In addition to trying to improve his team, Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing has had to devote time and energy to damage control and attempting to convince the public he isn’t running a renegade outfit.
Despite a rash of controversies that seemingly have popped up weekly, Downing said he has control of the program. A former assistant at Wyoming, Purdue and Nebraska, Downing is in his first year as a Division I-AA head coach.
“I’m concerned about the public perception of our program; as we all know, perception becomes reality, in a sense,” Downing said as he prepared the Bears (1-6, 0-4 Big Sky) for a Saturday night conference game at Sacramento State (2-5, 2-3).
“They’re isolated incidents; none of them are related to each other,” he added. “But we have to stand up and deal with them.”
In a story that made headlines around the world, former backup Mitch Cozad was charged with attempted murder in the Sept. 11 stabbing of Bears starting punter Rafael Mendoza.
One UNC assistant resigned and three others were suspended for a game after it was revealed that coaches had conducted an unauthorized practice session during the spring. That secondary violation was reported by the school to the NCAA.
Two players have been suspended for their participation in separate off-campus altercations.
Starting defensive lineman Jacob Carlson is suspended indefinitely and required surgery to repair facial fractures. A police report said Carlson was punched after he uttered a racial slur at a Latino man.
Backup fullback Garrett Bliss, a sophomore, will serve a one-game suspension by not playing against Sacramento State.
“For all the things that have gone on, we still have a lot of really, really good kids here,” Downing said. “People are less likely to criticize a program if they know you – what you are about, what you value, what you set forth as the standards for your program. It’s like a recruiting process. If the first perception of you is negative, obviously you have to do the right things that you can and present the positives.
“All you can do is stay the course and allow people to judge you from the long term as opposed to what happened in the short term.”
In an effort to reach out to the community, the football team joined a Greeley flag-football end-of-season gathering Thursday night.
Downing said winning a Big Sky game could be a steppingstone for UNC in terms of gaining confidence, credibility, momentum into spring ball and recruiting implications. The Bears have four more opportunities to notch a Big Sky victory, beginning Saturday.
“That would be a big step for our program,” Downing said.
And no doubt take some of the spotlight away from off-the-field problems.
