Bears Rally Falls Short at Eastern Washington

Saturday, October 10

Cheney, Wash.

5 p.m. MDT

University of Northern Colorado

2-5 , 1-3

Eastern Washington

2-5 , 1-3

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Northern Colo.	0	6	6	10	22
Eastern Wash.	14	14	0	3	31

Final Game Book Quotes Postgame Notes Press Conference

Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics

10/10/2026 9:24:00 PM | Football

Box Score Donate To Football Buy Tickets Final Game Book Quotes Postgame Notes

By: Aiden Tank, Director of Strategic Communications

CHENEY, Wash. – Northern Colorado climbed out of a 28-point hole but could not complete the comeback, falling 31-22 to Eastern Washington Saturday at Roos Field.

The Bears are now 2-5 overall and 1-3 in Big Sky play. Eastern Washington improves to 2-5 and 1-3 in conference, snapping a five-game losing streak.

A Hole Too Deep
Eastern Washington scored on its opening possession and never trailed. Nate Bell threw four touchdown passes, three of them in the first half, as the Eagles built a 28-6 lead by halftime.

"We didn't finish drives. We kicked field goals. They scored touchdowns," head coach Ed Lamb said. "That was the tale of the first half. It just got too far away from us, and in the end it came down to one or two plays, and it's hard to let it come down to that."

Landon Richardson kept the Bears within reach, connecting on field goals of 24 and 21 yards in the second quarter. It was his third game this season with multiple field goals, and the three he finished with tied the most in a single game in UNC Division I history. He now has 10 field goals on the season, tied for the fourth-most in a single season in the Division I era, and 31 career points, the 10th-most by a kicker in program Division I history.

But Bell answered each time, finding Kevin Allen III for a 7-yard score and Rylin Lang from 10 yards out with 21 seconds left in the half.

Patterson Takes Over
With Brayten Silbor and Kenny Lueth both banged up, Keegan Patterson came in at quarterback in the second half and changed the game.

"We're just looking to give him an opportunity. The other two guys got banged up, and he ran with it," Lamb said. "He was competitive, willed a few first downs. I think the whole team just believed in his effort and his fight, and that's what we needed in that moment."

Patterson led a 17-play, 78-yard drive that consumed 9:29 of the third quarter, the most plays on a touchdown drive this season and the longest by time of possession. He finished it himself on a 1-yard touchdown run, the first rushing score of his career, for the Bears' first points of the second half. He finished 10-of-22 for 141 yards, adding 32 rushing yards and an 8-yard touchdown catch.

Northern Colorado made it a one-score game in the fourth. Richardson hit a 35-yard field goal, and Patterson caught a touchdown pass from Jordan Herron on a trick play, the first career passing touchdown for Herron, pulling the Bears to 28-22 with 9:11 remaining.

The Bears held the ball for 13:28 of the third quarter.

The Final Answer
Eastern Washington answered with a 46-yard field goal from Soren McKee with 2:30 left to push the lead back to nine, and the Bears could not respond.

Olsen's Breakout
Trey Olsen had the best game of his career, catching eight passes for 103 yards. Both were career highs, and it was his first 100-yard receiving game.

Bears Dominate the Ground Game
Northern Colorado ran for 281 yards on 44 carries, averaging 6.4 per attempt, while holding the Eagles to 62 rushing yards on 24 carries. The Bears won the possession battle 38:06 to 21:54 and outgained Eastern Washington 468-396 in total offense.

Kenny Lueth led the Bears with 87 rushing yards on five carries, including a 43-yard run that ranks as the seventh-longest by a quarterback in UNC Division I history. He now has 290 rushing yards this season, the most by a Bears quarterback in the Division I era and the third-most since 1996. His career rushing total ranks fourth among quarterbacks since 1996 and third in Division I history.

Justin Guin added 84 yards on 17 carries, and Brandon Lambert Jr. ran for 41 yards on four attempts.

Defensive Adjustment
Lamb credited defensive coordinator Preston Hadley with a halftime adjustment that slowed the Eagles after the break.

"We were playing quite a bit of man coverage during the first half, and our guys were getting beat and losing confidence," Lamb said. "Then we started sprinkling some more zones, and they grew their confidence back in man, so we were able to kind of fight our way back into the game."

Eastern Washington managed just a field goal in the second half. Wesley Garrett led the Eagles with eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Up Next
Northern Colorado returns home Saturday to host Cal Poly at 6 p.m. MT at Nottingham Field.

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