University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Football Set To Start Big Sky Play With Northern Arizona
9/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Complete Notes
Game #3 Information
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2008
Kickoff: 1:35 p.m.
Location: Greeley, Colo.
Stadium: Nottingham Field
Capacity: 8,500
Series: NAU, 6-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 22, 2007, NAU 34-14
Game Day Sponsor: Ehrlich Family of Dealerships
Radio: Northern Colorado Radio Network
Greeley: 1310 KFKA
Troy Coverdale, play-by-play
Anders Nelson, color analyst
TV: NA
Video Streaming: www.bigskytv.org
Storyline
The two most southern schools in the Big Sky Conference, ironically both with Northern in their titles, open up conference play on Saturday... Northern Arizona is 2-1 on the year with wins over New Mexico Highlands and Southern Utah, while Northern Colorado is looking for its first victory... For the second straight week, the Bears will be facing one of the top rush defenses in the country, as last week Texas State was ranked No. 14, allowing 70 yards per game and this week Northern Arizona is ranked No. 1, giving up just 20.3 yards per game... The game also pits the top two total offensive teams in the conference as NAU averages 493.7 per game and NC averages 458.0.
The Matchup
Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona both begin Big Sky Conference action on Saturday. This will be the ninth meeting between the two squads, with the Lumberjacks owning a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series. NAU has won both meetings since the Bears joined the Big Sky in 2006 and is 3-1 all-time in both Greeley and Flagstaff.
9/22/2007: L 14-34 Flagstaff 10/27/1979: L 7-16 Flagstaff
11/18/2006: L 3-54 Greeley 10/21/1978: W 33-6 Greeley
9/5/1987: L 17-44 Greeley 10/23/1965: L 0-23 Greeley
11/1/1980: L 13-30 Flagstaff 10/10/1964 W 1-0 forfeit Flagstaff
Already Making A Name
Junior quarterback Bryan Waggener has played two games at Northern Colorado and is already rewriting the records books. On Saturday against Texas State he threw for 402 yards, which is the second-most in a single game in school history behind Nick Henkowski's 436 yards against North Dakota in 1983. Waggener also amassed 395 yards of total offense, which is the fourth-highest total in Bears history. He ranks seventh this week in NCAA FCS in total offense, averaging 305.5 yards per game, as the Big Sky Conference has three quarterbacks ranked among the top eight. Waggener also had 31 completions against Texas State, which is one shy of the school record of 32 against Central Oklahoma in 1978 and North Dakota State in 1987.
The Lone Connector
Northern Colorado junior wide receiver Alex Thompson played junior college ball with Northern Arizona linebacker Stevon Thomas at Chaffey College last season for the lone connection among the teams.
Top Ten
In the current NCAA statistics, Northern Colorado ranks seventh in total offense (458.0/game) and ninth in passing offense (309.0/game). A pair of Ivy League teams lead the nation in both categories as Yale leads in total offense and Harvard in passing offense. Individually, junior quarterback Bryan Waggener is seventh in total offense (305.5/game), while senior linebacker Cristian Sarmento is tied for seventh with 1.0 sacks per game and is tied for 16th with 11 tackles per game. Both of those marks lead the Big Sky Conference.
Mr. Smith Goes To The End Zone
Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Smith had two long touchdown plays against Texas State on Saturday. He scored on an 80-yard rush on the first play from scrimmage, the first carry for more than 50 yards since Patrick Ealy went for 53 against Sam Houston State on Nov. 12, 2005. In the third quarter, Smith caught a 75-yard pass from Bryan Waggener for a touchdown to tie the score at 35-35. It was the first time since Brian Wiedeman hit Zac Carlson against Idaho State on Oct. 7, 2006 a pass was completed for 50 or more yards. Smith's scamper to start the game was also the fourth-longest rushing play in school history.
Hard Hitting
Senior linebacker Cristian Sarmento recorded a Big Sky Conference season-best 18 tackles against Texas State, marking the 10th straight game against FCS teams he has been in double figures in tackles. His 18 tackles tied for the 10th most in Big Sky history. Sarmento also tallied two sacks and three tackles for loss against the Bobcats, bringing his career tackle total to 256. He now needs just 36 more to tie for 10th on the Northern Colorado career charts with 292 (Mike Horton, 1979-80 & Vaughn Lechman, 1984-87). In his time in the Big Sky, Sarmento has amassed 238 tackles, needing 34 more to tie for 10th all-time with 272 (Cyrus Mulitalo, Sacramento State, current).
Career Bests
With all the offense in the game on Saturday, 985 combined yards, there were bound to be several career highs. Senior wide receivers Jason Caprioli and Cory Fauver each had career days, with 63 and 84 reception yards, respectively. Sophomore Sam Sewell had a career-best 14 reception yards and Brandon Smith's big day gave him a career-best 78 rushing yards and 111 reception yards. Defensively, sophomore Max Hewitt recorded a career-best nine tackles and saved a touchdown with his fourth career interception, while senior linebacker Cristian Sarmento had a career-best three tackles for loss with two sacks.
Points A-Plenty
Northern Colorado scored 35 points in the home opener against Texas State, the first time since Oct. 29, 2005 the Bears scored more than 30 in a game when they defeated Fort Lewis on Homecoming, 45-14. The Bears have now scored 45 points this year in two games for an average of 22.5 per game. Last year, it took NC five games to get to the 45 point mark.
Making His Return
Senior captain Joe Kenney returned to the Bears' lineup after missing the opener at Purdue. Kenney recovered a Texas State fumble with 5:24 on the clock in the first quarter. It was the fifth recovered fumble of Kenney's career, tying him for ninth on the NC all-time career charts with six others. The school record is 10 held by Duane Hirsch (1978-81) and Tom Langer (1987-90).
Big Sky Preseason Honors
In the Big Sky Conference preseason football all-conference team released at the annual preseason kickoff in Park City, Utah, two Northern Colorado seniors were tabbed to the team in tight end Ryan Chesla and linebacker Cristian Sarmento. The team was selected by a panel of media members in the league.
Chesla was named to the 2007 Big Sky All-Conference First Team, becoming the first-ever pick for the Bears. He led the team with 40.4 reception yards per game, gaining 444 yards on 37 catches and four touchdowns, missing the final game of the season due to injury.
Sarmento was a second-team pick at the conclusion of the 2007 season, finishing the year ranked second in the Big Sky Conference with 135 tackles in 11 games, as he also missed the season finale with an injury.
Phil Steele Predicts...
In the Phil Steele's football 2008 preview, four Bears were tabbed on the Preseason Big Sky Teams. Senior tight end Ryan Chesla was named to the first team offense, while junior defensive end John Eddy, senior linebacker Cristian Sarmento and sophomore defensive back Quincy Wofford were all named to the second team defense.
Oh Captain, My Captain
At the conclusion of the spring practices, the team voted and named senior offensive lineman Jacob Thornbrue and senior linebackers Joe Kenney and Cristian Sarmento as captains for the 2008 team. This is the second year in a row Kenney has served as a captain and the first season for the other two.
Coors Light Coaches Show
Beginning Sept. 3, join head coach Scott Downing and "Voice of the Bears" Troy Coverdale at Cables Pub & Grill (1923 59th Avenue, Greeley) at 6:00 p.m. for the Coors Light Northern Colorado Coaches Show on 1310 KFKA. Coach will cover the upcoming week as well as break down the previous week and take questions from fans in the audience.
Watch The Big Sky
All home and conference games will be featured again this year on BigSkyTV.org, a website that streams video and audio for football, men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball. All games taking place in a Big Sky venue will be available. This year's subscription is free to Big Sky TV for live events, however, there will be a charge for events on demand.
