GREELEY — Looking like a mature, well-coached team in Saturday’s home opener at Nottingham Field, Northern Colorado helped its fans forget about the bad-news Bears of seasons past.
UNC amassed 477 yards and intercepted four passes while defeating San Diego 31-12 before a soggy crowd of 5,247, some of whom stormed the field at the final buzzer.
“I liked that,” Bears quarterback Bryan Waggener said of the postgame celebration. “We took this as a do-or-die game. We had to get a big win at home to kick our season off right.”
Two years ago, San Diego battered the Bears 49-13. The Toreros (1-1) of the nonscholarship Pioneer Football League went 9-2 the past two seasons and allowed just 12 yards rushing in last week’s opener against Azusa Pacific.
The Bears (1-1) gained 256 yards on the ground.
Junior tailback Andre Harris produced 152 yards and two touchdowns, and freshman John Burnley added 84 yards on the strength of a 34-yard touchdown run.
“We just feel like we have such a better team this year,” Waggener said. “As a whole, we just feel good as a team, so confidence comes (naturally).”
Waggener, who completed 10-of-20 passes for 221 yards, directed the Bears’ balanced attack. He connected with Alex Thompson for an 80-yard TD to open the scoring, and later found Patrick Walker for a 65-yard gain to set up another touchdown.
The Bears started strong, scoring the game’s first 17 points, and finished strong, producing consecutive touchdowns after San Diego came within 17-12 early in the fourth quarter. Harris scored from 7 and 19 yards out to put the game out of reach.
“I was really pleased with the way we came out with the way the weather was,” fourth-year UNC coach Scott Downing said. “I think our offense and defense are playing pretty confidently right now and this game will be a big step in that.
“Anytime you can win against a quality opponent like San Diego, it helps your mental outlook.”
The Toreros amassed 248 yards, averaging just 3.5 per pop. UNC defensive backs Korey Askew, Max Hewitt, Quincy Wofford and Chuks Nweke registered interceptions.
“In the offseason we added some speed, and with speed comes the ability to make big plays,” Downing said, “and I thought our defense did a good job swarming to the football.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
