Bears Fall To Wyoming 21-13 After Lightning Delay

Saturday, September 12

Laramie, Wyo.

2 p.m. MDT

University of Northern Colorado

0-3 , 0-1

Wyoming

1-1 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Northern Colo.	0	10	3	0	13
Wyoming	0	7	0	14	21

Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics

9/12/2026 7:03:00 PM | Football

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By: Aiden Tank, Director of Strategic Communications

LARAMIE, Wyo. – Northern Colorado held a lead deep into the second half but could not hold on, falling to Wyoming 21-13 Saturday afternoon at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium in front of 24,105 fans.

The Bears led 13-7 entering the fourth quarter and appeared to have seized momentum when they recovered a fumble at the Wyoming 32-yard line. But a lightning delay halted play for approximately 35 minutes with 13:07 remaining, and when action resumed, the game turned. Wyoming scored two touchdowns in the final 15 minutes to erase the deficit and send Northern Colorado to 0-3 on the season.

"We did not play well enough to win," head coach Ed Lamb said. "Sometimes I think we felt like we played well enough to win and did not win. Those are really hard to take. This one, there's plenty to learn from, and I think there are wins out there for the Bears. We just need them to hang in there and hang tough together."

The game remained scoreless through a defensively charged first quarter, with both offenses struggling to find rhythm. Wyoming broke the deadlock midway through the second quarter when Samuel Harris punched in a 4-yard touchdown run to cap an eight-play, 37-yard drive.

Northern Colorado answered before halftime. Landon Richardson connected on a 45-yard field goal with two minutes remaining in the half, and after the Bears' defense forced a stop, Kenny Lueth found Marcus Mozer for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 25 seconds left. The explosive strike capped a five-play, 91-yard drive and gave Northern Colorado a 10-7 lead at the break.

The Bears extended their advantage on the opening drive of the third quarter. Northern Colorado marched 58 yards over 13 plays, consuming more than seven minutes of clock before Richardson drilled a 35-yard field goal to make it 13-7.

The lead held into the fourth quarter, but the game was interrupted by the lightning delay. On the final play before the stoppage, Northern Colorado recovered a Wyoming fumble at the Cowboys' 32-yard line. When play resumed, the Bears took possession at that spot but went backward and were forced to punt.

Wyoming then seized control. The Cowboys engineered a methodical 14-play, 82-yard drive that consumed more than seven minutes, with quarterback Tyler Hughes connecting with Charlie Coenen on a 15-yard touchdown pass to give Wyoming a 14-13 lead with 3:44 left.

On the ensuing possession, Lueth was intercepted, and Wyoming quickly capitalized. Hughes found Kyle Frendt for an 18-yard touchdown with 1:44 remaining to extend the lead to 21-13.

"I thought the difference in that drive from the rest of the game is that their quarterback connected on some contested throws and catches," Lamb said. "Give the quarterback a lot of credit on that. We got them behind the chains once or twice, and they were able to keep the drive going by converting passes against tough, tight man-to-man coverage."

Lueth finished 13-of-23 for 202 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while adding 9 rushing yards on eight carries.

Justin Guin led the Bears' rushing attack with 88 yards on 17 carries, including a long of 34 yards. Trey Olsen added 69 receiving yards on two catches, and Mozer finished with three receptions for 72 yards.

Defensively, Hudson Voggesser and Franky Morales each recorded six tackles to pace Northern Colorado. Ezra Ekuban had a career day with six tackles, a sack and a career-high three tackles for loss, while Dominic Butts contributed five tackles and a forced fumble. The Bears recovered two Wyoming fumbles but were unable to turn either into points.

Wyoming's offense was led by Markell Holman, who rushed for 80 yards on 11 carries and added 27 receiving yards. Hughes completed 18 of 26 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 26 yards. Ethan Stuhlsatz anchored the Cowboys' defense with 11 tackles.

The Bears outgained Wyoming 345-304 in total offense and held the ball for more than 31 minutes of possession time. But two interceptions, three sacks allowed and an inability to finish drives in the fourth quarter proved costly.

UP NEXT
UNC will return home to face Northeastern State at 6 p.m. Saturday at Nottingham Field.