University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, November 22
Greeley, Colo.
12 p.m. MST
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Portland State
Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics
PREVIEW: Bears Return Home Looking to Close Season Strong Against Portland State
11/18/2025 11:55:00 AM | Football
WATCH: ESPN+
LISTEN: Pirate Radio // 93.5 FM // pirateradio935.com
LIVE STATS: UNCBears.com/FBStats
GAMEDAY INFO & TIMELINE
The gameday timeline for Saturday is listed below.
Student Tailgate Opens – 9 a.m.
Gates Open – 11 a.m.
National Anthem – 11:55 a.m.
Kickoff – 12:02 p.m.
TICKETS & PARKING
Tickets for Saturday's game are available at UNCBears.com/Tickets.
Parking information for Saturday's game are available at UNCBears.com/FBParking
NORTHERN COLORADO – PORTLAND STATE SERIES:
Northern Colorado trails the all-time series 5-12, including a 2-6 mark at home and 3-6 record in Portland. The matchup has produced several tight finishes, with eight games decided by one possession.
The Bears won the first-ever meeting in 1979, a 21-20 Homecoming victory in Greeley. UNC later snapped a six-game skid in the series with a 35-30 road win in 2010 and added back-to-back-to-back wins in 2012, 2015, and 2016. One of the most memorable matchups came in 2016, when the Bears outlasted the Vikings 56-49 in overtime in Portland.
Recent years have tilted toward PSU, which has won the last five meetings, including a 45-13 result in 2024. Despite the recent slide, the series has historically been competitive, with eight games since 2007 decided by seven points or fewer.
COMING HOME TO CLOSE THE SEASON: Northern Colorado returns to Nottingham Field for its home finale looking to snap a five-game skid. The Bears are 1-3 at home this season, including a season-opening win over Chadron State.
CHEEKS STILL ELITE: Carver Cheeks enters the week as the Big Sky leader in receptions per game (6.09) and ranks 4th in the conference in receiving yards per game (80.55). His 886 yards are the seventh most by a Bear since the program moved to Division I.
Has three 100-yard games, including 223 yards and 3 TDs at Sac State.
Needs 114 yards to hit 1,000 for the season.
GIBSON NEARING 2,500 YARDS: QB Eric Gibson ranks 7th in the Big Sky in passing average (221.7 ypg) and has already thrown for 2,439 yards this season.
Set career highs vs Idaho State (397 yards) and UC Davis (31 completions).
Has thrown a TD in 7 of 11 games.
MUNROE EMERGING AS WR2: When healthy, Brayden Munroe has been one of the league's most efficient receivers.
Ranks 7th in the Big Sky in receiving yards per game (75.67) despite missing two contests.
Has 681 yards and three TDs on the year.
DEFENSE BY THE NUMBERS: Despite a tough stretch, UNC has continued to generate impact plays defensively:
8 interceptions, including a team-best 4 from sophomore CB Cam Chapa (4 INTs, 86 return yards).
15 sacks, led by Dominic Butts (7.5 TFL, 1 sack) and Ezra Ekuban (8.0 TFL).
Linebacker Hudson Voggesser ranks top-10 in the Big Sky with 72 total tackles, including two 16-tackle performances.
RUN GAME SEEKING SPARK: Mathias Price leads the team with 397 rushing yards, including a career-high 126 at Houston Christian.
Brandon Johnson owns UNC's longest run of the season (30 yards at EWU) and the team's only multi-TD rushing game (2 at Sac State).
SPECIAL TEAMS IMPACT: Punter Leo Blumentritt is one of the most productive specialists in the Big Sky:
43.2 yards per punt (2nd in conference)
Four games with 45+ yard average
Nine punts inside the 20 across the last four weeks
Season-long 61-yarder vs Idaho State
Kicker Jacob Willig is 12-for-16 on field goals and 21-of-22 on PATs.
PORTLAND STATE AT A GLANCE: The Vikings enter with one of the league's more balanced offensive attacks.
KEY NUMBERS:
QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele – 155.4 passing ypg
RB Delon Thompson – 602 rushing yards, 7 TDs, 60.2 ypg
Kicker Mathias Uribe – 12-of-15 FG, 4.9 ppg
Portland State averages over 30 yards per kickoff return allowed, potentially providing
UNC opportunities for field position.
WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN
Snaps a five-game losing streak
Secures UNC's second home win of the season
Gives the Bears their best offensive season (total offensive yards) since 2017 (4271)
Gives Eric Gibson the seventh highest single-season passing total by a Bear since the Division I transition
BY THE NUMBERS
3994 – Total yards of offense this season (363.1 per game)
2711 – Passing yards for UNC, the program's most since 2019 (2976)
75% – Red zone scoring rate
36% – Third-down conversion rate, an area of needed improvement vs a Portland State defense allowing 38%
40 – Points scored off turnovers (UNC is +7 in fumble margin)
KEY MATCHUP: UNC PASS GAME vs PSU PASS DEFENSE
Portland State allows 155 passing yards per game, but the Vikings have surrendered 15 interceptions on offense. If UNC wins the turnover battle and gets another big performance from Cheeks/Munroe, the Bears should have an opportunity to control momentum.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the football team on Instagram, X and Facebook.
LISTEN: Pirate Radio // 93.5 FM // pirateradio935.com
LIVE STATS: UNCBears.com/FBStats
GAMEDAY INFO & TIMELINE
The gameday timeline for Saturday is listed below.
Student Tailgate Opens – 9 a.m.
Gates Open – 11 a.m.
National Anthem – 11:55 a.m.
Kickoff – 12:02 p.m.
TICKETS & PARKING
Tickets for Saturday's game are available at UNCBears.com/Tickets.
Parking information for Saturday's game are available at UNCBears.com/FBParking
NORTHERN COLORADO – PORTLAND STATE SERIES:
Northern Colorado trails the all-time series 5-12, including a 2-6 mark at home and 3-6 record in Portland. The matchup has produced several tight finishes, with eight games decided by one possession.
The Bears won the first-ever meeting in 1979, a 21-20 Homecoming victory in Greeley. UNC later snapped a six-game skid in the series with a 35-30 road win in 2010 and added back-to-back-to-back wins in 2012, 2015, and 2016. One of the most memorable matchups came in 2016, when the Bears outlasted the Vikings 56-49 in overtime in Portland.
Recent years have tilted toward PSU, which has won the last five meetings, including a 45-13 result in 2024. Despite the recent slide, the series has historically been competitive, with eight games since 2007 decided by seven points or fewer.
COMING HOME TO CLOSE THE SEASON: Northern Colorado returns to Nottingham Field for its home finale looking to snap a five-game skid. The Bears are 1-3 at home this season, including a season-opening win over Chadron State.
CHEEKS STILL ELITE: Carver Cheeks enters the week as the Big Sky leader in receptions per game (6.09) and ranks 4th in the conference in receiving yards per game (80.55). His 886 yards are the seventh most by a Bear since the program moved to Division I.
Has three 100-yard games, including 223 yards and 3 TDs at Sac State.
Needs 114 yards to hit 1,000 for the season.
GIBSON NEARING 2,500 YARDS: QB Eric Gibson ranks 7th in the Big Sky in passing average (221.7 ypg) and has already thrown for 2,439 yards this season.
Set career highs vs Idaho State (397 yards) and UC Davis (31 completions).
Has thrown a TD in 7 of 11 games.
MUNROE EMERGING AS WR2: When healthy, Brayden Munroe has been one of the league's most efficient receivers.
Ranks 7th in the Big Sky in receiving yards per game (75.67) despite missing two contests.
Has 681 yards and three TDs on the year.
DEFENSE BY THE NUMBERS: Despite a tough stretch, UNC has continued to generate impact plays defensively:
8 interceptions, including a team-best 4 from sophomore CB Cam Chapa (4 INTs, 86 return yards).
15 sacks, led by Dominic Butts (7.5 TFL, 1 sack) and Ezra Ekuban (8.0 TFL).
Linebacker Hudson Voggesser ranks top-10 in the Big Sky with 72 total tackles, including two 16-tackle performances.
RUN GAME SEEKING SPARK: Mathias Price leads the team with 397 rushing yards, including a career-high 126 at Houston Christian.
Brandon Johnson owns UNC's longest run of the season (30 yards at EWU) and the team's only multi-TD rushing game (2 at Sac State).
SPECIAL TEAMS IMPACT: Punter Leo Blumentritt is one of the most productive specialists in the Big Sky:
43.2 yards per punt (2nd in conference)
Four games with 45+ yard average
Nine punts inside the 20 across the last four weeks
Season-long 61-yarder vs Idaho State
Kicker Jacob Willig is 12-for-16 on field goals and 21-of-22 on PATs.
PORTLAND STATE AT A GLANCE: The Vikings enter with one of the league's more balanced offensive attacks.
KEY NUMBERS:
QB John-Keawe Sagapolutele – 155.4 passing ypg
RB Delon Thompson – 602 rushing yards, 7 TDs, 60.2 ypg
Kicker Mathias Uribe – 12-of-15 FG, 4.9 ppg
Portland State averages over 30 yards per kickoff return allowed, potentially providing
UNC opportunities for field position.
WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN
Snaps a five-game losing streak
Secures UNC's second home win of the season
Gives the Bears their best offensive season (total offensive yards) since 2017 (4271)
Gives Eric Gibson the seventh highest single-season passing total by a Bear since the Division I transition
BY THE NUMBERS
3994 – Total yards of offense this season (363.1 per game)
2711 – Passing yards for UNC, the program's most since 2019 (2976)
75% – Red zone scoring rate
36% – Third-down conversion rate, an area of needed improvement vs a Portland State defense allowing 38%
40 – Points scored off turnovers (UNC is +7 in fumble margin)
KEY MATCHUP: UNC PASS GAME vs PSU PASS DEFENSE
Portland State allows 155 passing yards per game, but the Vikings have surrendered 15 interceptions on offense. If UNC wins the turnover battle and gets another big performance from Cheeks/Munroe, the Bears should have an opportunity to control momentum.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the football team on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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