As a Division I program, Northern Colorado football hasn’t finished a season 0-11 since 2011.
While this year’s Bears might not be aware of some of the specifics of the program’s past struggles, the coaches and players know where they are now: winless heading into the 11th and final game of the regular season later this week.
UNC, 0-7 in the Big Sky Conference and 0-10 overall, hosts Portland State at noon Saturday at Nottingham Field. The game will be available on the streaming platform ESPN+ and on KFKA radio.
The theme of the game is senior day and military appreciation day. The team and the program will honor six seniors: quarterback Jacob Sirmon, defensive back Tywonne Harris, defensive back Tizell Lewis, defensive back Cameron Murray, linebacker Jacob Stanton and offensive lineman Karson Oliver.
The winless season won’t be a point of emphasis this week, first-year Bears head coach Ed Lamb said Tuesday. Lamb and his coaching staff are also looking for the first win since Lamb was hired in December 2022.
“I don’t bring up our record on a daily basis with our team,” Lamb said, previously mentioning the record is disappointing, embarrassing and a source of shame for everyone in the program. “I don’t try to use it as a motivational tactic or tool. We’ve tried and believed every single week we’ve stepped on the field, and that includes at Washington State, we always have a plan to win. Everybody’s aware there’s a lot of pressure.”
Portland State comes to Greeley for the first time since 2019. The Vikings are 3-4 in the Big Sky, 4-6 overall and on a two-game losing streak. UC Davis (37-23) and Montana (34-10) defeated Portland State the past two weeks.
UNC did not play UC Davis this year. The Bears lost to Montana 40-0 on Oct. 28. Of the other common opponents, Portland State defeated Cal Poly and Northern Arizona and lost to Idaho State.
Redshirt freshman Shea Kuykendall, who started the two previous games with injuries to starter Sirmon and backup Hank Gibbs, again opens the week as the Bears’ No. 1 quarterback.
As the No. 1 QB on Tuesday — the day when the Bears reconvene for on-field practice ahead of the next game — Kuykendall then is most likely to start Saturday against Portland State. Thatap not 100% in the bag, but itap where things stood as of Tuesday.
Lamb said itap hoped and anticipated to have Sirmon and Gibbs available this week.
Lamb said Portland State’s MO is the run game. He called the Vikings the best rushing team he’s seen in the Big Sky Conference for the reason that they’re going to run the ball, opponents know this and Portland State remains productive on the ground.
Statistically, the Vikings are the second-best rushing team in the conference with 216.2 yards per game. Montana State is the top rushing team in the conference at 302.1 yards per game.
Lamb said UNC has not seen much on Montana State’s running game this year. UNC did not play the Bobcats this season.
Montana is third at 192.8 yards. Montana and Montana State will play for the conference championship Saturday in Missoula.
Vikings junior back Jobi Malary is third in the Big Sky in rushing (72.56 yards per game behind Idaho’s Anthony Woods, 98.6, and Montana’s Eli Gillman 82.4), third in scoring (72 points) and third in scoring touchdowns (12 touchdowns in 9 games).
UNC’s David Afari is fifth in the Big Sky with 62 yards per game rushing. He has two touchdowns.
Malary ran for six touchdowns Oct. 28 in a 47-35 win over Eastern Washington.
“He’s got some really good top-end speed,” UNC defensive coordinator Preston Hadley said of Malary. “You see a lot of explosive runs where he’s finishing them and he’s actually out running DBs (defensive backs). He does a good job of finding the soft spots in a defense, finding creases and being patient.”
Hadley said UNC has to handle Malary by gang tackling him and lean on its culture of energy, effort and playing with a great attitude.
“Swarming to the football and focusing on our execution,” Hadley said. “We’ve faced a lot of good backs. I think we’ve handled ourselves well on defense through conference play. We just have to do a better job of tackling.”
The Vikings have depth in the run game. Quarterback Dante Chachere is the second-leading rusher, averaging 50.6 yards per game rushing with seven touchdowns, as well as being one of the most effective passers in the conference. He’s seventh in total offense — running and throwing — at 190.4 yards per game and eighth in passing average yards per game (139.8).
Freshman back Quincy Craig is averaging 68.3 yards per game rushing with three touchdowns. Craig is from Mater Dei High School, a renowned football program in Santa Ana, California.
Senior Andrew Van Buren is a transfer from Boise State with 220 yards this season and three touchdowns.
“Itap a good offense,” Hadley said. They run the ball effectively, the receivers are very capable and the quarterback is capable of getting the ball there. They definitely lean on the run game.”
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