University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, October 24
Greeley, Colo.
1:35 p.m.
University of Northern Colorado
4-3 , 2-3
41
vs
43
Eastern Washington University
5-2 , 4-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Eastern Washington
6
13
7
17
43
Northern Colorado
7
7
14
13
41
Team Stats
EWU
UNCO
Total Yards
648
410
Pass Yards
428
257
Rushing Yards
220
153
Penalty Yards
72
42
1st Downs
35
21
3rd Downs
12
5
4th Downs
2
2
TOP
36:58
23:02
1st Quarter
EWU 0, UNCO 7
UNCO - M. McCauley 16 yd pass from Jacob Knipp (Jamie Falloon kick) 15 plays, 80 yards, TOP 6:04
EWU 6, UNCO 7
EWU - Cooper Kupp 8 yd pass from Jordan West (B. Bangsund kickblocked) 14 plays, 60 yards, TOP 4:28
2nd Quarter
EWU 12, UNCO 7
EWU - Jordan West 5 yd run (B. Bangsund kickfailed), 12 plays, 88 yards, TOP 3:43
EWU 12, UNCO 14
UNCO - Alex Wesley 46 yd pass from Jacob Knipp (Jamie Falloon kick) 2 plays, 74 yards, TOP 0:32
EWU 19, UNCO 14
EWU - Cooper Kupp 2 yd pass from Jordan West (Jordan Dascalo kick) 6 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:08
3rd Quarter
EWU 19, UNCO 21
UNCO - Ellis Onic 75 yd punt return (Jamie Falloon kick)
EWU 26, UNCO 21
EWU - Jalen Moore 5 yd run (Jordan Dascalo kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:01
EWU 26, UNCO 28
UNCO - Hakeem Deggs 93 yd kickoff return (Jamie Falloon kick)
4th Quarter
EWU 33, UNCO 28
EWU - Terence Grady 5 yd pass from Jordan West (Jordan Dascalo kick) 16 plays, 74 yards, TOP 6:15
EWU 40, UNCO 28
EWU - Cooper Kupp 22 yd pass from Jordan West (Jordan Dascalo kick) 12 plays, 63 yards, TOP 4:36
EWU 40, UNCO 35
UNCO - M. McCauley 20 yd pass from Jacob Knipp (Jamie Falloon kick) 13 plays, 76 yards, TOP 3:01
EWU 40, UNCO 41
UNCO - M. McCauley 58 yd pass from Jacob Knipp (Darius Graham rushfailed) 3 plays, 53 yards, TOP 0:47
EWU 43, UNCO 41
EWU - Jordan Dascalo 44 yd field goal 9 plays, 49 yards, TOP 1:19
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
20
TD
4
YDS
257
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
K
/ FootballQB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ FootballPhoto by: Rob Trubia
Last Second Field Goal Denies @UNCBEARSFB Upset Bid Over #7 EWU
10/24/2015 9:04:00 PM | Football
 (10/24/2015) Football: vs. Eastern Washington
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado (4-3, 2-3 Big Sky) went toe-to-toe with #7 Eastern Washington (5-2, 4-0 Big Sky) on Saturday afternoon at Nottingham Field.
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The Bears erased a 40-28 fourth quarter deficit on back-to-back redshirt freshman TE, Michael McCauley touchdown catches to take the lead, 41-40 with just 1:23 to go in the game.
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The Eagles were able to make quick work with the limited time, driving 49 yards in nine plays to kick a 44-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to spoil UNC's upset bid.
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McCauley had a career day, leading all receivers with 111 yards on four catches and three touchdowns. The receiving yards and TD catches were all career-highs for the first year tight end.
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The special teams also contributed in a major way with 201 yards returning and two touchdowns coming off a 93-yard kickoff return from redshirt sophomore wide out, Hakeem Deggs, and a 75-yard punt return from fellow redshirt sophomore receiver, Ellis Onic II. The unit also recovered an onside kick late in the game to keep the team in the game, courtesy of redshirt freshman WR, Alex Wesley.
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It was the first time in nearly 30 years that the Bears returned both a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown, and the first time that D1 program history that the team has accomplished such a feat.
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Redshirt freshman Jacob Knipp had one of the best performances of his season, ending the day 20-of-29 with 257 yards passing and four TD tosses.
Northern Colorado pushed out 410 yards of total offense, but were outgained by the Eagles, who finished with 648 yards, with 275 of them coming from EWU's junior receiver, Cooper Kupp who ended with 20 catches after it was all said and done.
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Even after the tough loss, head coach Earnest Collins Jr. gave praise to the way his team performed.Â
"We have a young ball club and we're making strides. I told the guys this is a part of the process," Collins said about his team. "You don't like this part and you don't want to lose games whether it's against the worst team in the country or the seventh best team in the country, you don't want to lose the game. It's easy to move forward when you beat a team in the last minute like at Sac State – it's easy to move forward when you beat a team like we did last week against UC Davis – now what? We just went toe-to-toe with them and lost on the last play. How we respond to this will tell me how we are growing as a team."The Bears wasted no time after starting the game with the ball. On their opening drive, UNC was able to go 80 yards in 10 plays.
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Knipp connected with McCauley for the first of his three touchdowns from 16 yards out to give the home team a 7-0 lead with 8:50 left in the opening quarter.
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After trading punts on the next two series, Eastern Washington found its way into the end zone.
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The drive began with 6:24 left in the first and ate up nearly four and half minutes, but EWU's QB, Jordan West was able to find Kupp from eight yards out for the score.
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Special teams applied some pressure on the PAT as junior backer, Kyle Newsom blocked the punt, making it a 7-6 game, heading into the second quarter.
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Another punt from the Bears, gave the Eagles the ball to open the quarter and again, they were able to add to the scoreboard.
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After an 88-yard drive, West ran it up the middle on a QB keeper for six. The PAT was no good, this time missing to the right, making it a 12-7 ball game with over 11 minutes to play until the half.
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A confident UNC offense jogged back on to the field and needed just two plays to match the touchdown.
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Knipp opened the drive with a 28-yard run, setting the team up with a 1st and 10 on the EWU 46. On the very next play the quarterback showed off his arm strength, finding a wide open Wesley down the left sideline for a 46-yard conversion in the end zone.
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32 seconds later, the scoreboard read, 14-12, in favor of UNC.
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Neither team capitalized on the next four series.
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Perhaps it was foreshadowing, but with just a 1:15 left until halftime, the Eagles rushed down the field and were able to score on another Kupp catch, this time from two yards out, to take a 19-14 lead into the locker room.
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"Our team showed great resolve," added Collins. "We could have easily folded when things got tough, but they kept driving and kept going. We have to start building off of things like this when it happens to us. You feel in your soul that you should have and could have won a game with a recovery of an onside kick and a tip-catch for a touchdown, and then you come up short – but that's where the whole psychology of the game comes into play. How do we get over this, and move on to the next week."
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It was Eastern Washington's ball to begin the third quarter, but UNC's defense did a good job of stopping the high-powered offense, forcing their only three-and-out of the game and a punt.
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The Bears made good on the D's solid effort, traveling 87 yards all the way down to the EWU six yard line, in what looked to be another scoring drive.
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Unfortunately, redshirt sophomore running back, Brandon Cartagena mishandled the handoff and fumbled on the two yard line. The Eagles pounced on it, squandering any hopes of another score.
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Unfazed, Defensive coordinator Larry Kerr's unit went back to work, once again forcing another Eastern Washington punt, and that's went Onic went to work.
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Onic took the punt from his own 25-yard line and with a juke and a change of direction the speedster was gone, going 75 yards to the house for his second punt return TD of the season and giving his team a 21-19 lead with 5:36 to play in the third.
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Eastern quickly silenced the crowd, answering the call on a six play, 75-yard drive. This time it was the ground game that got it done for the Eagles, scoring on a five-yard punch-in from RB, Jalen Moore.
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Down by five (26-21), the special teams got right back to work.
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Fielding the kickoff at the seven yard line, Deggs took it up the right sideline, and found some breathing room after a quick spin move. A quick change of direction and some solid blocking broke the wide out free for a 93-yard scamper to the goal line for his second kickoff return touchdown of the season.
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Hysteria ensued from the 4,254 fans in attendance as UNC had a 28-26 lead heading into the fourth quarter against one of the top teams in the nation.
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Fast forward to 5:36 remaining in the game, Eastern Washington knocked the wind out of UNC's sails with two scores, taking a two-possession lead (40-28).
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Facing adversity, the Bears rose to the occasion.
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Knipp looked like a veteran, charging the offense 76 yards down the field and hooked up with McCauley for the second time of the day, from 20 yards out, to chip away at the Eagles' lead, 40-35, with 2:10 to go.
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It was onside kick time and as they had done all day, special teams came through in the clutch.
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After a spiraling kick from junior Jamie Falloon, the ball bounced off the sure-handed Kupp and Wesley dove right on top of it to give UNC one more crack at it.
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The offense made good and in dramatic fashion.
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After a false start, and two incompletes the Bears faced a 3rd and 15 from their own 42.
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Knipp let it fly down the sideline on the third and long looking for Wesley, but the ball was tipped into the hands of McCauley who sprinted 58 yards for the score.
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The Bears two-point conversion try failed, making it a 41-40 game with 1:23 left.
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Unfortunately this story did not have the happy ending as EWU notched a 44-yard field goal on the ensuing drive to keep their perfect league record intact.
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"Great teams like Eastern Washington are great teams for a reason because no matter what, they find ways to win games," said Collins. "A great program, no matter the odds will find a way to win a game, just like they did today and that's what I'm trying to show our guys. It's all about mentality and believing in the process and playing for each other."
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For the second game in a row, junior safety Taylor Risner led the team in tackles, with 15, boasting his season total to 71. UNC had four other players in double-digit stops, Trevor Douglass (14), Thomas Singleton (13), Kyle Newsom (13), and A.J. Battle (11). Singleton also recorded his first INT of the season.
After two weeks at home, the team hits the road for a meet-up with Northern Arizona next Saturday, Oct. 31 for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.Â
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GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado (4-3, 2-3 Big Sky) went toe-to-toe with #7 Eastern Washington (5-2, 4-0 Big Sky) on Saturday afternoon at Nottingham Field.
Â
The Bears erased a 40-28 fourth quarter deficit on back-to-back redshirt freshman TE, Michael McCauley touchdown catches to take the lead, 41-40 with just 1:23 to go in the game.
Â
The Eagles were able to make quick work with the limited time, driving 49 yards in nine plays to kick a 44-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to spoil UNC's upset bid.
Â
McCauley had a career day, leading all receivers with 111 yards on four catches and three touchdowns. The receiving yards and TD catches were all career-highs for the first year tight end.
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The special teams also contributed in a major way with 201 yards returning and two touchdowns coming off a 93-yard kickoff return from redshirt sophomore wide out, Hakeem Deggs, and a 75-yard punt return from fellow redshirt sophomore receiver, Ellis Onic II. The unit also recovered an onside kick late in the game to keep the team in the game, courtesy of redshirt freshman WR, Alex Wesley.
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It was the first time in nearly 30 years that the Bears returned both a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown, and the first time that D1 program history that the team has accomplished such a feat.
Â
Redshirt freshman Jacob Knipp had one of the best performances of his season, ending the day 20-of-29 with 257 yards passing and four TD tosses.
Â
Northern Colorado pushed out 410 yards of total offense, but were outgained by the Eagles, who finished with 648 yards, with 275 of them coming from EWU's junior receiver, Cooper Kupp who ended with 20 catches after it was all said and done.
Â
Even after the tough loss, head coach Earnest Collins Jr. gave praise to the way his team performed.Â
"We have a young ball club and we're making strides. I told the guys this is a part of the process," Collins said about his team. "You don't like this part and you don't want to lose games whether it's against the worst team in the country or the seventh best team in the country, you don't want to lose the game. It's easy to move forward when you beat a team in the last minute like at Sac State – it's easy to move forward when you beat a team like we did last week against UC Davis – now what? We just went toe-to-toe with them and lost on the last play. How we respond to this will tell me how we are growing as a team."The Bears wasted no time after starting the game with the ball. On their opening drive, UNC was able to go 80 yards in 10 plays.
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Knipp connected with McCauley for the first of his three touchdowns from 16 yards out to give the home team a 7-0 lead with 8:50 left in the opening quarter.
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After trading punts on the next two series, Eastern Washington found its way into the end zone.
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The drive began with 6:24 left in the first and ate up nearly four and half minutes, but EWU's QB, Jordan West was able to find Kupp from eight yards out for the score.
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Special teams applied some pressure on the PAT as junior backer, Kyle Newsom blocked the punt, making it a 7-6 game, heading into the second quarter.
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Another punt from the Bears, gave the Eagles the ball to open the quarter and again, they were able to add to the scoreboard.
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After an 88-yard drive, West ran it up the middle on a QB keeper for six. The PAT was no good, this time missing to the right, making it a 12-7 ball game with over 11 minutes to play until the half.
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A confident UNC offense jogged back on to the field and needed just two plays to match the touchdown.
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Knipp opened the drive with a 28-yard run, setting the team up with a 1st and 10 on the EWU 46. On the very next play the quarterback showed off his arm strength, finding a wide open Wesley down the left sideline for a 46-yard conversion in the end zone.
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32 seconds later, the scoreboard read, 14-12, in favor of UNC.
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Neither team capitalized on the next four series.
Â
Perhaps it was foreshadowing, but with just a 1:15 left until halftime, the Eagles rushed down the field and were able to score on another Kupp catch, this time from two yards out, to take a 19-14 lead into the locker room.
Â
"Our team showed great resolve," added Collins. "We could have easily folded when things got tough, but they kept driving and kept going. We have to start building off of things like this when it happens to us. You feel in your soul that you should have and could have won a game with a recovery of an onside kick and a tip-catch for a touchdown, and then you come up short – but that's where the whole psychology of the game comes into play. How do we get over this, and move on to the next week."
Â
It was Eastern Washington's ball to begin the third quarter, but UNC's defense did a good job of stopping the high-powered offense, forcing their only three-and-out of the game and a punt.
Â
The Bears made good on the D's solid effort, traveling 87 yards all the way down to the EWU six yard line, in what looked to be another scoring drive.
Â
Unfortunately, redshirt sophomore running back, Brandon Cartagena mishandled the handoff and fumbled on the two yard line. The Eagles pounced on it, squandering any hopes of another score.
Â
Unfazed, Defensive coordinator Larry Kerr's unit went back to work, once again forcing another Eastern Washington punt, and that's went Onic went to work.
Â
Onic took the punt from his own 25-yard line and with a juke and a change of direction the speedster was gone, going 75 yards to the house for his second punt return TD of the season and giving his team a 21-19 lead with 5:36 to play in the third.
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Eastern quickly silenced the crowd, answering the call on a six play, 75-yard drive. This time it was the ground game that got it done for the Eagles, scoring on a five-yard punch-in from RB, Jalen Moore.
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Down by five (26-21), the special teams got right back to work.
Â
Fielding the kickoff at the seven yard line, Deggs took it up the right sideline, and found some breathing room after a quick spin move. A quick change of direction and some solid blocking broke the wide out free for a 93-yard scamper to the goal line for his second kickoff return touchdown of the season.
Â
Hysteria ensued from the 4,254 fans in attendance as UNC had a 28-26 lead heading into the fourth quarter against one of the top teams in the nation.
Â
Fast forward to 5:36 remaining in the game, Eastern Washington knocked the wind out of UNC's sails with two scores, taking a two-possession lead (40-28).
Â
Facing adversity, the Bears rose to the occasion.
Â
Knipp looked like a veteran, charging the offense 76 yards down the field and hooked up with McCauley for the second time of the day, from 20 yards out, to chip away at the Eagles' lead, 40-35, with 2:10 to go.
Â
It was onside kick time and as they had done all day, special teams came through in the clutch.
Â
After a spiraling kick from junior Jamie Falloon, the ball bounced off the sure-handed Kupp and Wesley dove right on top of it to give UNC one more crack at it.
Â
The offense made good and in dramatic fashion.
Â
After a false start, and two incompletes the Bears faced a 3rd and 15 from their own 42.
Â
Knipp let it fly down the sideline on the third and long looking for Wesley, but the ball was tipped into the hands of McCauley who sprinted 58 yards for the score.
Â
The Bears two-point conversion try failed, making it a 41-40 game with 1:23 left.
Â
Unfortunately this story did not have the happy ending as EWU notched a 44-yard field goal on the ensuing drive to keep their perfect league record intact.
Â
"Great teams like Eastern Washington are great teams for a reason because no matter what, they find ways to win games," said Collins. "A great program, no matter the odds will find a way to win a game, just like they did today and that's what I'm trying to show our guys. It's all about mentality and believing in the process and playing for each other."
Â
For the second game in a row, junior safety Taylor Risner led the team in tackles, with 15, boasting his season total to 71. UNC had four other players in double-digit stops, Trevor Douglass (14), Thomas Singleton (13), Kyle Newsom (13), and A.J. Battle (11). Singleton also recorded his first INT of the season.
After two weeks at home, the team hits the road for a meet-up with Northern Arizona next Saturday, Oct. 31 for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.Â
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