University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, September 20
Houston, Texas
5 p.m. MT | 6 p.m. CT
University of Northern Colorado
at
Houston Christian
Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics
PREVIEW: UNC Set for Non-Conference Clash at Houston Christian
9/16/2025 12:00:00 PM | Football
WATCH:Â ESPN+
LISTEN:Â Pirate Radio // 93.5 FM // pirateradio935.com
LIVE STATS:Â HCUHuskies.com
GAMEDAY INFO
Parking information can be found here.
WEEK 3 RECAP: Northern Colorado pushed nationally ranked South Dakota to the brink on Saturday afternoon, falling 24-17 in overtime at the DakotaDome. The Bears (1-2) battled toe-to-toe with the No. 20/12 Coyotes, rallying late to force extra time before coming up just short in the program's second straight road game. Trailing in the final minutes of regulation, UNC pieced together a clutch drive capped by Jacob Willig's game-tying field goal to make it 17-17 with under two minutes to play. In overtime, South Dakota found the end zone on its opening possession, while the Bears' response stalled on fourth down inside the red zone to end the comeback bid. Quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. paced the offense with a career-best 336 passing yards, finding Charles Garrison for a breakout 112-yard receiving performance. Hudson Voggesser anchored the defense with 16 tackles, including seven solo stops, as UNC limited the Coyotes to just 17 points in regulation.
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NOTING THE NORTHERN COLORADO-HOUSTON CHRISTIAN SERIES:
THE LAMB ERA: Head coach Ed Lamb enters year three with a clear vision for growth. A veteran of the Big Sky Conference and a two-time Eddie Robinson Award finalist for FCS National Coach of the Year at Southern Utah, Lamb continues to build a foundation centered on discipline, player development, and local recruiting. While the Bears went 1-11 (1-7 Big Sky) in 2024, they closed the year playing their most competitive football and return several key contributors on both sides of the ball. That progress has carried into 2025, as Northern Colorado opened the season with a 17-3 win over Chadron State—its first opening-day victory since 2017 and first under Lamb at Nottingham Field—then nearly upset FBS foe Colorado State in a 21-17 road loss. The Bears followed with an overtime battle at No. 20/12 South Dakota, falling 24-17 in their second straight road game but proving they can go toe-to-toe with a nationally ranked opponent. UNC has leaned on balanced quarterback play from Eric Gibson Jr., timely scoring from Aliou-Rocco Traore, and a defense anchored by Ezra Ekuban, Zach Nowatzke, Cam Chapa, and Week 3 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week Hudson Voggesser.
GIBSON TAKES THE REINS: Redshirt junior quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. has stepped in and shown command of the offense. He completed 3-of-5 passes for 39 yards to help close out the win over Chadron State, then delivered a steady performance in his first start at Colorado State, going 17-for-28 for 160 yards while keeping UNC in front most of the night. Gibson Jr. followed that with a breakout effort at No. 20/12 South Dakota, throwing for 336 yards on 28-of-39 passing (71.8%) with a 49-yard strike and a touchdown as the Bears pushed the Coyotes to overtime. Through three games, he has totaled 535 passing yards on 66.7 percent completions with one touchdown, five plays of 20+ yards, and a long of 49, quickly establishing himself as UNC's new QB1.
DEFENSE MAKING A STATEMENT: Northern Colorado's defense has emerged as a strength early in 2025, with back-to-back Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors highlighting the group's impact. Defensive end Ezra Ekuban earned the award after forcing a fumble and recording a sack in the near-upset at Colorado State, while linebacker Hudson Voggesser followed with a 16-tackle performance to claim the honor in the overtime battle at No. 20/12 South Dakota. Sophomore safety Cam Chapa, a Freshman All-American and Preseason All-Conference pick, continues to anchor the secondary—adding his fifth career interception against CSU to move into the program's all-time top five. With veterans like Zach Nowatzke contributing steady production and multiple playmakers emerging across all three levels, the Bears' defense has shown steady growth under head coach Ed Lamb, proving it can go toe-to-toe with some of the nation's top FCS offenses.
LOCAL ROOTS RUN DEEP: Northern Colorado continues to lean into its Colorado recruiting pipeline. The 2025 roster features over 60 in-state players, the second most in the Big Sky Conference behind Sacramento State and more than half of the full roster. Head coach Ed Lamb and his staff have prioritized keeping local talent at home, giving players from Colorado the chance to develop and shine at the Division I level. That approach was on full display against Colorado State, as homegrown Bears made key plays. Parker native Ezra Ekuban forced a fumble and recorded a sack, Aurora's Cam Chapa added eight tackles and an interception, and Colorado Spring's Carver Cheeks hauled in a critical 30-yard fourth-down catch to set up a score. Alongside wide receiver Brayden Munroe, the in-state core continues to fuel UNC's identity and on-field competitiveness.
BIG SKY HONORS: Northern Colorado's defense has earned back-to-back Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors to open September. Redshirt junior defensive end Ezra Ekuban was recognized after recording nine tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble in the Bears' 21-17 battle at Colorado State—setting up UNC's first touchdown with a strip sack and anchoring a unit that forced five turnovers. One week later, redshirt freshman linebacker Hudson Voggesser followed with a career-high 16 tackles, including seven solo stops, 0.5 tackles for loss, and a quarterback hurry in the 24-17 overtime contest at No. 20/12 South Dakota. The pair of awards mark UNC's second and third weekly defensive honors under head coach Ed Lamb, underscoring the Bears' growing presence on that side of the ball.
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.
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LISTEN:Â Pirate Radio // 93.5 FM // pirateradio935.com
LIVE STATS:Â HCUHuskies.com
GAMEDAY INFO
Parking information can be found here.
WEEK 3 RECAP: Northern Colorado pushed nationally ranked South Dakota to the brink on Saturday afternoon, falling 24-17 in overtime at the DakotaDome. The Bears (1-2) battled toe-to-toe with the No. 20/12 Coyotes, rallying late to force extra time before coming up just short in the program's second straight road game. Trailing in the final minutes of regulation, UNC pieced together a clutch drive capped by Jacob Willig's game-tying field goal to make it 17-17 with under two minutes to play. In overtime, South Dakota found the end zone on its opening possession, while the Bears' response stalled on fourth down inside the red zone to end the comeback bid. Quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. paced the offense with a career-best 336 passing yards, finding Charles Garrison for a breakout 112-yard receiving performance. Hudson Voggesser anchored the defense with 16 tackles, including seven solo stops, as UNC limited the Coyotes to just 17 points in regulation.
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NOTING THE NORTHERN COLORADO-HOUSTON CHRISTIAN SERIES:
- Saturday marks the fifth all-time meeting between the programs.
- Northern Colorado leads the all-time series, 3-1.
- The series began in 2014 with UNC winning 28-20 at home.
- UNC also won on the road in 2015, 34-10, and 2021, 45-13.
- Houston Christian earned its first series win on 9/3/2022 at home, 46-34.
- The teams have split their two meetings in Greeley, with each program winning once.
THE LAMB ERA: Head coach Ed Lamb enters year three with a clear vision for growth. A veteran of the Big Sky Conference and a two-time Eddie Robinson Award finalist for FCS National Coach of the Year at Southern Utah, Lamb continues to build a foundation centered on discipline, player development, and local recruiting. While the Bears went 1-11 (1-7 Big Sky) in 2024, they closed the year playing their most competitive football and return several key contributors on both sides of the ball. That progress has carried into 2025, as Northern Colorado opened the season with a 17-3 win over Chadron State—its first opening-day victory since 2017 and first under Lamb at Nottingham Field—then nearly upset FBS foe Colorado State in a 21-17 road loss. The Bears followed with an overtime battle at No. 20/12 South Dakota, falling 24-17 in their second straight road game but proving they can go toe-to-toe with a nationally ranked opponent. UNC has leaned on balanced quarterback play from Eric Gibson Jr., timely scoring from Aliou-Rocco Traore, and a defense anchored by Ezra Ekuban, Zach Nowatzke, Cam Chapa, and Week 3 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week Hudson Voggesser.
GIBSON TAKES THE REINS: Redshirt junior quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. has stepped in and shown command of the offense. He completed 3-of-5 passes for 39 yards to help close out the win over Chadron State, then delivered a steady performance in his first start at Colorado State, going 17-for-28 for 160 yards while keeping UNC in front most of the night. Gibson Jr. followed that with a breakout effort at No. 20/12 South Dakota, throwing for 336 yards on 28-of-39 passing (71.8%) with a 49-yard strike and a touchdown as the Bears pushed the Coyotes to overtime. Through three games, he has totaled 535 passing yards on 66.7 percent completions with one touchdown, five plays of 20+ yards, and a long of 49, quickly establishing himself as UNC's new QB1.
DEFENSE MAKING A STATEMENT: Northern Colorado's defense has emerged as a strength early in 2025, with back-to-back Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors highlighting the group's impact. Defensive end Ezra Ekuban earned the award after forcing a fumble and recording a sack in the near-upset at Colorado State, while linebacker Hudson Voggesser followed with a 16-tackle performance to claim the honor in the overtime battle at No. 20/12 South Dakota. Sophomore safety Cam Chapa, a Freshman All-American and Preseason All-Conference pick, continues to anchor the secondary—adding his fifth career interception against CSU to move into the program's all-time top five. With veterans like Zach Nowatzke contributing steady production and multiple playmakers emerging across all three levels, the Bears' defense has shown steady growth under head coach Ed Lamb, proving it can go toe-to-toe with some of the nation's top FCS offenses.
LOCAL ROOTS RUN DEEP: Northern Colorado continues to lean into its Colorado recruiting pipeline. The 2025 roster features over 60 in-state players, the second most in the Big Sky Conference behind Sacramento State and more than half of the full roster. Head coach Ed Lamb and his staff have prioritized keeping local talent at home, giving players from Colorado the chance to develop and shine at the Division I level. That approach was on full display against Colorado State, as homegrown Bears made key plays. Parker native Ezra Ekuban forced a fumble and recorded a sack, Aurora's Cam Chapa added eight tackles and an interception, and Colorado Spring's Carver Cheeks hauled in a critical 30-yard fourth-down catch to set up a score. Alongside wide receiver Brayden Munroe, the in-state core continues to fuel UNC's identity and on-field competitiveness.
BIG SKY HONORS: Northern Colorado's defense has earned back-to-back Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors to open September. Redshirt junior defensive end Ezra Ekuban was recognized after recording nine tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble in the Bears' 21-17 battle at Colorado State—setting up UNC's first touchdown with a strip sack and anchoring a unit that forced five turnovers. One week later, redshirt freshman linebacker Hudson Voggesser followed with a career-high 16 tackles, including seven solo stops, 0.5 tackles for loss, and a quarterback hurry in the 24-17 overtime contest at No. 20/12 South Dakota. The pair of awards mark UNC's second and third weekly defensive honors under head coach Ed Lamb, underscoring the Bears' growing presence on that side of the ball.
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.
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Players Mentioned
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/ FootballBuilding Champions Campaign 2025
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Izzi Bennett and Bella LePore Post Game Press Conference vs Colorado State
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