBD. Saturday, Oct. 28 NAU vs. Sacramento State, time TBD. Saturday, Nov. 4 NAU at Montana, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 NAU vs. Montana State, 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18 NAU at Southern Utah, 2:30 p.m. helping in any way I could,” Cookus said. “I saw the game from a different perspective. Everything is a learning experience.”
Although he wasn’t named to the preseason all-conference team, Cookus was one of two Lumberjacks named as a player to watch in contention for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
And because the NCAA granted back his second year of eligibility, Cookus jokes that he’s “probably the oldest sophomore in Big Sky history.”
Regardless, the quarterback just wants to ignore the haze of preseason accolades and take a week-by-week approach to 2017. First up is a Sept. 2 date with the University of Arizona in Tucson.
“A win is a win, so it would be great to get a win,” Cookus said of the Week 1 matchup. “But it’s one of those things where we want to come out and have a great game. We want to do what we do -go fast, score points and create turnovers on defense. Whatever happens, happens. But we’re really focused on going week-to-week and hopefully winning the Big Sky.”
The Lumberjacks have other tough non-conference home bouts with Western Illinois (Sept. 9) and Illinois State (Oct. 7).
“It’s a tough schedule, a challenging schedule,” Souers said. “But it’s one that fits the mentality of this team and I think we’re up for the challenge.
“Our program goals are always a championship in the conference and then playoffs. You need to play well enough throughout the course of the season to get in,” he said. “It’s just really important for us to play well.”
The three players named to the preseason all-conference team were wide receiver Emmanuel Butler, offensive lineman Tyler Shank, and placekicker Griffin Roehler.
Butler, a Phoenix native, is just 597 yards away from breaking the all-time NAU receiving record, and the senior has already established a new single-season mark in receiving yards (1,208) and is just three touchdown receptions away from setting a new school record. He was also named to the Walter Payton Award watch list.
A senior and graduate of Chandler High, Shank was named second-team allconference after the 2016 season. He guarded the line for a Lumberjacks squad that amassed 5,230 yards of total offense last season.
A standout kicker at Agua Fria High in Avondale, Roehler is a sophomore and second-year starting kicker for NAU. He made 44 of 45 point-after-touchdown attempts and connected on 13 of 16 field goals last season with a long of 40 yards.
In addition to a talented freshman class, the Lumberjacks feel as though they have the potential to make some noise in 2017. With an experienced coach in Souers, a chip-on-the-shoulder quarterback in Cookus -- and a proven group of playmakers around him -- the temperate expectations this season could pay dividends.
“Obviously our goal is to win the Big Sky … but we want to have a successful season, make the playoffs and make a run at that championship,” Cookus said. “We think we have the caliber of team that can do that. We’ve got to be consistent through those four quarters, and if we can do that no one can stop us.”