Playing Saturday in an early-afternoon snowstorm at Weber State put the NAU football team way out of its element.

Dubbed "The Snowbowl" for the kind of storms like the one the Lumberjacks encountered in the first half, WSU's Stewart Stadium gave the Wildcats just enough of an early advantage to help them to a 34-31 Big Sky Conference victory.

The Wildcats built up a 19-10 halftime lead, lost it to the resurgent Jacks, then scored two late touchdowns to take the lead with 26 seconds left.

A last-ditch trick play by the Jacks with 2 seconds left fell short.

Being used to playing in the Walkup Skydome and safe from Mother Nature's elements really showed as NAU (4-6 overall, 3-5 BSC) struggled early to get footing against Weber State (4-6, 4-3 BSC), which snapped a three-game losing skid with Saturday's win.

After slipping and sliding through the first two quarters and suffering a number of first-half mistakes, the Jacks trailed 19-10 going into halftime.

"The conditions (in the first half) were tough to play in, and it was tough to find footing," sophomore running back Zach Bauman said. "I think (Weber State's) defense was a little more acclimated to the weather, and we're not used to playing in these kinds of (conditions)."

The Wildcats' defense limited Bauman to 59 yards in the first half on 16 carries -- he finished with 30 attempts for 126 yards -- and WSU jumped out to an early lead on a pair of C.J. Tuckett touchdowns.

Tuckett, a backup running back who didn't even appear on Saturday's depth chart, torched NAU's defense with 245 rushing yards and three scores. He added nine yards receiving and 144 return yards for 408 all-purpose yards to lead WSU.

Jacks' head coach Jerome Souers said in a postgame interview that Tuckett gave NAU's defense a hard time early.

"We tackled better in the second half against a good running back who ran well in the snow," Souers said.

It helped that the WSU grounds crew plowed the field clear of snow during halftime, and the Jacks had an easier time of getting more secure footing.

Bauman said he was able to get back to his traditional running style once the snow was gone.

"I was able to cut better and the field was quicker," Bauman said.

Bauman scored his first of two touchdowns in NAU's 14-point third quarter from inside the 5-yard line, and he added another late in the fourth quarter during the Jacks' comeback attempt.

NAU held a 24-19 lead going into the last 15 minutes, but allowed Tuckett his third score of the day early in the fourth. The NAU defense got a big stop after coughing up the ball on a fumbled punt, and the Jacks led 31-27 after Bauman's touchdown. But the defense couldn't hold the Wildcats on their final drive.

"We had some (defensive) breakdowns by our young secondary in the fourth quarter, and on (our) last (offensive) drive, we've got to be able to close a game out," Souers said. "We gave up too many plays, and that made for a really tough, disappointing loss."

The Lumberjacks put together a drive starting at their own 26-yard line, and reached mid-field after junior quarterback Cary Grossart ran for a first down and threw for another to sophomore receiver Ify Umodu. With 2.3 seconds left, NAU ran a hook-and-ladder, but was stopped short of a game-winning touchdown.

"At the end of the day our inexperience really hurt us," Souers said. "Playing in a game of that magnitude, we can't have the kinds of mistakes that we did."

The NAU defense gave up 469 yards, including an 11-for-19 day by WSU junior quarterback Mike Hoke. Hoke threw for 178 yards and one touchdown.

Grossart said the offense played a great game, but added the whole team was disappointed to lose yet another close game.

"We've been there too many times this year," Grossart said. "We're almost a little in shock we weren't able to finish out the game."

Grossart completed 18 of 30 passes for 294 yards and had a pair of touchdowns. He threw one interception, but the play was reversed after a personal foul, roughing the passer call. Grossart also ran well for NAU, churning up 85 yards on 13 carries. He also threw a 58-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Khalil Paden in the third quarter.

"We did great things on offense, but unfortunately Weber was able to make the plays at the end," Grossart said. "We played well enough to win the game offensively, but Weber was able to finish the game when we couldn't."

The Lumberjacks close out the season at home when NAU hosts Southern Utah at 3:05 p.m. this Saturday.

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