Two weeks before they take the field for their season opener against Arizona State, the NAU Lumberjacks will hold a scrimmage on Saturday night at the Skydome.
Coach Jerome Souers is bringing in NCAA referees to officiate the scrimmage to help enforce penalties and other rules infractions. One thing that will be a point of interest for both the refs and the players will be the new clock rules. Previously, the 25-second play clock started once the ball was set on the line of scrimmage by the referee. Now, the clock will start at 40 seconds and it will begin as soon as the previous play is over.
"We are bringing the officials in so we can get a feel for how the game is going to be managed with the new clock rules," Souers said. "We want to create some game flow and game situations. Our exact number of reps will be determined by our health and disposition at the end of the week. We hope to have a pretty lengthy exchange."
Saturday's scrimmage could also potentially clear up the quarterback competition. Through the first 10 days of fall practice, Lance Kriesien, Michael Herrick and Corey Slater have battled for the starting job. Souers said he still isn't ready to name a starter, but Saturday's scrimmage should be one of the measuring points.
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