Greeley – They celebrated a championship season Saturday afternoon at Nottingham Field.
Honored at the Northern Colorado-Montana game were players from UNC’s 1996 Division II national title team, led by Joe Glenn, the current coach at Wyoming. Glenn even conducted the UNC band in a stirring rendition of the school fight song.
And for much of the first half, the 2006 Bears rose to the occasion, displaying the precision and fire reminiscent of the team that captured a national title a decade ago.
Then reality, in the imposing form of the second-ranked Montana Grizzlies, reared up to remind the 2006 Bears they remain mere cubs in the Division I-AA Big Sky Conference. Montana routed UNC 53-21, cranking out a season-high 542 yards on offense and clinching at least a share of its ninth consecutive Big Sky title.
“We did some good things in the first half, but I think Montana made some adjustments at halftime, and then they did what we were most scared of,” first-year UNC coach Scott Downing said. “They decided to pound the ball at us.”
Led by Thomas Brooks-Fletcher’s 100-yard day, the Grizzlies rushed for 289 yards on 43 carries – a glossy 6.7-yard average. From the waning minutes of the second quarter through the end of the third, Montana scored 37 unanswered points.
On a chilly, overcast afternoon, UNC senior running back Andre Wilson produced a small ray of sunshine. The George Washington High School product rushed for 116 yards in the first half and finished with 141 yards on 25 carries.
On a 5-yard run early in the second quarter, he moved past the late Adam Matthews into second place on UNC’s career rushing list. Wilson (3,431) needs 89 yards in the season finale Saturday against Northern Arizona to pass Billy Holmes (3,519 in 1994-97) and become the school’s all-time leading rusher.
“It’s always in the back of my head, but I always focus on what I can do to help us beat the next opponent,” Wilson said.
Montana earned a 10-0 lead, thanks to Tuff Harris’ 56-yard return for a touchdown off a low, line-drive punt by Rafael Mendoza. UNC cut the lead to 10-7 early in the second quarter on T.J. Swanson’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Robert Long.
When Wilson sliced in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown run with 5:04 remaining in the first half, the Grizzlies’ lead was down to 16-14.
But the Grizzlies quickly scored two touchdowns in the last five minutes to take a 30-14 halftime lead.
The player who hurt the Bears the most was receiver Craig Chambers, who added a 57-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter to finish with six receptions for 171 yards.
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
