University of Northern Colorado Athletics
University of Northern Colorado
3-7 , 2-5
Northern Arizona
3-7 , 2-5
Epic 24-play drive seals win on Senior Day
11/12/2022 4:45:00 PM | Football
GREELEY, Colo.—Driving 96 yards for the go-ahead score and taking up more than seven minutes of game time, Northern Colorado captured a 21-20 win over Northern Colorado on Saturday afternoon at Nottingham Field.Down 20-13 with 7:50 to play, Northern Colorado (3-7, 2-5 Big Sky) senior quarterback Dylan McCaffrey led a 24-play drive that was capped by a 15-yard strike to Ty Arrington with 25 seconds left on the clock. Elevating the dramatics with a 4th-and-goal play, McCaffrey was forced up in the pocket and delivered a laser pass to a diving Arrington in the end zone.
Now down a single point, the Bears elected to go for the 2-point conversion where McCaffrey came through again, this time with a lob to fellow senior Max Pierce, who caught the ball on the 1-yard line before lunging across the line.
McCaffrey finished the day 22 of 41 and 195 yards through the air but extended several drives with his legs and gained 91 yards total on the ground. Elijah Dotson, another senior, rushed for 96 yards on 17 carries.
Trevis Graham recorded UNC's first touchdown of the day with a 19-yard catch in the 3rd quarter. Devin Bale posted a field goal in each half, including a 45-yarder in the third, for UNC's other scores.
Defensively, the Bears were led by the duo of Tama Tuitele and Elijah Anderson-Taylor. Tuitele was in on 14 total stops, including 10 of a solo variety, while Anderson-Taylor was credited with 11 solo tackles.
A total of 14 Bears celebrated their final home game prior to kickoff. Along with McCaffrey and Pierce, those honored with friends and family were: Zach Angelillo, Glenn Bernard Jr., Wyatt Blake, Nick Ciccio, Elijah Dotson, Henry Garrison, Trevis Graham, Uryan Hudson, Will Knutsson, RJ Potts, Brooks Talkington, and Kassidy Woods.
The Bears will close out their season next Saturday when they travel to face Eastern Washington. Kickoff from Cheney is set for 2 p.m.
Team Stats
NAU 7, UNC 0
NAU - Martinez,RJ 1 yd run (Robbins,Collin kick), 13 plays, 82 yards, TOP 03:50
NAU 7, UNC 3
UNC - Bale,Devin 25 yd field goal 8 plays, 42 yards, TOP 04:05
NAU 10, UNC 3
NAU - Robbins,Collin 24 yd field goal 14 plays, 65 yards, TOP 04:29
NAU 10, UNC 10
UNC - Graham,Trevis 19 yd pass from McCaffrey,Dylan (Bale,Devin kick) 2 plays, 33 yards, TOP 00:39
NAU 10, UNC 13
UNC - Bale,Devin 45 yd field goal 6 plays, 3 yards, TOP 02:18
NAU 13, UNC 13
NAU - Robbins,Collin 47 yd field goal 9 plays, 63 yards, TOP 03:06
NAU 20, UNC 13
NAU - Martinez,RJ 14 yd run (Robbins,Collin kick), 5 plays, 39 yards, TOP 01:26
NAU 20, UNC 21
UNC - Arrington,Ty 15 yd pass from McCaffrey,Dylan (Pierce,Max pass) 24 plays, 96 yards, TOP 07:25
