Looking for a semblance of success, Northern Colorado opens Big Sky Conference play Saturday at Northern Arizona.
The Bears (0-3) are on an 11-game losing streak dating to last year. They have been outscored 143-19 this year and are allowing 539 yards of offense per game, more than twice as much as they’re creating (243).
“We continue to emphasize the fundamentals and basics, and hold our expectations high,” UNC coach Scott Downing said Thursday. “You can’t hit a panic mode or anything, because frankly, we see things in games and in practice that lead us to believe that we’re continuing to develop.
“You know, we’ve got 90 players on this team and 63 of them are freshmen and sophomores. There is a growth period there, and we’re playing an awful lot of young guys that don’t have experience, and that’s tough against a good schedule. It doesn’t get any easier this week.”
The Lumberjacks (1-2) began with a 47-0 victory against Western New Mexico and then lost to Division I-A Arizona (45-24) and Appalachian State (34-21), ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA.
Downing said he again would play two quarterbacks Saturday, with junior Mike Vlahogeorge getting the start over preseason No. 1 Dominic Breazeale, a senior. Both have played in all three games.
Vlahogeorge, who transferred from Indiana, has completed 52.5 percent of his passes for 272 yards. Breazeale is connecting at 59.4 percent for 178 yards.
“We haven’t gotten the consistency out of that position,” Downing said. “We’d like someone to emerge, to step up, and take leadership in that position, not to be the outspoken leader, but to set the tone. As your quarterback goes is usually how your offense goes.”
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
