FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Freshman quarterback Nate Ketteringham threw for a career-high 339 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Shane Harrison, but Sacramento State could not stop Case Cookus in a 49-35 loss at Northern Arizona on Saturday.

Cookus threw for 407 yards and six touchdowns and also rushed for 41 yards and a score to move the Lumberjacks to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in Big Sky Conference games. The Hornets dropped to 2-8 overall and 1-6 in league games.

Ketteringham became the first first Sacramento State freshman to throw for 300 yards in consecutive games and matched his personal best with four touchdowns. The true freshman now has thrown for nine scores over the last three games while completing 81-of-120 passes (67.5 percent). On Saturday, he was 28-of-52 which tied him for the fourth most attempts in school history. While he had four touchdowns, he was also intercepted twice. The San Diego, Calif., native joined Ryan Leadingham and Garrett Safron as the only players in Sacramento State history to have multiple four-touchdown games in their career.

Harrison also continued his fantastic senior season, catching 11 passes for 152 yards and three scores. The Chatsworth, Calif., native now has 31 receptions for 439 yards and seven touchdowns over the last three games. He became just the third Hornet to have three consecutive 100-yard receiving games in the last seven years joining DeAndre Carter (twice in 2014) and Tony Washington (2008).

The two teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter resulting in a 14-14 tie. NAU used just 49 seconds to strike first. A 35-yard completion on the first play of the game started the 4-play drive which was capped by a 16-yard pass to Emmanuel Butler. Sacramento State marched 75 yards on 13 plays to answer with a 20-yard completion to Harrison.

The Hornet defense got the first stop of the day but Ketteringham was picked off by Eddie Horn on the ensuing drove to give NAU the ball in Sacramento State territory. Cookus called his own number on 2nd-and-goal from the 4 to give the lead back to the Lumberjacks. The Hornets knotted the game, 14-14, when Harrison hauled in a 13-yard TD pass. That catch was set up by four consecutive plays of 11 yards or longer.

The second quarter belonged to NAU. Dejzon Walker caught touchdown passes of 20 and 16 yards and Elijah Marks had a 22-yard TD to give Northern Arizona a 35-14 lead at halftime. The Lumberjacks pushed that advantage of 42-14 when Marks caught an 11-yard TD pass with 2:42 left in the third quarter.

Sacramento State ended the third quarter with the ball on the 1-yard line but were stopped on second and third down. The coaching staff kept the offense on the field and Ketteringham threw against the formation to Harrison for a 2-yard touchdown which required a one-handed grab. The Hornets kept the pressure on with a 15-play, 95-yard drive which resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by senior Garrett Steele. The drive was the second longest in terms of yards and the third longest in plays this year for Sacramento State.

NAU was able to recover the onsides kick and took advantage of the short field to score on a 34-yard pass from Cookus to Marks. The Hornets' final points came on a 4-yard pass to redshirt freshman Jabarri Johnson with 17 seconds remaining for his first career reception.

Sacramento State finished the game with 472 yards on 95 plays. The yardage total was the most by the team against a Div. I opponent this season while the plays were a season high and the fourth most in school history. Northern Arizona was also explosive with 536 total yards on 65 plays.

Jordan Robinson led the Hornet rushing attack with 82 yards on 21 attempts. Nnamdi Agude and Isiah Hennie each had six receptions for 96 and 49 yards, respectively.

Cookus was 25-of-33 for 407 yards and six scores. Marks was his favorite target, catching eight passes for 96 yards and three scores. Butler had six grabs for a team-high 119 yards and a TD.

Linebackers Manoah Pearson and Darnell Sankey led Sacramento State in tackles. Pearson set a career high with 14 tackles. Sankey had 11 stops, including a sack and two tackles-for-loss.

Sacramento State will close the 2015 season by facing UC Davis in the 62nd annual Causeway Classic on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2:30 p.m.