Bears Fall 26-18 in Big Sky Opener

Saturday, September 27

Greeley, Colo.

1 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

2-3 , 0-1

Idaho State

2-3 , 1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Idaho St.

Northern Colo.

Photo by: Sophia Valencia, UNC Athletics

9/27/2025 5:30:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Quarterback Eric Gibson Jr.'s 396 passing yards rank ninth in UNC’s Division I single-game history.

By: Brooke Richards, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado battled back from an early deficit but came up short in its Big Sky opener, falling 26-18 to Idaho State on Saturday afternoon at Nottingham Field.

The Bears (2-3, 0-1 Big Sky) posted 426 yards of total offense, highlighted by quarterback Eric Gibson Jr's 396 passing yards and two touchdowns. Gibson's performance now ranks ninth in UNC's NCAA Division I history for single-game passing yards, surpassing Jacob Knipp's 393-yard effort at North Dakota in 2019 and Conor Regans 392-yard effort vs Southern Utah in 2017. Wideout Carver Cheeks and tight end Charles Garrison each hauled in scoring receptions to pace the attack.

Idaho State (2-3, 1-0) struck first with 10 points in the opening quarter, then stretched the lead to 16-0 midway through the second on back-to-back field goals. UNC responded with a six-play, 95-yard drive capped by Gibson's 36-yard strike to Garrison, cutting the deficit to 16-7. But the Bengals answered just before halftime with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Cooke to Tsion Nunnally, making it 23-7 at the break.

Northern Colorado clawed back in the third quarter as Gibson connected with Cheeks on a nine-yard touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion from Gibson to Dawson Menegatti to make it 23-15. Idaho State's Trajan Sinatra added his fourth field goal of the afternoon late in the third to push the lead back to 26-15.

The Bears drew within one possession early in the fourth on a 29-yard field goal from Jacob Willig, but the defense could not get the final stop needed as the Bengals controlled the clock down the stretch.

Cheeks finished with seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown, while Garrison added three receptions for 82 yards. Running back Mathias Price contributed 104 all-purpose yards, including 74 through the air.

Defensively, Cam Chapa led UNC with 11 total tackles and a fumble recovery, while KJ Smedley posted a team-high eight solo stops. Ezra Ekuban added six tackles with a tackle for loss.

Northern Colorado will have a bye next week before traveling to face No. 8/8 Idaho in Moscow on Saturday, October 11. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. MT.

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