Game Preview: UNC Hosts Top 5 Sacramento State on Saturday in 100th Homecoming Game

Northern Colorado (0-5, 0-2 Big Sky) vs. Sacramento State (4-1, 1-1 Big Sky)
Nottingham Field – Greeley, Colo.
Saturday, Oct. 14 | 1 p.m.
Radio – KFKA | Live Stream – ESPN +
Game Sponsor – Bank of Colorado
Game Theme – Homecoming
UNC Game Notes | Sac State Game Notes

GREELEY, Colo. – The University of Northern Colorado football team returns to action Saturday and plays host to No.4/5 Sacramento State at 1 p.m.

Bears and the Hornets

The Hornets hold a 14-2 series advantage over the Bears.

Sac State has won five in a row in the series, with UNC's last win coming in 2016, which was a 27-19 win in Greeley. The Bears also defeated the Hornets in 2015, which was a 27-20 victory in Sacramento.

The Bears

Brief UNC Recap

-The Bears come off a bye week.
-Then-top 15 Weber State defeated the Bears 28-21 on September 30.
-UNC defense played well with three interceptions; Jacob Stanton, Tizell Lewis, and Cameron Murray each picked up the turnover.
-Jacob Sirmon completed 28-of-42 passes for 287 yards, two touchdown passes and three interceptions.
-David Afari rushed for 63 yards and one touchdown.
-Stanton totaled a career-high 12 tackles and recorded his first career interception.

Looking Ahead

-One calling card for the Bears' offense this season is the success of the rushing attack. Afari ranks sixth in the Big Sky Conference with 376 rushing yards and fifth in the conference with 75.2 rushing yards per game.
-Backfield mate Darius Stewart ranks 19^th in the conference with 217 rushing yards. Combined, the duo has totaled 593 rushing yards, which would rank second in the conference if the two could be combined.
-Dustin Johnson has a way of finding the football. The Denver, Colorado native ranks 15^th in the conference with 34 tackles, 15 solo stops, and 19 assists.
-Nathaniel Gillis and Tizel Lewis have been busy defending passes. Gillis is fourth in the conference with seven pass breakups. Lewis ranks fifth with five pass breakups and one interception.
-Keyvon Lakes, Christian Wren, and Murray each rank tied for third in the conference with one forced fumble.
-UNC offense ranks eighth in the conference in total offense per game with 198.4 yards per game.
-UNC defense ranks 12^thin the conference and allows an average of 324.6 yards per game.

The Hornets

Brief SSU Recap

-Sac State comes off a bye week.
-The Hornets narrowly defeated Northern Arizona 31-30 on September 30.
-Caiden Bennet passed for 257 yards and rushed for 76 yards for a combined 333 yards of total offense.
-Jared Gipson added five receptions for 108 yards.
-SSU's lone loss this season is to top-5 Idaho, which was a 36-27 defeat in Moscow.
-The Hornets defeated Power 5 foe Stanford 30-23 on September 16.

Looking Ahead

-Bennett is one of the most dynamic student-athletes in the conference. He ranks third in the Big Sky with 1167 passing yards and seven touchdown passes with just three interceptions. Bennett also ranks ninth in the conference with 324 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
-The Hornets have three student-athletes ranked in the top 20 in receiving yards. Gipson is 11^th with 283 yards, Devin Gandy is 13^th with 246 yards, and Carlos Hill ranks 16^th with 218 receiving yards.
-Armon Bailey is fourth in the conference with 43 tackles.
-Dillon Juniel is second in the conference in passes defended with seven.
-Sac State offense ranks second in the conference with 243.6 yards per game.
-Sac State defense ranks sixth in the conference, allowing 192.8 yards per game.

Knapke Makes the Move; Linebackers a Strength

Jordan Knapke has successfully made the move from safety to linebacker, and in the process beefed up to 225 pounds. He was a preseason All-Big Sky selection at defensive back and recorded 90 tackles in 2022. Last season, Vincent King and Tama Tuitele found the ball carrier on a consistent basis. King finished with 66 tackles, 33 solo, and 33 assisted. He also added two sacks. Tuitele added 60 tackles, 32 solo and 28 assisted to go along with four tackles for loss. Keyvon Lakes, Payton Polson, Jacob Stanton, and Keenan Guthrie all earned significant playing time in 2022.

Hoage and Knapke Named to Big Sky Football Preseason All-Conference Team

University of Northern Colorado All-American linebacker David Hoage and defensive back (turned linebacker) Jordan Knapke were named to the Big Sky Football Preseason All-Conference Team, the conference office announced Monday morning. Hoage, a 6-foot-3, 245-pounder out of Smoky Hill High School in Denver, returns after missing the 2022 season due to injury. The veteran had a stellar 2021 campaign.

Hoage was a Third-Team All-America selection by AP and Stats Performance and First-Team Sophomore All-America selection by Hero Sports He was a Second-Team All-Big Sky Conference selection and led the Big Sky and ranked third in the nation with 22 tackles for a loss. Hoage set the program's DI single-season record for sacks with 10.5 and was the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after recording eight tackles, four and a half tackles for a loss, three sacks, and recovering two fumbles against Houston Baptist. Also recorded 70 tackles on the year, 39 solo, and led the team with eight QB hurries.

Knapke, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound Aurora, Colorado native and Grandview High School product, is a leader of the Bears defense. He appeared in 11 games and recorded 90 tackles, 36 solo, and dad three PBUs. Last season Knapke had four games with double-digit tackles (vs. Idaho, at Sacramento State, vs. Montana State, at Eastern Washington).

Tickets on Sale

UNC football tickets are on sale. The Bears play a challenging home schedule with five teams that qualified for the 2022 playoffs.

Tickets can be purchased at uncbears.com/tickets or call 970-351-4849.

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Players Mentioned

David Afari

Nathaniel Gillis

Keenan Guthrie

David Hoage

Dustin Johnson

Vincent King

Jordan Knapke

Keyvon Lakes

Tizell Lewis

Cameron Murray

Payton Polson

Jacob Sirmon

Jacob Stanton

Darius Stewart

Tama Tuitele

Christian Wren

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