University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, November 7
Cedar City, Utah
1 p.m. MDT
University of Northern Colorado
3-7 , 2-5
24
at
31
Southern Utah
4-6 , 3-4
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Colo. | 0 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 24 |
| Southern Utah | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics
11/7/2026 5:32:00 PM | Football
CEDAR CITY, Utah – Northern Colorado dug itself a 21-0 hole Saturday at Eccles Coliseum, then climbed all the way out, but could not finish the job in a 31-24 loss to Southern Utah.
The Bears are 3-7 overall and 2-5 in Big Sky play. Southern Utah improves to 4-6 and 3-4.
A Hole Too Deep
Southern Utah scored on its opening drive and had three touchdowns before Northern Colorado got on the board. The Bears turned it over on the first play of the game, and the first half was lopsided on the stat sheet: Northern Colorado ran 19 offensive plays to the Thunderbirds' 43, and Southern Utah held the ball for 20:56 to the Bears' 9:04.
"Give Southern Utah credit. They jumped out fast on us, and we dug ourselves too big of a hole," head coach Ed Lamb said. "I think we had everything going in the right direction. Just kind of ran out of time there."
The Comeback
Trailing 21-0, Northern Colorado outscored Southern Utah 24-3 to tie the game at 24-24. Brayten Silbor found Marcus Mozer for a 27-yard touchdown before halftime, then opened the third quarter with a 39-yard Landon Richardson field goal, a 12-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Harstad and a 5-yard Justin Guin touchdown run with 2:09 left in the quarter.
The Bears outscored Southern Utah 17-0 in the third quarter, and the defense took over after halftime, putting the Thunderbirds in obvious passing situations.
"Our guys did a really good job of containing the run game," Lamb said. "They're so strong in that area, and that was going to be a big challenge for us."
Southern Utah came in averaging 257 rushing yards per game and finished with 157.
The Difference
The Thunderbirds regained the lead in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Tarence Brown with 10:24 remaining, capping a 15-play, 75-yard drive.
Lamb pointed to third downs as the deciding factor.
"Give their quarterback a lot of credit. They got out of a lot of third downs tonight on their final scoring drive, and in the first half they had an excellent third down conversion rate on us," Lamb said. "In the end, that became the difference in the game."
Northern Colorado also lost its first fumble of the season.
Back in Cedar City
The game brought Lamb back to the program he coached from 2008-15, and the 2015 Southern Utah team was honored during the day.
"I really enjoyed it from the time we landed. People getting in contact with me all week," Lamb said. "It was great to see friends that I've had for many, many years. During the game, I wasn't even aware. But it was great to see everybody. I'm glad it was a competitive, fun football game for everybody involved on both sides."
After the game, Lamb returned to the fight his team showed.
"It's hard to know how many punches in the stomach these guys can take with close losses," Lamb said. "Knowing that we can win games, we're good enough to win games, but not getting it done, and yet they keep coming back and battling. I'm proud to be their coach, and I'm looking forward to next week."
Up Next
Northern Colorado returns home to host Montana State on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 12 p.m. MT for Senior Day.
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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The Bears are 3-7 overall and 2-5 in Big Sky play. Southern Utah improves to 4-6 and 3-4.
A Hole Too Deep
Southern Utah scored on its opening drive and had three touchdowns before Northern Colorado got on the board. The Bears turned it over on the first play of the game, and the first half was lopsided on the stat sheet: Northern Colorado ran 19 offensive plays to the Thunderbirds' 43, and Southern Utah held the ball for 20:56 to the Bears' 9:04.
"Give Southern Utah credit. They jumped out fast on us, and we dug ourselves too big of a hole," head coach Ed Lamb said. "I think we had everything going in the right direction. Just kind of ran out of time there."
The Comeback
Trailing 21-0, Northern Colorado outscored Southern Utah 24-3 to tie the game at 24-24. Brayten Silbor found Marcus Mozer for a 27-yard touchdown before halftime, then opened the third quarter with a 39-yard Landon Richardson field goal, a 12-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Harstad and a 5-yard Justin Guin touchdown run with 2:09 left in the quarter.
The Bears outscored Southern Utah 17-0 in the third quarter, and the defense took over after halftime, putting the Thunderbirds in obvious passing situations.
"Our guys did a really good job of containing the run game," Lamb said. "They're so strong in that area, and that was going to be a big challenge for us."
Southern Utah came in averaging 257 rushing yards per game and finished with 157.
The Difference
The Thunderbirds regained the lead in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Tarence Brown with 10:24 remaining, capping a 15-play, 75-yard drive.
Lamb pointed to third downs as the deciding factor.
"Give their quarterback a lot of credit. They got out of a lot of third downs tonight on their final scoring drive, and in the first half they had an excellent third down conversion rate on us," Lamb said. "In the end, that became the difference in the game."
Northern Colorado also lost its first fumble of the season.
Back in Cedar City
The game brought Lamb back to the program he coached from 2008-15, and the 2015 Southern Utah team was honored during the day.
"I really enjoyed it from the time we landed. People getting in contact with me all week," Lamb said. "It was great to see friends that I've had for many, many years. During the game, I wasn't even aware. But it was great to see everybody. I'm glad it was a competitive, fun football game for everybody involved on both sides."
After the game, Lamb returned to the fight his team showed.
"It's hard to know how many punches in the stomach these guys can take with close losses," Lamb said. "Knowing that we can win games, we're good enough to win games, but not getting it done, and yet they keep coming back and battling. I'm proud to be their coach, and I'm looking forward to next week."
Up Next
Northern Colorado returns home to host Montana State on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 12 p.m. MT for Senior Day.
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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Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
QB
/ FootballTeam Stats
UNC
SUU
Total Yards
353
358
Pass Yards
149
201
Rushing Yards
204
157
Penalty Yards
47
99
1st Downs
24
22
3rd Downs
1
8
4th Downs
2
2
TOP
26:24
33:36
1st Quarter
UNC 0, SUU 7
SUU - Acord,Joshua 16 yd pass from Burns,Will (Rogers,Jayden kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:11
2nd Quarter
UNC 0, SUU 14
SUU - Burns,Will 19 yd run (Rogers,Jayden kick), 12 plays, 89 yards, TOP 06:21
UNC 0, SUU 21
SUU - Bails Jr.,Mark 25 yd pass from Burns,Will (Rogers,Jayden kick) 5 plays, 63 yards, TOP 02:08
UNC 7, SUU 21
UNC - Mozer,Marcus 27 yd pass from Silbor,Brayten (Richardson,Landon kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:38
UNC 7, SUU 24
SUU - Rogers,Jayden 32 yd field goal 7 plays, 19 yards, TOP 01:24
3rd Quarter
UNC 10, SUU 24
UNC - Richardson,Landon 39 yd field goal 9 plays, 54 yards, TOP 04:54
UNC 17, SUU 24
UNC - Harstad,Garrett 12 yd pass from Silbor,Brayten (Richardson,Landon kick) 6 plays, 44 yards, TOP 02:14
UNC 24, SUU 24
UNC - Guin,Justin 5 yd run (Richardson,Landon kick), 4 plays, 73 yards, TOP 01:53
4th Quarter
UNC 24, SUU 31
SUU - Brown,Talmage 2 yd run (Rogers,Jayden kick), 15 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:45
Game Leaders
CMP
21
TD
2
YDS
149
INT
2
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