The Jacks (5-5 overall, 3-4 Big Sky) football squad is taking the field for the last time this season on Saturday against the Portland State Vikings (2-8, 1-6) in the Walkup Skydome.

The Lumberjacks had their final practice Thursday, and all the underclassmen worked together to carry each senior off the field individually, a Lumberjack football tradition. It is quite evident these seniors will leave a lasting impact on head coach Jerome Souers.

“They’ve had their heart broken on occasion and won some tough games on occasion, but they’ve always made me proud of their resiliency and the ability to bounce back,” Souers said.

The Jacks will need that resilience Saturday against an offense that features a major threat in running back Corey McCaffrey, who is averaging more than 125 yards per game and has rushed for more than 100 yards in eight straight games against FCS competition.

“He’s a guy that attacks wide — he attacks you inside, he’s got great vision, and he’s deceptive,” Souers said of McCaffrey. “When he is your responsibility, you need to do a great job of managing him.”

The Vikings set up in a pistol formation, similar to the triple option, but something the Lumberjacks haven’t seen at all yet this year. This is a formation in which the quarterback lines up a couple of yards behind the line of scrimmage, but shorter than where he would be for a shotgun formation. The Vikings run play-action quite effectively out of the pistol.

“They give you the option-look, get your safeties to rotate down, and throw the ball over the top,” Souers said.

The Jacks are going to need to be ready for both the run and the pass against this pistol attack.  Scott McKeever, one of NAU’s outside linebackers, is prepared for the challenge.

“I’m going to have to keep my outside arm free, but at the same time I’m going to be taking on pulling guards and tackles,” McKeever said.

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings defense has had a tough year and is allowing opponents to score 38 points per game. The Jacks hope to get freshman running back Zach Bauman going early and often. Bauman is tied atop the Big Sky Conference in touchdowns for the year (12) and hopes to see the end zone several times again on Saturday.

“I want to run the ball hard,” Bauman said, “staying true to my reads, trusting my linemen, and trusting the holes that are going to be there.”

Senior Jeff Hines, Lumberjack center, will be responsible with the rest of the offensive line to open up holes for Bauman and protect quarterback Michael Herrick when he drops back to pass.  Hines is one of the many seniors playing in his last game, and it is clear how important it is for him and his senior teammates to go out with a win.

“It means everything because these are like my brothers,” Hines said. “That O-line, the offense, the defense — it’s all my brothers. ”