Game Preview: Northern Colorado Travels to Cal-Poly in Big Sky Conference Bout

Northern Colorado (0-6, 0-3 Big Sky) at Cal Poly (2-5, 0-4 Big Sky)

San Luis Obispo, Calif. / Mustang Memorial Field
Saturday, Oct. 21 | 6 p.m. MDT
Radio – KFKA | Live Stream – ESPN +
Press Conference – Week 8 vs. Cal Poly

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The University of Northern Colorado football team returns to the gridiron for a Big Sky Conference tilt at Cal Poly. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MDT.

Bears and the Mustangs

The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 10-3. The two teams last met on November 23, 2019, which was a 28-21 Cal-Poly win. UNC's last win in the series was in 2017, which was a 42-0 win in Greeley. The last time this match-up was played in San Luis Obispo, Cal-Poly won a 55-48 shootout.

The Bears

Brief UNC Recap

-The Bears come off a close 21-13 setback versus No.4 Sacramento State.
-UNC generated 332 yards of total offense and totaled 17 first downs.
-Jacob Sirmon completed 20-of-39 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown.
-Brayden Munroe caught three passes for 66 yards and scored his first career touchdown.
-Dustin Johnson finished with a team-high nine tackles.

More about the Bears

-David Afari ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 412 rushing yards and seventh with an average of 68.7 yards per game.
-Sirmon ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 1158 passing yards and seventh in passing yards per game at 193.0.
-Blake Haggerty's 338 receiving yards ranks 10^th in the Big Sky, and his 56.3 receiving yards per game comes in at seventh in the conference.
-Johnson ranks 11^th in the Big Sky with 43 tackles, and his 7.2 tackles per game rank 10^th overall.
-Marcus Howard ranks 10^th in the conference with 3.5 tackles for loss, and teammate Keyvon Lakes is right behind him with 3.0 tackles for loss.
-Vincent King has recorded 2.0 sacks and ranks eighth in the conference.

The Mustangs

Brief Cal-Poly recap

-Cal-Poly is coming off a 59-19 setback versus No.2-ranked Montana State.
-Sam Huard completed 19-of-36 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns.
-Mark Biggins rushed for 59 yards on attempts.
-Evan Burkhart recorded 86 receiving yards and one touchdown.
-Giancarlo Woods and Tyrece Fairly-Diyem each recorded a touchdown reception.
-Brian Dukes finished with a team-high nine tackles.

More about the Mustangs

-Huard ranks eighth in the conference with 1087 passing yards and is tied for first with 11 passing touchdowns.
-David Meyer is the Mustangs' top tackler and ranks in the top 10 with 40 total tackles.

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

Keenan Guthrie

Blake Haggerty

David Hoage

Marcus Howard

Dustin Johnson

Vincent King

Jordan Knapke

Keyvon Lakes

Brayden Munroe

Payton Polson

Jacob Sirmon

Jacob Stanton

Tama Tuitele

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