University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics
Bears Field A Complete Quarterback Room
10/8/2026 5:08:00 PM | Football
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado has a quarterback question that isn't really a question, and the two men at the center of it both said the same thing this week.
"Anyone that's in can run the plays that we have scripted," Kenny Lueth said. "Whether it's me, Brayten Silbor, Keegan Patterson, Zeke Andrews, Caeden Reader, all those guys. I don't really Northern Colorado has a quarterback question that isn't really a question, and the two men at the center of it both said the same thing this week.think there's going to be a huge difference. Run the play that's called, get the first down."
That is not the usual answer from a player who has started games and then watched someone else take the job. It is also not the usual situation for a program that has spent the last few seasons cycling through quarterbacks out of necessity.
A Room That Works
Brayten Silbor took the first-team reps in Wednesday's practice, but he described the group the same way Lueth did.
"It's awesome. They're all great guys," Silbor said. "We're all super close, even the freshmen doing the scout team. We're all just ready for our number to be called. We're all preparing like we're going to be the guy, and whoever's in there, everyone has full support behind them."
Lueth, who has been in the program longer and has started most of this season, was careful to extend that beyond the top two.
"It's a really, really tight-knit group with a lot of experience, and a lot of the guys have really valuable input, whether that's the first-string guy or the fifth-string guy," Lueth said. "I value all those guys and their input, what they see and what their thoughts are on the game. We all enjoy hanging around with each other, which is important in a room where you're spending I don't even know how many hours a week together."
The Third Name
Neither quarterback was asked to talk about Keegan Patterson, but head coach Ed Lamb brought him up unprompted this week, and what he said explains the whole approach.
"You've seen Kenny and Brayten, they run the football and they run the football physically, and we would not be encouraging that as much if we didn't know that we had Keegan," Lamb said. "Keegan remains an integral part of what's going on on our field, the way he interacts with our players, his leadership and his abilities. Because we would not be playing the style that we're playing if we didn't know that at any given time we've got two more quarterbacks that we believe could lead us to victories."
That is a specific claim. The Bears are willing to let their quarterbacks carry the ball like running backs because of who is standing behind them on the sideline.
It is not theoretical. Lueth ran for 58 yards on six carries last week, including a 36-yard scramble, and scored twice on the ground.
Why It Matters Now
The Bears have been down this road before, and it did not always look like this. In past seasons, Northern Colorado used a platoon at quarterback, and the criticism from outside was that it became predictable. One guy in meant the ball was going somewhere specific.
Lamb was asked this week how he keeps that from happening again.
"Even within formations you have tendencies, and every team knows the tendency that they're presenting," Lamb said. "If you have a running quarterback or a running formation or running personnel, two tight ends, three tight ends, it doesn't mean that you balance it out 50-50. It's how aggressive is the defense going to get toward that play, and what is the percentage of time that you need to attack that style of aggressive defense knowing what the tendency is that we're presenting on that play."
He described it as matching risk to reward rather than chasing an even split.
Familiar Ground for Silbor
Silbor has lived this arrangement before, at his previous stop.
"That's how my first and second year kind of went at Lehigh. My first year, we had a senior taking most of the reps, I'd go in a couple times here and there, and then the next year I took over as full-time starter and he would come in for quarterback runs and stuff like that," Silbor said. "I'm a little familiar with it. We had a good group of quarterbacks there too, in terms of how tight we were. It definitely helps with that, because everyone's waiting for their number to be called and everyone's preparing like that."
What's Different This Time
The Bears are 2-4, and the turnover at the position has not been the reason. Both starters have won games. Lueth has run for four touchdowns. Silbor led an overtime comeback and then a homecoming rout.Â
Lamb said he has been in rooms where that arrangement creates division. He does not think he is in one now.
"Kenny and Brayten are natural leaders who have started and led college football teams before in a starting role, and they've both been backups, so they have that experience," Lamb said. "There's not an immaturity that can sometimes come with a player who's always been the starter since he was seven years old. These guys have battled from behind. They're mature. They're older, they support each other, and I just don't think it ever was a threat."
Kickoff Saturday at Eastern Washington is set for 5 p.m. MT at Roos Field.
Tickets can be purchased through the UNC ticket office online at UNCBears.com/Tickets, by calling 970-351-4849, or in person at the UNC ticket office during normal business hours.
Quarterback Club
The Quarterback Club plays a vital role in supporting the UNC Football program. By giving to the Quarterback Club, you help enhance the student-athlete experience, providing resources for team development, and ensuring the success of the Bears on and off the field. Your involvement makes a meaningful difference in the future of the program.
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.
Â
"Anyone that's in can run the plays that we have scripted," Kenny Lueth said. "Whether it's me, Brayten Silbor, Keegan Patterson, Zeke Andrews, Caeden Reader, all those guys. I don't really Northern Colorado has a quarterback question that isn't really a question, and the two men at the center of it both said the same thing this week.think there's going to be a huge difference. Run the play that's called, get the first down."
That is not the usual answer from a player who has started games and then watched someone else take the job. It is also not the usual situation for a program that has spent the last few seasons cycling through quarterbacks out of necessity.
A Room That Works
Brayten Silbor took the first-team reps in Wednesday's practice, but he described the group the same way Lueth did.
"It's awesome. They're all great guys," Silbor said. "We're all super close, even the freshmen doing the scout team. We're all just ready for our number to be called. We're all preparing like we're going to be the guy, and whoever's in there, everyone has full support behind them."
Lueth, who has been in the program longer and has started most of this season, was careful to extend that beyond the top two.
"It's a really, really tight-knit group with a lot of experience, and a lot of the guys have really valuable input, whether that's the first-string guy or the fifth-string guy," Lueth said. "I value all those guys and their input, what they see and what their thoughts are on the game. We all enjoy hanging around with each other, which is important in a room where you're spending I don't even know how many hours a week together."
The Third Name
Neither quarterback was asked to talk about Keegan Patterson, but head coach Ed Lamb brought him up unprompted this week, and what he said explains the whole approach.
"You've seen Kenny and Brayten, they run the football and they run the football physically, and we would not be encouraging that as much if we didn't know that we had Keegan," Lamb said. "Keegan remains an integral part of what's going on on our field, the way he interacts with our players, his leadership and his abilities. Because we would not be playing the style that we're playing if we didn't know that at any given time we've got two more quarterbacks that we believe could lead us to victories."
That is a specific claim. The Bears are willing to let their quarterbacks carry the ball like running backs because of who is standing behind them on the sideline.
It is not theoretical. Lueth ran for 58 yards on six carries last week, including a 36-yard scramble, and scored twice on the ground.
Why It Matters Now
The Bears have been down this road before, and it did not always look like this. In past seasons, Northern Colorado used a platoon at quarterback, and the criticism from outside was that it became predictable. One guy in meant the ball was going somewhere specific.
Lamb was asked this week how he keeps that from happening again.
"Even within formations you have tendencies, and every team knows the tendency that they're presenting," Lamb said. "If you have a running quarterback or a running formation or running personnel, two tight ends, three tight ends, it doesn't mean that you balance it out 50-50. It's how aggressive is the defense going to get toward that play, and what is the percentage of time that you need to attack that style of aggressive defense knowing what the tendency is that we're presenting on that play."
He described it as matching risk to reward rather than chasing an even split.
Familiar Ground for Silbor
Silbor has lived this arrangement before, at his previous stop.
"That's how my first and second year kind of went at Lehigh. My first year, we had a senior taking most of the reps, I'd go in a couple times here and there, and then the next year I took over as full-time starter and he would come in for quarterback runs and stuff like that," Silbor said. "I'm a little familiar with it. We had a good group of quarterbacks there too, in terms of how tight we were. It definitely helps with that, because everyone's waiting for their number to be called and everyone's preparing like that."
What's Different This Time
The Bears are 2-4, and the turnover at the position has not been the reason. Both starters have won games. Lueth has run for four touchdowns. Silbor led an overtime comeback and then a homecoming rout.Â
Lamb said he has been in rooms where that arrangement creates division. He does not think he is in one now.
"Kenny and Brayten are natural leaders who have started and led college football teams before in a starting role, and they've both been backups, so they have that experience," Lamb said. "There's not an immaturity that can sometimes come with a player who's always been the starter since he was seven years old. These guys have battled from behind. They're mature. They're older, they support each other, and I just don't think it ever was a threat."
Kickoff Saturday at Eastern Washington is set for 5 p.m. MT at Roos Field.
Tickets can be purchased through the UNC ticket office online at UNCBears.com/Tickets, by calling 970-351-4849, or in person at the UNC ticket office during normal business hours.
Quarterback Club
The Quarterback Club plays a vital role in supporting the UNC Football program. By giving to the Quarterback Club, you help enhance the student-athlete experience, providing resources for team development, and ensuring the success of the Bears on and off the field. Your involvement makes a meaningful difference in the future of the program.
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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