Northridge Finished Off by Northern Arizona

The end of the line came with a crash for Cal State Northridge on Saturday.

Northern Arizona, inspired by a chance for a postseason berth, held the Matadors to a season-low point total and won, 30-10, in a Big Sky Conference finale before 4,963 at North Campus Stadium.

The Lumberjacks (8-3, 6-2 in conference play), closed their season with five consecutive victories, positioning themselves for an at-large berth in the Division I-AA playoffs behind conference champion Montana.

Northern Arizona tied for second with Portland State and Eastern Washington. Among the three, the Lumberjacks and Portland State have eight victories. Northern Arizona defeated Portland State, 40-24, this season.

The Matadors (5-6, 4-4) finished a sub-par season by dropping their third consecutive game and displaying some of the bad habits that plagued them this season.

Northridge was penalized 11 times for 111 yards, including a handful of personal fouls. On one occasion, the Matadors were assessed 15 yards before the snap for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Lumberjacks had 15 penalties for 149 yards, including two unsportsmanlike conduct calls for celebrating.

Terrence Jones of Northridge provided a fitting climax to an ugly game by being ejected with four seconds to play after becoming tangled with a Northern Arizona defender on a pass play.

“They did a lot of talking, a lot of things that were against the rules,” fullback Jaumal Bradley of Northridge said. “Cheap shots and things. Not the classiest team. But they definitely outplayed us.”

The Lumberjacks intercepted three passes by Marcus Brady, including one that was returned 79 yards for a touchdown by Cedric Jones with 18 seconds to play.

Brady completed 24 of 43 passes for 200 hards but took his lumps, including four sacks.

“It was a physical game,” Brady said. “They were rough and aggressive. I was taking a lot of shots.”

Bradley, playing in his final college game, rushed for a career-high 170 yards and a touchdown in 21 carries. He led Northridge with six receptions for 35 yards.

“This team faced a lot of adversity this season,” Bradley said. “You don’t want to use that as an excuse during the season, but this team has been through a lot and we pulled through even though nobody expected us to.”

Northridge limited Ronney Jenkins, from Hueneme High, to 69 yards in 14 carries. Jenkins gained 36 of his yards on a first-quarter touchdown run that gave Northern Arizona a 7-0 lead.

Interim Coach Jeff Kearin, hired in August as an emergency replacement after the firing of Ron Ponciano, said he will apply for the job on a permanent basis next month. Indications are Kearin is well-liked by players, colleagues and superiors.

“The thing I’m going to stress during the offseason is discipline,” Kearin said. “In everything from how we conduct ourselves on the field, to being on time for meetings, everything.”

Travis Brown’s one-yard run extended Northern Arizona’s lead to 13-0 before Derek Brown of Northridge kicked a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Bradley’s five-yard scoring run pulled the Matadors to within 13-10 late in the second quarter.