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.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
