@UNCBEARSFB Host Northern Arizona in Big Sky Opener

Game Time
- It's been nearly a month since the Northern Colorado Football team has taken the field in front of its home crowd. The Bears are finally back in the friendly confines of Nottingham Field this Saturday, Oct. 1 as they take on Northern Arizona at 1:05 p.m. in the team's Big Sky Conference opener. For more information on the game, please visit our GAMEDAY CENTRAL.

Follow Along
Radio: 1310 KFKA
Video Stream: WatchBigSky.com
Live Stats: UNCBears.com
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Notes: Bears Notes | 'Jacks Notes | Big Sky Notes

Big Sky Opener
- For just the second time in six seasons, head coach Earnest Collins Jr. will open up Big Sky play in the friendly confines of Nottingham Field. The last time the team opened up league play at home came in 2013, when the Bears faced Southern Utah.

A Look at the Lumberjacks
- NAU is coming off a 50-35 loss against Eastern Washington last Saturday to move them to 1-3 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. The Lumberjacks were voted the no. 1 team in both the preseason media and coaches polls. Northern Arizona has one of the best wide receiving corps in the FCS. The 'Jacks are currently averaging 321.8 yards a game in the air, ranking them fifth overall in the national rankings.

Series Matchup
- Northern Colorado is 3-13 all-time against NAU. The most recent win came against the fellow directional school came in 2014, when they knocked off then ranked no.25 Lumberjacks at home 24-17. Northern Arizona got the best of UNC last season, handing the Bears a 63-21 loss in Flagstaff. Since joining the Big Sky Conference, the Bears are just 1-9 overall against the 'Jacks.

Offensive Dominance
- Northern Colorado is currently ranked in the Top 10 in the FCS in a handful of offensive categories. They currently rank seventh in third down conversion percentage (51.2%), fifth in total offense (511.7 yards), fourth in scoring offense (44.0) and second in pass efficiency (192.68).

Complete Satisfaction
- After two games under his belt, quarterback, Kyle Sloter has found his way into the national rankings. Sloter currently has the third best completion percentage in the FCS with 70.6%. He also ranks second in the nation in pass efficiency (190.3), sixth in passing yards per completion (15.13) and 15th overall in passing TDs (8).

New Month, New Records
- Under head coach Earnest Collins Jr. the Bears are 4-15 overall in the month of October and 3-10 at home. This will be the fourth straight home game UNC has played on Oct. 1. The last time Northern Colorado played on the date came in the 2011 season, falling to Montana 55-28. The last win came back in 1994, defeating North Dakota 21-6. Overall the Bears are 4-7-1 on games played on Oct. 1.

Touchdown UNC
- Wide outs Alex Wesley and Hakeem Deggs have each caught a touchdown pass in back-to-back weeks. Wesley had two TD catches against Abilene Christian, with Deggs having one, and both recorded one against Colorado State.

Double Digits
- Safety, Tyler Bloyer joins linebacker, Bryan Stansbury as the only two defensive players for the Bears to record double digit tackles on the season. Bloyer finished the Colorado State game with 13 tackles (4 solo, 9 assist). He also assisted on a TFL. Stansbury recorded 10 stops in the win at ACU.

TDs For Trae
- Running back, Trae Riek has produced a rushing touchdown in all three games of the season and has his sights set on the Division I program record of five straight games with a rushing TD that was set by Tromaine Dennis, who accomplished the feat between the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Furthermore, Riek has also notched back-to-back games of 100 yards rushing, putting up 141 at Abilene Christian and 102 at Colorado State.

Special Teams University
- Punter, Keifer Glau now has five punts on the season over 50 yards or more, He finished the Colorado State game with four punts for 176 yards (44.0 avg.) On the season, Glau is averaging 43.3 yards a punt, ranking him third overall in the Big Sky.

Tune in on Saturday
- This Saturday's contest will be live on the internet, streamed at WatchBigSky.com Fans can also listen to the game on the 1310 KFKA AM. Live Stats will also be provided via UNCBears.com

Bears on the Tube
- Comcast Entertainment Television has partnered with UNC for the second consecutive year and will broadcast four of the football team's five home games. Beginning on Oct. 1, fans across Colorado can watch the team every Saturday exclusively on XFINITY service across Colorado on Channel 900 (HD) and 105 (SD) in the Denver and Colorado Springs DMAs. Roughly, 800,000 subscribers have access to CET from Fort Collins/Greeley in the north to Pueblo in the south along the Front Range. CET can also be seen in mountain towns such as Vail, Aspen, and Steamboat Springs.

Off The Field Success
- Besides bringing the first winning record in the program's FCS history to UNC, Coach Collins has also turned the team around in the classroom. Since he took over in 2011 they have raised the team GPA from a 2.51 to a 2.83, the highest the GPA has ever been in the Division I era... He's also placed 45 student-athletes on the All-Big Sky Fall Academic teams, including a team-best 12 players on the 2015 fall conference All-Academic team.

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Bloyer

Hakeem Deggs

Keifer Glau

Trae Riek

Kyle Sloter

Bryan Stansbury

Alex Wesley

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