University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, October 8
Cheney, WA
2:05 p.m.
University of Northern Colorado
3-2 , 1-1
31
at
49
Eastern Washington University
5-1 , 3-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Northern Colorado
7
10
7
7
31
Eastern Washington
3
11
21
14
49
Team Stats
UNCO
EWU
Total Yards
469
659
Pass Yards
296
435
Rushing Yards
173
224
Penalty Yards
90
49
1st Downs
25
36
3rd Downs
5
8
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
29:02
30:58
1st Quarter
UNCO 0, EWU 3
EWU - R. Alcobendas 37 yd field goal 11 plays, 63 yards, TOP 4:29
UNCO 7, EWU 3
UNCO - Hakeem Deggs 6 yd pass from Kyle Sloter (Jamie Falloon kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:53
2nd Quarter
UNCO 7, EWU 6
EWU - R. Alcobendas 19 yd field goal 14 plays, 58 yards, TOP 5:07
UNCO 14, EWU 6
UNCO - Hakeem Deggs 26 yd pass from Kyle Sloter (Michael Walker kick) 7 plays, 78 yards, TOP 2:42
UNCO 14, EWU 14
EWU - Sam McPherson 1 yd run (Zach Wimberly pass), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:10
UNCO 17, EWU 14
UNCO - Marques Combs 41 yd field goal 10 plays, 57 yards, TOP 1:31
3rd Quarter
UNCO 17, EWU 21
EWU - Shaq Hill 29 yd pass from Gage Gubrud (R. Alcobendas kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:04
UNCO 24, EWU 21
UNCO - Alex Wesley 43 yd pass from Kyle Sloter (Jamie Falloon kick) 5 plays, 69 yards, TOP 2:05
UNCO 24, EWU 28
EWU - Nic Sblendorio 11 yd pass from Gage Gubrud (R. Alcobendas kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:43
UNCO 24, EWU 35
EWU - Shaq Hill 9 yd pass from Gage Gubrud (R. Alcobendas kick) 10 plays, 69 yards, TOP 3:50
4th Quarter
UNCO 31, EWU 35
UNCO - Quinn Zamora 4 yd pass from Kyle Sloter (Jamie Falloon kick) 8 plays, 73 yards, TOP 4:06
UNCO 31, EWU 42
EWU - Shaq Hill 42 yd pass from Gage Gubrud (R. Alcobendas kick) 3 plays, 58 yards, TOP 0:42
UNCO 31, EWU 49
EWU - Shaq Hill 45 yd pass from Gage Gubrud (R. Alcobendas kick) 4 plays, 56 yards, TOP 2:14
Game Leaders
CMP
24
TD
4
YDS
296
INT
1
Players Mentioned
S
/ Football
CB
/ Football
P/K
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DT
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
FB
/ Football
Big EWU Second Half Hurts @UNCBEARSFB
10/8/2016 6:19:00 PM | Football
CHENEY, Wash. – Northern Colorado (3-2, 1-1 Big Sky) was handed its first Big Sky loss of the season on Saturday. The no.4 Eastern Washington (5-1, 3-0 Big Sky) Eagles used a big offensive second half to send the Bears back to Greeley with a 49-31 defeat.
How It Happened:
The Bears offense seemed their usual self in the first half, putting up 17 points and 254 yards. Both scores in the half came from redshirt junior wide out, Hakeem Deggs. Deggs hauled in grabs from six yards and 30 yards out, getting one in each quarter before halftime.
The defense also did its part to limit the second best offense in the nation. They came up with a forced fumble and held the Eagles to just two field goals and a touchdown on five drives in the red zone.
UNC also limited one of the best receivers in the FCS in Cooper Kupp to 55 yards in the half.
The key moment of the second quarter came in the form of a kick. Sophomore, Marques Combs made the team's first field goal of the season from 41 yards out as time expired to put UNC up heading into the locker room, 17-14.
Northern Colorado was forced to play the whole second half without its starting running back, Trae Riek. Riek left the game early in the second quarter with an arm injury and didn't return.
Relying heavy on the pass, Sloter continued his growth as a QB, finishing 24-of-43 for 296 yards and four TDs. He also threw one interception late in the game during a 3rd and 29 situation.
The benefactors of those passes were redshirt sophomore receiver, Alex Wesley and Stephen Miller.
Miller cashed in on his second 100-yard receiving game of the season, finishing with 108 yards on five grabs. Wesley scored one of the two TDs in the second half for the Bears on a 43-yard dart from Sloter.
He finished the game with two catches and 48 yards.
Unfortunately, the high powered Eastern Washington offense made its presence known in the third and fourth quarters, scoring 35 points, including 21 in the third quarter alone.
EWU ended the game with 659 yards of total offense with 435 of those through the air. Kupp was kept in check the remainder of the game, but instead, the Eagles looked to wide receiver, Shaq Hill for help. Hill filled the void, catching seven balls for 153 yards and four TDs.
The Bears mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, rallying to score on a four-yard, Quinn Zamora touchdown catch, but it wasn't enough as the Eagles went on to hand the Bears a 49-31 loss.
Game Changer:
Eastern Washington used a big offensive third quarter to shift the momentum of the game. The Eagles score three touchdowns during the quarter and took its first lead of the game, which they never relinquished.
Key Stat:
For the second straight game, Northern Colorado had four players finish with double-digit tackles. Senior CB, Thomas Singleton led the way with a career-best 16 stops, followed by senior LB, Kyle Newsom with 15. DB and safety, Marshaun Cameron and Tyler Bloyer each finished with 10.
In Their Words:
Senior Wide Receiver, Stephen Miller
"Obviously both sides of the ball were rolling in the first half and we were doing some good things. The second half, they did a good job of making adjustments and forcing us into some difficult positions. I think this game just proves we can play with anybody. They're the number four team in the country for a reason, but I was proud that our offense didn't quit even when the game was out of reach."
Head Coach Earnest Collins Jr.
"We just have to learn to stick together as a team. There are going to be days like this where the scoreboard isn't in your favor, but you can't quit on each other. We have a good football team and the potential is there to win a lot of ball games, but we can't let days like this get to us like it did. There are still a lot of conference games left in the year and I hope we see this team again down the road. At the end of the day, their athletes just outplayed our athletes. This was a good football team that we played and I think if anything it shows we can play with the best teams in the country if we stick to our game plan."
Senior Defensive Tackle, Myles Overton
"In the first half I thought we did a good job of sticking together and doing our job. We kept them in check for the most part and made them make passes they didn't want to make. They took a lot more risks offensively in the second half which worked for them. We just have to stick together as a team and not get down on ourselves when things aren't going our way and keep our confidence up."
Notables:
- Stephen Miller secured his second 100-yard receiving game of the season. Miller finished with 108 yards on five catches.
- Thomas Singleton recorded a career-high 16 tackles, including one sack and half a tackle for a loss.
- The Bears had four players reach double digit tackles for the second game in a row. UNC finished with a season-high 109 tackles as a team.
- UNC forced and recovered its seventh fumble of the season. Lavell Sanders forced the fumble and Weston Gadient recovered it.
- Northern Colorado is now 0-9 in the Division I era against Eastern Washington.
- The two teams combined for a total of 1,129 yards of offense.
Up Next:
Northern Colorado continues life on the road heading to Davis, California next Saturday, Oct. 15 to face UC Davis. Kickoff against the Aggies is in the books for 5:00 p.m. (MT). Homecoming for UNC will take place the following week on Oct. 22 against Sacramento State. Tickets for the game against the Hornets can be purchased here.
How It Happened:
The Bears offense seemed their usual self in the first half, putting up 17 points and 254 yards. Both scores in the half came from redshirt junior wide out, Hakeem Deggs. Deggs hauled in grabs from six yards and 30 yards out, getting one in each quarter before halftime.
The defense also did its part to limit the second best offense in the nation. They came up with a forced fumble and held the Eagles to just two field goals and a touchdown on five drives in the red zone.
UNC also limited one of the best receivers in the FCS in Cooper Kupp to 55 yards in the half.
The key moment of the second quarter came in the form of a kick. Sophomore, Marques Combs made the team's first field goal of the season from 41 yards out as time expired to put UNC up heading into the locker room, 17-14.
Northern Colorado was forced to play the whole second half without its starting running back, Trae Riek. Riek left the game early in the second quarter with an arm injury and didn't return.
Relying heavy on the pass, Sloter continued his growth as a QB, finishing 24-of-43 for 296 yards and four TDs. He also threw one interception late in the game during a 3rd and 29 situation.
The benefactors of those passes were redshirt sophomore receiver, Alex Wesley and Stephen Miller.
Miller cashed in on his second 100-yard receiving game of the season, finishing with 108 yards on five grabs. Wesley scored one of the two TDs in the second half for the Bears on a 43-yard dart from Sloter.
He finished the game with two catches and 48 yards.
Unfortunately, the high powered Eastern Washington offense made its presence known in the third and fourth quarters, scoring 35 points, including 21 in the third quarter alone.
EWU ended the game with 659 yards of total offense with 435 of those through the air. Kupp was kept in check the remainder of the game, but instead, the Eagles looked to wide receiver, Shaq Hill for help. Hill filled the void, catching seven balls for 153 yards and four TDs.
The Bears mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, rallying to score on a four-yard, Quinn Zamora touchdown catch, but it wasn't enough as the Eagles went on to hand the Bears a 49-31 loss.
Game Changer:
Eastern Washington used a big offensive third quarter to shift the momentum of the game. The Eagles score three touchdowns during the quarter and took its first lead of the game, which they never relinquished.
Key Stat:
For the second straight game, Northern Colorado had four players finish with double-digit tackles. Senior CB, Thomas Singleton led the way with a career-best 16 stops, followed by senior LB, Kyle Newsom with 15. DB and safety, Marshaun Cameron and Tyler Bloyer each finished with 10.
In Their Words:
Senior Wide Receiver, Stephen Miller
"Obviously both sides of the ball were rolling in the first half and we were doing some good things. The second half, they did a good job of making adjustments and forcing us into some difficult positions. I think this game just proves we can play with anybody. They're the number four team in the country for a reason, but I was proud that our offense didn't quit even when the game was out of reach."
Head Coach Earnest Collins Jr.
"We just have to learn to stick together as a team. There are going to be days like this where the scoreboard isn't in your favor, but you can't quit on each other. We have a good football team and the potential is there to win a lot of ball games, but we can't let days like this get to us like it did. There are still a lot of conference games left in the year and I hope we see this team again down the road. At the end of the day, their athletes just outplayed our athletes. This was a good football team that we played and I think if anything it shows we can play with the best teams in the country if we stick to our game plan."
Senior Defensive Tackle, Myles Overton
"In the first half I thought we did a good job of sticking together and doing our job. We kept them in check for the most part and made them make passes they didn't want to make. They took a lot more risks offensively in the second half which worked for them. We just have to stick together as a team and not get down on ourselves when things aren't going our way and keep our confidence up."
Notables:
- Stephen Miller secured his second 100-yard receiving game of the season. Miller finished with 108 yards on five catches.
- Thomas Singleton recorded a career-high 16 tackles, including one sack and half a tackle for a loss.
- The Bears had four players reach double digit tackles for the second game in a row. UNC finished with a season-high 109 tackles as a team.
- UNC forced and recovered its seventh fumble of the season. Lavell Sanders forced the fumble and Weston Gadient recovered it.
- Northern Colorado is now 0-9 in the Division I era against Eastern Washington.
- The two teams combined for a total of 1,129 yards of offense.
Up Next:
Northern Colorado continues life on the road heading to Davis, California next Saturday, Oct. 15 to face UC Davis. Kickoff against the Aggies is in the books for 5:00 p.m. (MT). Homecoming for UNC will take place the following week on Oct. 22 against Sacramento State. Tickets for the game against the Hornets can be purchased here.
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Sunday, September 28
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Saturday, September 27
Head Coach Ed Lamb Press Conference 9/24/25
Wednesday, September 24
Tim Barrera Post Game Press Conference vs Kansas City
Monday, September 22
