Greeley – A 41-13 loss to Idaho State on Saturday suggests that Northern Colorado is still trying to find its way in the Big Sky Conference. But at least the Bears discovered a quarterback.
Brian Wiedeman, a redshirt freshman from Greeley West High School, came off the bench in the second quarter and gave the 2,910 fans something to cheer about – and perhaps hope for better days to come. Wiedeman completed 16-of-26 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown.
UNC’s first home game as a member of the Big Sky may ultimately be remembered for another debut.
“I wanted to see what Brian could do,” UNC coach Scott Downing said. “Brian played fast. I wanted somebody to play fast. The players felt his enthusiasm. He was having fun out there. I appreciated that.”
Wiedeman played in three previous games but had not attempted a pass. He replaced starting quarterback Dominic Breazeale after Idaho State cornerback D.J. Clark returned a Breazeale interception for a touchdown on the last play of the first quarter.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous,” Wiedeman said. “But I try to prepare myself all week in case I get a chance.”
Breazeale completed 3-of-5 passes in the first quarter but for just 13 yards. Not everything went right for Wiedeman, who threw one interception and was sacked once. But he displayed some toughness by keeping the ball eight times for a net 36 yards.
“His ability to run opened up some avenues,” Idaho State coach Larry Lewis said of Wiedeman.
Idaho State (2-3, 1-1 Big Sky) jumped to a 27-0 halftime lead and was never threatened. The Bengals, who lost to a pair of Division I-A teams (UNLV and Idaho), stuffed UNC’s running attack and controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides.
Downing stopped short of naming Wiedeman as the starter for next Saturday’s home game against Big Sky foe Eastern Washington. But “Brian didn’t do anything to not be the starter next week,” the coach added.
Entering the game, UNC (1-5, 0-3) had to be concerned about Idaho State quarterback Matt Gutierrez, a senior transfer from Michigan. But it was the Bengals’ running game that hurt UNC most. Josh Barnett amassed 173 yards on 21 carries.
“I had great blocking all around,” said Barnett, a 5-11, 180-pounder. “I just hit the holes.”
Northern Colorado finally got on the scoreboard with 11:07 remaining in the third quarter when Wiedeman connected with Zac Carlson for a 78-yard touchdown pass.
The extra point pulled UNC to 27-7, but any hope of a comeback was short-lived. On the ensuing possession, Gutierrez capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive by hitting senior wideout Akilah Lacey along the left sideline for a 37-yard touchdown pass – Lacey’s third score of the afternoon.
Idaho State 13 14 7 7 – 41
Northern Colorado 0 0 7 6 – 13
First quarter: ISt – Lacey 16 pass from Gutierrez (Zeidman kick), 8:44. ISt – Clark 31 interception return (kick failed), :12. Second quarter: ISt – Barnett 5 run (Zeidman kick), 6:52. ISt – Lacey 6 pass from Gutierrez (Zeidman kick), :40. Third quarter: UNC – Z. Carlson 78 pass from Wiedeman (Dyches kick), 11:07. ISt – Lacey 37 pass from Gutierrez (Zeidman kick), 6:20. Fourth quarter: UNC – Wiedeman 2 run (run failed), 9:32. ISt – Cornist 3 run (Zeidman kick), 5:59. A – 2,910.
ISt UNC
First downs 23 14
Rushes-yards 42-269 35-108
Passing 159 223
Comp-att-int 18-24-2 19-31-2
Return yards 63 0
Punts-avg. 2-50.0 5-46.0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-0
Penalties-yards 9-58 6-59
Time of possession 28:39 31:21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Idaho St., Barnett 21-173, Cornist 11-76, Gutierrez 6-8. Engelman 2-7, Thompson 1-6, Team 1-(minus 1). N. Colorado, Wilson 17-49, Wiedeman 8-36, Ealy 6-30, Waterman 1-2, Team 1-(minus 1). Breazeale 2-(minus 8).
PASSING – Idaho St., Gutierrez 18-24-2-159. N. Colorado, Wiedeman 16-26-1-210, Breazeale 3-5-1-13.
RECEIVING – Idaho St., Thompson 5-53, Logan 4-36, Lacey 3-59. Barnett 3-5, B.Mennear 2-0, Winn 1-6. N. Colorado, Ealy 8-56. Z. Carlson 6-135, Waterman 2-0, Long 1-14, Chesla 1-10, Wilson 1-8.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
