Greeley – For one memorable moment Saturday afternoon, Andre Wilson rose above the futility of Northern Colorado’s 1-10 season, its 54-3 loss to Northern Arizona and a record-setting performance by senior quarterback Jason Murrietta.
With 5:06 left in the first quarter, Wilson sped around the left side, threw a few ankle-busting moves at Lumberjacks defenders and ran 45 yards to the NAU 15. The highlight-reel run moved the Bears’ senior past Billy Holmes and into first place as UNC’s all-time leading rusher. Wilson finished his career with 3,561 yards, besting Holmes’ 3,519.
“As seniors, we didn’t want to go out on this note, we wanted to go out with at least a win in the Big Sky Conference,” said Wilson, a graduate of George Washington High School. “Individually it was a good day for me, but it was just sad to send the guys I played with for four years out with a loss. That’s not what we came out here to do today.”
Wilson rushed for 136 yards on 23 carries, finishing the season with 1,027 yards. But his performance wasn’t nearly enough to save the Bears from the first 10-loss season in school history and an 0-8 record in the Big Sky.
“That was the best offense we’ve seen all year,” said first-year coach Scott Downing, who watched the Lumberjacks gain 667 yards on 90 plays, averaging 7.4 yards.
In Murrietta and wide receiver Alex Watson, the Lumberjacks showcased their two record-setters. Murrietta picked apart a lackluster UNC defense, completing 29-of-41 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns. He finished with 94 career touchdown passes, second in Big Sky history behind Montana’s Dave Dickenson (96). Watson caught 12 passes for 119 yards and three scores. His 15 TD receptions set an NAU single-season record.
The Bears threw everything at Murrietta – corner blitzes, zone blitzes, cover-2 – but nothing worked. Slinging the ball downfield with a funky sidearm motion, Murrietta sliced the Bears’ secondary like a surgeon. At one point, he completed 12 consecutive passes.
“It was pretty easy, I saw what they were going to try to do to me,” said Murrietta, who concluded the season with 34 TD passes, including 11 in his final two games. “In that first half, I had complete control of what we were trying to do and our offense executed really well.”
The Lumberjacks never punted and scored on eight of 11 offensive possessions.
UNC stayed in contention for one quarter. The Bears trailed only 7-3 when Wilson ripped off his long run, but David Dyches then missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt and NAU countered with an 80-yard scoring drive.
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
