Northern Arizona coach Jerome Souers looked at the films of UC Davis’ football games against South Dakota and Nevada.

He went through them a second time …

Try as he might, Souers didn’t see the Aggies as a typical 0-2 school.

“From the first game to the second game, they’re evolving closer to what coach (Ron) Gould wants,” Souers told The Enterprise. “When you look at their offense, they have some real capable backs and their change of quarterbacks gives them some more mobility.

“We’re concerned about their balance. Even though they’re 0-2, they are improving quickly.”

Gould will take that as a compliment. But just how quickly the new-look Aggies can translate improvement to a “W” remains a question.

Saturday, No. 24/25 NAU comes to town for a 6 p.m. nonconference game (a schedule quirk means these two Big Sky members are playing “for fun.”).

The Lumberjacks (0-1) lost their opener, 35-0, at Football Bowl Subdivision Arizona and had last week off. They are rested and bring to Aggie Stadium one of the top Football Championship Subdivision running backs in Zach Bauman.

“Bauman, I personally feel, is an NFL guy,” said Gould, who knows a little something about what it takes to play RB at the next level. “He plays with energy, passion and he’s got great speed.”

To get that first win, the Aggies are going to have to account for the 5-foot-9, 200-pound Bauman — a senior who needs only 48 yards to set a school rushing standard (3,676 by Marcus King). He has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his previous three seasons.

If Wednesday’s UCD workout was any indication, the locals are ready to let Bauman delay that record to a game in Flagstaff later on.

“(Our team) is doing awesome,” Gould told Big Sky media on Wednesday’s conference call. “We had another great practice … and their spirits are up and the guys are working hard. We’re looking forward to being at home, having another opportunity to compete and get better. We’re fired up.”

In road losses to South Dakota (10-7) and Nevada (36-7), it was evident what was throwing wrenches in the UCD’s gears: lack of execution repeatedly stalled the Aggies inside opposition territory.

Third downs — both on offense and defense — were problematic. In the opener, the locals converted 4-of-13 third-down plays. It was 3-for-12 in Reno.

With first-time starter Jimmy Laughrea (pronounced LOCK-ray) under center against the Wolf Pack last Saturday, six dropped or tipped passes resulted in a turnover while three other possessions came to an ignominious halt.

Meanwhile, the Aggie defense was asked to stop 19 Wolf Pack third-down attempts. It could do so only eight times as FBS Nevada ran a whopping 91 plays, controlling the ball for 35:07 and gaining more than 500 yards.

Gould, who spent 16 seasons as a Cal assistant, agrees with NAU’s Souers — UCD is close, and potentially dangerous.

“We’re trying to regroup, refocus,” Gould said. “We knew we left a lot out there (at Nevada). We left 21 points out there in the first half … the biggest thing for us is to find resolve. The kids are working hard … a lot of energy.”

Gould believes it’s fixable minutiae that keep his Aggies off kilter: “Execution … and those little things are really getting us in a lot of trouble. So, we’re making sure we focus on the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.”

There are mixed reports for Aggie fans come Saturday.

Bad news first: hard-running tailback Manusamoa Luuga (wrist sprain) from Long Beach Poly is out. Luuga ran for 81 yards against Nevada. Luuga stepped in for junior college transfer Gabe Manzanares (shoulder). Luuga is expected to miss two weeks.

Good news?

Manzanares has returned to practice and, according to Gould, will get the start against NAU. The coach will not be afraid to go to his bench, where a healthy senior Colton Silveria and emerging sophomore Tavior Mowry are raring to go.

Laughrea will get his second start after replacing longtime starting QB Randy Wright last weekend.

Notes: “Back to School Night” and a Food Truck Tailgate highlight the home opener Saturday. Designated tailgating areas will be located in Lot 56, just south of the Aggie Stadium scoreboard, and also the North Field near the Bob Foster Team Center on the opposite end of the facility. Lot 56 provides guaranteed parking for qualifying TeamAggie members with remaining spaces available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis for $25. Season passes to park in the North Field are sold out, but the area also will serve as the location of many promotions before each game. … Lumberjack offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello and receivers coach Tim Plough are former Aggies. Plough was a QB (2007) for then-UCD offensive coordinator Scangarello, whose 2008 team ranked 11th in total FCS offense (425 yards a game). Plough later coached for the Aggies, moving up to co-offensive coordinator last season. … Bauman ran for 127 yards in a 21-7 Lumberjack win over UCD on Oct. 20, 2012, the only previous meeting between the two schools. He also caught five passes for 51 yards and a score. NAU quarterback Kyren Poe was 21-for-36 and 176 yards against Arizona two weeks ago. His favorite targets appear to be WR Nick Cole (6 catches/62 yards) and TE T.J. Rickert (4/50).

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at [email protected] or 530-747-8047.

Zach Bauman, Tra'Mayne Bondurant

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