The Lumberjacks aren't usually known for trick plays or razzle-dazzle. Maybe that's why a double-pass worked against Northern Colorado in the fourth quarter of a 34-14 win Saturday.

With a 27-7 lead and time winding down, the Lumberjacks (4-5, 3-4 Big Sky Conference) pulled off the 39-yard double pass for a touchdown when NAU's offense caught the Bears (0-10, 0-7 BSC) by surprise.

Junior quarterback Cary Grossart tossed the ball to senior wideout Khalil Paden for what looked to be a wide receiver screen, but Paden loaded up and hurled the ball downfield to a sprinting Zach Bauman. Bauman -- who scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half -- added his third score of the day when he caught the ball and spun away from a defender into the end zone.

"I played quarterback in high school and I've still got a little something in me," Paden said. "It was honestly just a great play by Zach. I just tried to give him a chance (to catch the ball)."

Bauman, who led NAU with 245 all-purpose yards (124 on the ground, 121 through the air) said running the play worked because the Bears were stacking eight or nine defenders in the box to stop the run. He also said the play was only added to NAU's playbook this past week.

"At first I couldn't find the ball, but once I saw it, the defender wasn't going to deny me for a touchdown and I had to go up and get it," Bauman said.

The offense finished with a big day, amassing 483 yards, but it had to recover from a rocky start. Grossart threw a pair of interceptions in the first half, but the Jacks' defense stepped up and didn't allow UNC to score until the fourth quarter.

NAU head coach Jerome Souers said it was a good team win, and added the defense established itself.

"We had a good gameplan that the players executed well," Souers said. "(Defensive coordinator) Andy Thompson did a good job of mixing up coverages and not being predictable.

"Offensively we weren't as effective as we planned to be, and they did a good job with the run game early," Souers added.

The Bears were loaded in preparation for Bauman and the running game, but that just opened up the pass for Northern Arizona. Souers was pleased with Grossart's performance -- he was 18 of 24 for 264 yards -- and said the interceptions weren't necessarily his fault, or anyone's for that matter.

"Cary did his job on those plays, and several moving parts have to work on a passing play for it to work, and (on those two) it didn't," Souers said. "Cary was comfortable with what he was seeing and completed balls when he needed to sustain drives."

Paden, who finished with 46 yards on five catches for NAU, claimed responsibility for Grossart's first interception.

"I broke my route off short because of how (UNC) played it, and I just left (Grossart) hanging," Paden said. "He did the right thing, it was me who did the wrong thing."

Once NAU worked out the Bears' defense, the Lumberjacks' offense found success by balancing the run with the pass, and it capitalized on drives with points. NAU punted just three times, and senior kicker Matt Myers made field goals from 47 and 34 yards.

Northern Colorado couldn't get anything going on offense, as the Jacks held them to just 254 total yards, including a dismal 39 on the ground.

"Our defense played much better than they needed to, but we don't have a lot of depth so a lot of guys played a lot of snaps," Souers said. "We had a lot of good pressure on the quarterback."

Bears sophomore quarterback Seth Lobato finished 23 of 45 for 254 yards and two touchdowns, but he was sacked four times for minus-34 yards.

"The run defense was great, and we knew they were going to run the ball and that we were going to have to stop them, and that's what we did," senior defensive lineman Blayne Anderson said. It feels great to be on a winning-streak and it's great to start to end the season on a good note."

The NAU defense blocked a Bears' field goal -- the Jacks blocked a pair of point-after kicks against Sacramento State last week -- which gave the Lumberjacks a lot of defensive momentum.

"It's great to get a block after they're driving down the field," Anderson said. "Getting that stop is key for the defense, and when we get a block like that it keeps the motivation going."

The Jacks also were partially motivated by the loss of former Lumberjack Stevon Thomas. Thomas, who played linebacker for NAU until 2009, passed away suddenly Monday of yet-unknown causes. He was 23 years old.

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