Going into Saturday's game against the Fort Lewis College (Colo.) Skyhawks, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks knew very little about their opponent, and wanted to open the game on a good note to set the pace of play.

After scoring a pair of touchdowns in their first seven offensive plays, the Lumberjacks not only set the tone, but continued to build steam en route to a 58-13 thumping of the Skyhawks.

The Lumberjacks (1-1) started the game with a six-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a 27-yard strike from junior quarterback Cary Grossart to wide receiver Khalil Paden, Grossart's first of three touchdown passes on the day.

After the NAU defense held the Skyhawks to three yards on three plays and fielded a punt to their own 42 yard line, Grossart hit true sophomore Ify Umodu on a skinny post for a 58-yard score on the first play of their second drive.

For playing a team they knew next-to-nothing about, the Lumberjacks were able to pick apart the Fort Lewis defense to set the tone of the game early on.

"They dropped some safeties down (to stop) the run, and we sniffed that out and were able to strike," NAU head coach Jerome Souers said. "In a lot of ways our start set the tone for the game. It was exceptional protection, run fake, and bang, right off the bat in stride and it was really nice to see."

Grossart made Umodu his favorite target, and the two hooked up seven times for 149 yards. Grossart completed 16 of 21 passes for a total of 271 yards and three touchdowns. His third was a 13-yard strike to Umodu in the third quarter, giving the Jacks a 44-10 lead.

Grossart said Umodu is going to be a guy he throws to over and over during the season.

"It's exciting to play with a guy like Ify," Grossart said. "He's a great athlete and someone I'm going to keep coming to all year. He's got that prototype body, he's quick and has great hands, and he's a great target for me."

One of the main reasons that NAU had such success in the air was because the Skyhawks were keyed in on the run game early, and spent a lot of energy trying to stop the three-headed monster running game the Jacks present.

Zach Bauman, Giovannie Dixon and Jamaal Perkins teamed up for 257 of the Jacks' yards on the ground, with Dixon going for 136 on just six carries. Dixon scored a pair of touchdowns, the first a 20-yard run in the first quarter and then on an 82-yard scamper in the third.

Perkins also scored twice, including a 99-yard kickoff return at the end of the first quarter.

"All three of them have different running styles," Souers said. "Zach is more patient, he's slow and then quick. Gio is actually the biggest one, and the open field he might have the most explosiveness, and Jamaal is really just a shifty runner when he gets into the open.

"I'm excited about having that kind of depth," Souers added.

Bauman said having a regular rotation between himself and Dixon -- with Perkins getting his fair share of touches as well -- makes it easier on the team because there is always a running back in the game who has fresh legs.

"We're going to be really tough for defenses to stop this year," Bauman said. "We had a real great game and the offensive line is great. The quarterbacks and receivers were really good too and we were hitting on all cylinders, but taking care of the football is something we need to work more on in practice."

The Lumberjacks lost three fumbles, and it's a problem that Souers said is fixable, but not going to be tolerated.

"I'm not pleased at all with the turnovers or the penalties; they're uncalled for," he said. "We did a better job in the second half, but that won't be tolerated. Most of the fumbles occurred on a second- and third-effort run in a spin and getting hit from the blind side.

"I appreciate everyone's effort in trying to make plays, but sometimes it seemed like they were trying too hard and not securing the ball," Souers added.

Umodu coughed up the ball after a long catch in the first quarter and Grossart put the ball on the ground in the second after a sack.

He said it's something that can happen, but added it needs to be fixed.

"The receiver got out of the route and unfortunately the protection broke down, but it's OK, I need to do a better job of stepping up in the pocket and holding onto the ball," Grossart said.

NAU was also able to recover a fumble on the series following Grossart's turnover when the Lumberjacks' defense forced the ball out and recovered on their own 25 yard line. After getting the ball back, NAU went back to the run and Bauman carried the ball six times on the way to a 19-yard score.

Bauman said the defense's ability to get the ball back put the offense in the position to score.

"The defense was great," he said. "They gave us the ball back in positions where we could score and that's why we had so many points. They got off the field quickly and put the ball back in our hands."

The Lumberjacks will take their momentum on the road for the first Big Sky game of the year against Portland State next weekend.

Souers said he's happy with the growth and development the team has shown, and that should carry into this week of practice.

"We're showing some explosiveness and some of the talent and speed we have in the receiving corps and the backfield really excites me," he said.

Bill Harris can be reached at bharris@azdailysun.com or 556-2251.