PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland State backup quarterback Connor Kavanaugh was expected to step in for the injured Drew Hubel when the Vikings host Northern Arizona Saturday afternoon at PGE Park.

Kavanaugh, who went to high school at Portland's Lincoln High, is more of an option quarterback than Hubel. He likes to move around in the pocket and run if he can't find an open receiver. In the spot duty he has seen through the first six games, Kavanaugh has more rushing attempts than passing attempts.

However, it wasn't enough to pull off a win Saturday.

Northern Arizona rolled up 458 yards of total offense and Michael Herrick passed for three touchdowns as the Lumberjacks dropped host Portland State, 44 to 23, in Big Sky Conference action.

NAU (4-2, 3-1 Big Sky) scored on three of its first four possessions, and had a balanced offensive attack throughout the game. The Lumberjacks passed for 254 yards and ran for another 204 as they won their third in a row on the season and third straight over Portland State.

The Vikings dropped to 2-5 overall and 1-4 in conference.

Trailing 30-9, the Vikings scored at the start of the fourth quarter to make things interesting. Connor Kavanaugh got it started when he hit Lavonte Kirven for a 45-yard gain to give PSU the ball at the Lumberjacks 15-yard line. A personal foul penalty on NAU two players later moved the ball to the seven. On the next play, Kavanaugh rushed up the middle for a touchdown, and after the extra point, the Viks were down 30-16.

Portland State's momentum was short-lived however, as NAU scored a pair of touchdowns in less than a minute. The Lumberjacks used a 13-play, 77-yard drive to make it 37-16, and then took advantage of a PSU turnover. Kavanaugh was picked off on the second play of the ensuing drive, and NAU scored just two play later for a 44-16 lead with 8:17 remaining.

The teams traded scores on the first four possessions of the game, albeit the Vikings' points came on field goals.

Northern Arizona struck first, opening with a 10-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Alex Henderson.

Portland State answered back with a 43-yard field goal by Zach Brown, before NAU went up 14-3 on a three yard touchdown pass from Herrick to Daiveun Curry-Chapman with 17 seconds left in the first quarter.

Kavanaugh, making his first career start, then directed the Vikings down the field, passing for two first downs and running for another. But Portland State's drive stalled at the Northern Arizona 14, and they had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Brown.

The Lumberjacks scored again before the break when Herrick found Conrad Meadows for an 11-yard touchdown. NAU led 21-6 at halftime.

Herrick finished the game 21 of 34 for 254 and three scores. Meadows caught eight balls for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and Henderson rushed 21 times for 97 yards. Giovanni Dixon added 78 more yards on the ground on just 10 carries.

Kavanaugh passed for 116 yards, completing 11 of his 24 passes, but was also intercepted three times. He also finished as the Vikings leading rusher, gaining 42 yards on 10 rushes.

Kirven (78 yards) and Raymond Fry (42 yards) both had five catches for the Vikings, who totaled a season-low 274 yards of offense.

Justin Engstrom, a transfer from Oregon State, replaced Kavanaugh late in the game and led the Vikings on a 66-yard drive for their last score. In his first appearance as a Viking, Engstrom went 5 of 7 for 52 yards on the seven-play drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Fry.

Brown, who was last week's Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week, kicked three field goals for the second straight game. He now has 12 on the season and moved into the number-six spot on the Vikings single-season list.

Ryan Rau had an outstanding game for Portland State on the defensive side of the ball. The sophomore linebacker registered 12 tackles, eight of them solo stops, and also had two tackles for loss, including one sack. He also forced a fumble.

The Vikings return to action next Saturday when they host UC Davis in a non-conference game. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. at PGE Park.