The Northern Arizona football team broke a three-game losing streak with a win over the Sacramento State Hornets on the road Saturday. Here are some reasons why I think NAU was able to find the win column after such a long drought:

-- After starting the game with their finger hovering directly over the self-destruct button which the Lumberjacks so often end up pushing -- NAU started the game with mistakes like bad false start penalties, an interception and stalled offensive drives -- the team was able to adjust its play and do what it needed to do, which was take care of the details.

-- Another thing the Jacks did was sustain drives and score points. A few early possessions didn't last very long and the Jacks ended up punting, but after a while NAU was able to motor up and down the field and their possessions ended with points.

-- Zach Bauman had a great day carrying the football. The sophomore ran for 246 yards, surpassing the 2,000-yard rushing mark for his career, and he scored the winning touchdown late in the game to seal the win.

-- Cary Grossart didn't let the pressure of playing in front of a hometown crowd affect his game. Grossart, outside of an early interception, passed the ball well and also had a good night on the ground, either during broken passing plays or when he was actually scripted to take off with the ball.

-- Khalil Paden continued to be an offensive force for the Jacks. He and Grossart -- as well as Ify Umodu -- had a good game together picking apart the Hornets' secondary.

-- NAU's defense came up huge. Anders Battle forced a fumble that Taylor Malenfant returned into enemy territory, Mike Dosen had an interception and both Dan Pela and Blayne Anderson blocked a PAT. Late in the game, those two points NAU withheld paid huge dividends.

-- Matt Myers capitalized with a pair of field goals when the Jacks' offense wasn't able to score touchdowns. Myers had a few costly misses early in the year, but had a solid game and his six points gave the Jacks an edge when they needed it.

-- Head coach Jerome Souers showed a lot of confidence in his team by going for first downs in close situations. One of them was during a pivotal drive at the end of the game to ensure an NAU first down to keep the Hornets' offense off the field instead of letting them have one last shot at the end zone at the end of the game.

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