Game #11 Information
Date: Saturday, November 10, 2007
Kickoff: 12:05 p.m. MT
Location: Greeley, Colo.
Stadium: Nottingham Field
Capacity: 8,500
Series: Sacramento State leads 1-0
Last Meeting: October 28, 2006; SAC 14-9
Promotions: Hall of Fame Game; Armed Forces Day
Radio: Northern Colorado Radio Network
Greeley: 1310 KFKA
Troy Coverdale, play-by-play
Chris Ott, color analyst
Internet Video Streaming: bigskytv.org
TV: None
It's An Honor
Saturday's game is part of the Hall of Fame Weekend, where from football, both Billy Holmes (1994-97) and the 1997 football National Championship Team will be inducted at a ceremony on Friday evening. Others being inducted are: Karl Dodge (Track & Field, 1988-93), Ed Dyer (Baseball, 1961-64), Jim Lord (Contributor), Mandy Nilsen (Soccer, 1998-01) and Stormie Wells (Volleyball, 1992-95). The game is also being touted as Armed Forces Day, where all individuals showing military ID will be admitted for free.
Home Sweet Home
The Bears close out their regular season with the final two games of the season at Nottingham Field, hosting Sacramento State and Portland State. This week, NC faces the Hornets who are tied with the Bears in league action with identical 1-5 records. The Bears' win came two weeks ago on their home field against Montana State, while the Hornets' defeated Northern Arizona back on Sept. 28. Northern Colorado also closed out last year with two straight home games, losing to Montana and Northern Arizona.
Series Record
This will be only the second meeting between Sacramento State and Northern Colorado and the first in Greeley. Last season, the Hornets defeated the Bears 14-9 in Sacramento. The Bears took the early 3-0 lead and trailed by one, 7-6 at halftime. The Bears regained the lead in the third quarter on a 34-yard field goal by David Dyches, 9-7 but Sacramento State scored with 2:53 left in the third for the final score of 14-9.
2006: Sacramento L, 9-14
The Northern Colorado Connection
Once again, freshman offensive lineman Andrew Dunkley went to high school with someone from the opposition as Sacramento State's Torell Baker (WR) and Kevin Davis (DB) all attended Long Beach Poly, though Baker and Davis are a couple of years older than Dunkley.
2007 Sacramento State Schedule
Sept. 1 at Fresno State L, 3-24
Sept. 15 *at Portland State L, 24-35
Sept. 22 at New Mexico L, 0-58
Sept. 29 *NORTHERN ARIZONA W, 38-9
Oct. 6 *at Weber State L, 7-26
Oct. 13 *MONTANA L, 3-17
Oct. 20 at Montana State L, 9-20
Oct. 27 *EASTERN WASHINGTON L, 30-38
Nov. 3 UC DAVIS L, 26-31
Nov. 10 *at Northern Colorado 12:05 p.m.
Nov. 17 *IDAHO STATE 2:05 p.m.
*Indicates Big Sky Conference Game
The Cristian Crusades
For the second straight week, Northern Colorado had a defensive player named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. This week, junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento earned the honor after recording a career-best 20 tackles at Eastern Washington. Sarmento's tally also ties for the 10th most in school history, tying Ed Markham from the Eastern New Mexico game in 1978 and is the most in a game for a Bear since Reed Doughty had 21 against Nebraska-Omaha in 2002. Sarmento has now been in double figures in tackles in the last seven games and he leads the league with 14.2 tackles per game against conference opponents and ranks third against all opponents with 11.8 per game, which is good for ninth in the nation.
Returning With A Bang
After missing the Montana State game with an injury, junior running back David Woods re-entered the starting lineup against Eastern Washington, rushing for 102 yards on 19 carries. It is the second time this season Woods has surpassed the century mark in a single game (130 at Cal Poly) and the fifth time in nine games he has had over 100 all-purpose yards in a contest.
Triple Threat
Northern Colorado now has three players with over 300 receiving yards each this season. Junior tight end Ryan Chesla leads with 390 yards (33 catches), while senior wide receiver Andy Birkel has 366 yards (33) and junior wide receiver Cory Fauver has 319 (31). The last time three receivers each had over 300 in a season was in 2002, when five players had over 400 yards.
Ain't It Grand?
Senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale threw for his 1,000th yard of the season in the final quarter and now has 1,001 for the year. It brings his career total to 2,019 and he is now just 18 yards shy of passing last season's total of 1,018 yards.
Pick Me
Sophomore defensive back Stephen Michon became the sixth different player this season to record an interception in a game this season, picking off Matt Nichol's pass and returning it 12 yards. The Bears have 10 interceptions for 229 yards in 2007, while opponents have picked off just eight passes for 78 yards. The team also has tied last year's total of 10 interceptions, but has surpassed the yardage tally by 152 yards, as the 2006 squad returned for 77 yards.
On Pace
Junior running back David Woods is just 116 yards shy of 1,000 all purpose yards this season. It would be the sixth straight year and the 25th time in school history a player has surpassed the century mark in all purpose yards. Woods is averaging 98.2 yards per game, so at his current pace, will break the 1,000 yard mark in the season finale against Portland State on Nov. 17.
Triple Threat, Part II
When looking to get six points on the board, it's a pretty good bet offensive coordinator Dennis Darnell is going to call one of three numbers, 21, 9 or 84. Junior running back David Woods leads the team with five touchdowns this year, while junior tight end Ryan Chesla has four and senior tight end Clint Wright has three. The only other non-kicker to score points this season is junior quarterback Mike Vlahogeorge who rushed for six-points in the season opener against Hawai'i.
The Advantage
After not leading at any point in the first eight games of the season, Northern Colorado has held the lead in the last two contests. The Bears won against Montana State 16-13 and held the lead at 3-0, 10-6, 13-6 and 16-13, while against Eastern Washington last week the Bears were up 7-0 and 7-3.
Defense Cracking Down
In the last two games, Northern Colorado opponents have scored just 30 points (15.0 per game) after they were averaging almost 42 per game (41.8) through the first eight games. In conference play only, the defense is allowing 27.5 points per game, compared to 36.4 against all opponents.
Backs Against The Wall
Against Big Sky Conference opponents, Northern Colorado has converted 6-of-8 fourth down plays, which ranks third in the conference with teams with five or more chances. The Bears were 0-for-8 against non-conference teams, but have stepped up in league play converting 75% of their fourth-down opportunities. On the flip side, NC is tied for second in the conference allowing opponents to convert just 50% of the time on fourth-down conversions (5-for-10) after non-conference foes converted on 5-of-7 (71.4%) of their chances.
Turnovers
Northern Colorado has forced at least one turnover in 20 of 22 games since head coach Scott Downing took over the reins of the program. The Bears have forced 18 turnovers this season and have done so in all but one game (Idaho State). Against Montana State, the Bears gained possession five times from the Bobcats.
Statistically Speaking
Several Bears rank among the Big Sky Conference leaders this season. Junior running back David Woods ranks seventh in rushing yards per game, averaging 70.9, while senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale ranks ninth in both passing yards per game (100.1) and pass efficiency (104.8). Freshman defensive back Max Hewitt is eighth in the conference in interceptions per game (0.30) and senior punter Rafael Mendoza ranks seventh in punting average (39.8). Junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento is the highest ranked Bear in the league statistics, sitting third with 11.8 tackles per game. Sophomore defensive end John Eddy currently sits in a tie for seventh with 4.0 sacks this season and is tied for eighth with 9.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore corner back Quincy Wofford also ranks ninth with nine passes defended.
A Pair Of Awards
After the Bears' victory over Montana State, the Big Sky Conference awarded both sophomore corner back Quincy Wofford and redshirt freshman kicker Zak Bigelow with defensive and special teams player of the week honors, respectively. Wofford recorded a career-best 10 tackles, had two pass break-ups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery, while Bigelow scored 10 points, including making the game-winning field goal from 37-yards with just four seconds left on the clock. They were the first weekly awards of the season for a Northern Colorado football player and just the second and third in the team's short history in the conference.
Upset Bid
Northern Colorado snapped a 16-game losing streak with the upset victory over #19 Montana State, winning its first-ever Big Sky Conference game. The Bears win was the first in 2007 and the second of head coach Scott Downing's career with the team. Both of his victories are now over ranked opponents as in 2006, NC defeated #23 Texas State, 14-13 in San Marcos.
Rate Of Return
Junior wide receiver Cory Fauver surpassed the 200 yard mark in returns this season (kickoffs + punts) with the game against Eastern Washington. Fauver had four kickoff returns for 78 yards, including a long of 28 and one punt return for two yards. He now has 60 yards of punt returns and 145 yards of kickoff returns, with longs of 12 and 51 yards, respectively. He currently ranks third in Big Sky Conference statistics against conference opponents in punt returns (6.1 per return) and 10th in kickoff returns (20.7 per return).
Block That Punt
The key for victory at Northern Colorado might just be blocking a punt in a game. Redshirt freshman Joe Silipo blocked a punt against Montana State in the second quarter, becoming the first player since sophomore Martin Awachie did it last season at #23 Texas State - both wins for the Bears. Silipo becomes the second player to block a kick this season as sophomore Quincy Wofford blocked an extra-point attempt at Idaho State on Oct. 6. Junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento is the only other active player on the roster with a blocked kick, as he blocked a punt against Colorado School of Mines to open the 2005 season.
Getting It Done
Junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento recorded a career-best 20 tackles against Eastern Washington, bringing his current streak of double figure tackles to seven straight games. His streak is the longest since Reed Doughty started 2005 with six consecutive games of 10 or more tackles. Sarmento now ranks 9th in the nation for total tackles per game, third in the Big Sky Conference against all opponents and is leads with 14.2 tackles per game in league tilts. Sarmento is now just 10 tackles shy of appearing on the school's single season top 10 list, as he has 122 on the year and 10th on the charts is Scott Zimmerman from 1999 with 132. The single season record for tackles is 193 by Bob Knapton in 1981.
Hitting The End Zone
Last season, Northern Colorado scored six touchdowns through the air in its 11 games. With the touchdown pass from senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale to senior tight end Clint Wright against Montana State, the Bears have seven passing touchdowns through the first 10 games this season.
The Future's So Bright
True freshman defensive back Max Hewitt recorded his third interception of the season and the second in as many games against #3 Montana and returned it 73 yards to the eight-yard line. His return is the sixth longest in school history and the longest non-scoring interception return ever at Northern Colorado. Hewitt now has three interceptions for 93 yards on the season. His 73 yard return is also the third longest in the league this year, his 93 total return yards also ranks third and his three picks ties for the second most (6, K.J. Gerard, Northern Arizona).
Catch This
A total of 16 different players have caught at least one pass for the Bears this season. Senior wide receiver Andy Birkel and junior tight end Ryan Chesla lead with 33 catches each, while junior wide receiver Cory Fauver has caught 31 passes. In players with more than 10 receptions, Chesla leads the team averaging 11.8 yards per catch, while senior tight end Clint Wright is at 11.3, Birkel is averaging 11.1 and Fauver is at 10.3 yards per catch.
Catching The Long Ball
For the second time this season, five different receivers caught passes for 20 or more yards in the same game. Junior wide receiver Cory Fauver caught three passes for 54 yards and the long catch of the day at 36 yards against Montana State. Freshman wide receiver Brandon Smith caught a game-high six passes for 72 yards with a long of 29, while junior tight end Ryan Chesla caught two for 32 with a long of 26. Senior tight end Clint Wright caught three passes for 39 yards and one touchdown with a long catch of 25 and senior wide receiver Andy Birkel caught three passes for 58 yards and a long of 22. The Bears also had five players have receptions of 20 or more yards against Northern Arizona, and that was the first time NC had five with catches of 20 or more yards since Oct. 18, 2003 against Florida Atlantic.
Big Offensive Plays
After not having any plays for 20 or more yards in the first two games of the year, the Bears have put together 23 (21 pass, 2 rush) plays from scrimmage that have covered at least 20 yards. Seven of those 23 passing plays have been to junior tight end Ryan Chesla, with five coming from senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale and one coming from junior quarterback Mike Vlahogeorge. Redshirt freshman Andy Muns has one rush for 20 yards, while junior David Woods also has a 20-yard gain on the ground this season. Last year, the Bears had 34 plays (23 pass, 11 rush) for 20 or more yards.
Going Streaking
Senior wide receiver Andy Birkel has caught at least one pass in all 21 games he has played for Northern Colorado... Senior defensive tackle Vinny Pallone started in his 28th consecutive game against Eastern Washington, the longest active streak on the team... Junior wide receiver Cory Fauver has had multiple receptions in all 10 games this year... Junior linebacker Joe Kenney has had three or more tackles in 23 straight games and in 29 of the 30 in his career, while junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento has notched four or more tackles in 21 straight and has been in double figures in the last seven contests.
A Win This Week Would...
Be the first two-game home winning streak for the Bears since 2005... Tie the all-time series 1-1 against Sacramento State... Be the third win for head coach Scott Downing at Northern Colorado and the 16th of his career... Move Northern Colorado into eighth place in the Big Sky Conference standings.
By The Numbers
Junior linebacker Joe Kenney is now just four tackles shy of 200 for his career... Junior tight end Ryan Chesla needs 69 yards to garner 500 reception yards for his career, while junior wide receiver Brian Barmann is 142 yards shy of the same milestone... Junior running back David Woods is 116 yards shy of 1,000 all-purpose yards for the season... Senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale now has 1,001 passing yards for the season... Senior wide receiver Andy Birkel is 82 yards shy of 1,500 all-purpose yards for his career... Senior defensive back D.J. Craft is nine tackles shy of 100.
Double Trouble
Twice this season two Bears have broken the 100-yard barrier in all purpose yards in the same game. Junior defensive back Eric Brown notched 104 yards all coming in kickoff returns, while junior running back David Woods tallied 101 yards (98 rushing, 3 receiving) at Idaho State. The Bears also had two over 100 at San Diego with Woods gaining 180 all-purpose yards, while senior wide receiver Andy Birkel garnered 101 yards.
Tight End Tandem
The Bears feature tight ends junior Ryan Chesla and senior Clint Wright. Last season, the two combined to average 0.81 catches per game (9 catches, 89 yards, 0 touchdowns). Thus far in 2007, they're averaging 4.8 catches per game (48 catches, 560 yards, 7 touchdowns), 56.0 yards per game and have all seven receiving touchdowns on the year.
Injury Update
Senior defensive back Aaron Henderson, sophomore defensive end Scott Allen and sophomore cornerback Korey Askew are all out the remainder of the season with knee injuries. Junior defensive back Eric Brown injured his right arm against MSU and is doubtful for the remainder of the season.
All New Conference Call
For the first time in Big Sky Conference history, the league will sponsor a weekly conference call with the nine head coaches. The call will take place on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon (Mountain) beginning Sept. 5. Northern Colorado head coach Scott Downing will fill the fifth time slot from 10:02 to 10:10.
10:30-10:38 John Zamberlin, Idaho State 11:10-11:18 Jerome Souers, Northern Arizona
10:38-10:46 Bobby Hauck, Montana 11:18-11:26 Paul Wulff, Eastern Washington
10:46-10:54 Ron McBride, Weber State 11:26-11:34 Marshall Sperbeck, Sacramento St.
10:54-11:02 Rob Ash, Montana State 11:34-11:42 Jerry Glanville, Portland State
11:02-11:10 Scott Downing, No. Colorado 11:42-noon (if needed) Commissioner Fullerton
All In The Family
The Bears sport two pair of brothers currently on the roster in Matt (Fr-LB) and Mike (Jr-QB) Vlahogeorge, and Justin (So-RB) and Korey (So-DB) Askew but there are several other members of the team who had brothers on previous year's teams. Senior linebacker Asa Matthew's brother Adam played for the Bears from 1999-2003, while senior nose guard Vinny Pallone's brother Dominic played for the Bears from 1996-00.
Ahoy, Captain
In a vote by the players, Northern Colorado named three defensive players and one offensive player as their captains for 2007. Senior defensive back Aaron Henderson, junior linebacker Joe Kenney and senior nose guard Vinny Pallone represent the defense, while senior center Jake Gable represents the offense.
