Game Notes: @UNCBearsFB to Host Northern Arizona Saturday

Back home to the friendly confines of Nottingham Field for the Northern Colorado football team this weekend. The Bears will play host to Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon with kickoff set for noon.

Setting the Stage
- Mistakes early in the game hurt Northern Colorado as they fell to Portland State on the road 35-14 last week. UNC did out score PSU in the second half 14-7. The Bears out-gained the Vikings 367-282 in the game including having a pair of 100 yards receivers in Alex Wesley (163 yds) and Willie Fairman (107 yds).

- Northern Arizona is coming off of a bye week, giving them a little extra time to enjoy a top 10 upset of then No.6/5 Weber State two weeks ago at home 28-24. The Lumberjacks used a 21-point second half to secure the win over WSU. NAU has one road win this season, but it is a big one over UTEP 30-10 to open the season.

- Home field advantage has been key in the series between the Bears and Lumberjacks over the past five years, each holding serve on their home turf. UNC looks to make it six straight games that way and even the series 3-3 over that time period as well.

- This October, Northern Colorado Athletics Banner Health and the MD Anderson Center have teamed up to increase cancer awareness with the #BearsInPink initiative. Throughout the campaign, we encourage fans to share their #BearsInPink story via social media. We've all been affected by cancer and we ask who YOU cheer for in the fight against cancer. Wear pink on Saturday and receive a $10 general admission ticket at the gate.

Scouting Northern Arizona
For the second weekend in a row, Northern Colorado will be facing a team that is coming off an upset win. Northern Arizona defeated Top 10 ranked Weber State to head into their bye week last week 28-24. The win evened up NAU's record to 3-3 and 2-1 in the Big Sky. The team started the year strong with a 30-10 win at UTEP.

Northern Arizona's signal caller Case Cookus went down in week two with a shoulder injury, but could possibly be back for Saturday's game, giving the Bears the challenge of the unknown when it comes to who will be at QB on Saturday. If it is not Cookus it will be backup QB Daniel Bridge-Gadd. Bridge-Gadd has thrown for 1,324 yards and nine touchdowns this season along with running for 98 and another TD. The Lumberjacks have one of the best pass-catchers to throw to in Emmanuel Butler. Butler is averaging just under 100 yards per game at 98.8 and has four touchdown catches.

On defense, teams have chosen to try and run on Northern Arizona instead of test the ball-hawking secondary. Northern Arizona leads the nation with 13 interceptions this season. Kam'ron Johnson and Khalil Dorsey are tied with the team lead at three, while eight different players have recorded a pick. The passing defense is holding teams under 200 yards passing a game, 185.2 to be exact, leading to teams running the ball more against them. Teams are putting 206.8 yards per game on the ground against NAU.

History Against the Lumberjacks
Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado have played each other 18 times, with the Lumberjacks holding a big 14-4 edge. UNC went from 1978 to 2014 without a win over NAU, snapping that streak with a 24-17 win at home. Since then, the 'Jacks hold a 3-2 edge, with each team winning on their home field.

Last 5 Meetings
September 30, 2017, Northern Arizona, 48-20 in Flagstaff
October 1, 2016, Northern Colorado, 21-18 in Greeley
October 15, 2015, Northern Arizona, 63-21 in Flagstaff
October 4, 2014, Northern Colorado, 24-17 in Greeley
November 11, 2013, Northern Arizona, 24-7 in Flagstaff

Challenging Slate
While the 2018 schedule does not feature an FBS opponent the Bears has a challenging slate. Out of the team's 11 games, 10 of its opponents started the season either ranked or receiving votes in the FCS Stats Poll. Through seven weeks, eight of the 11 teams are still ranked or receiving votes.

Around the Big Sky
And then there was one, only UC Davis is left undefeated in Big Sky play at 3-0 following a thrilling 44-37 comeback overtime win over Idaho State last week. The Aggies are a game ahead of five teams in the loss column entering the weekend, including ISU and Eastern Washington who are both 3-1. UC Davis looks to stay undefeated when they go to Cal Poly Saturday night. There are no ranked matchups in the conference this weekend, but Montana State and Weber State battle in a key game to stay just 1.0 games behind UC Davis in the conference race.

Coaches Show
The Earnest Collins Jr. Coaches Show is back again this season but at a new location. The 2018 coaches show will be at the Dugout B-B-Q off of 11th Ave each Tuesday during the year from 6-7 pm. The Voice of the Bears Troy Coverdale will sit down and talk with head coach Earnest Collins Jr and guests to recap the previous week and look ahead to the next. The coaches show will also be broadcast on the home for the Bears 1310 KFKA.

Home Away from Home
Stuft, Burger Bar is UNC football's home away from home. Unable to make the trip with the Bears, join other UNC fans and cheer on the team on the official watch party of all road games.

What's Ahead
The Bear embark on their next to last road trip of the year going to Cedar City, Utah to face Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds came to Greeley last year and won 27-14. Kickoff between UNC and SUU is set for 6 pm MT.

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