The Northern Colorado football team, winless this season, was on the cusp of the program’s biggest win in a long time Saturday afternoon.
And then they weren’t.
The Bears surrendered 21 points to No. 14 Weber State in the final 6 minutes and 34 seconds of the fourth quarter, losing a legitimate heartbreaker 28-21 in a Big Sky Conference game at Nottingham Field.
UNC drops to 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference and 0-5 overall heading to its bye week. UNC returns to the field Saturday, Oct. 14 for homecoming and family and friends weekend in Greeley.
Head coach Ed Lamb and his staff might need the full two weeks to help the players shake off the disappointment. Weber State (1-1 in the Big Sky) came in as a top 15 team in Football Championship Subdivision rankings despite their 2-2 overall record. The Wildcats were the highest ranked .500 team in the Sept 24 poll.
“There were enough highlights tonight than all the other games combined,” Lamb said after the game, disappointed yet trying to remain upbeat after a tough loss. “I know the ending of this story and where we’re going. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for the book to be written.”
UNC’s last win against a ranked opponent came in Nov. 2016 against No. 18 Montana, a 28-25 win at Nottingham Field.
The Bears had the set up in place for an even greater finish on Saturday.
UNC led 21-7 with 5 minutes, 43 seconds left in the first half after running back David Afari scored on a 28-yard run to cap an 11-play, 93-yard scoring drive which was the team’s longest of the day. Quarterback Jacob Sirmon connected with Blake Haggerty for the two-point conversion allowing for the 14-point margin.
UNC, which scored touchdowns on three of its five possessions in the first half, didn’t score the rest of the way and that proved to be key. Weber State (1-1 in Big Sky) scored on its first drive of the game to take a 7-0 lead, but the Wildcats came up empty until late in the game.
Lamb said Weber State was more aggressive on first down in the second half, leaving UNC with second-and-long situations. It’s a down that doesn’t have a high conversation rate repeatedly, Lamb said. The Bears also had trouble running the ball as the game went on.
UNC finished the game with 98 yards rushing on 27 carries. Leading rusher Afari had 63 yards and Darius Stewart was held to 18 yards. Both guys were over 100 yards on the ground last week at Idaho State.
“I thought their players played hard and didn’t quit in the second half,” Lamb added. “Until the very end, it was a back-and-forth momentum. A lot of big plays going on both sides, especially in the second half.”
The UNC defense had something to do with that, picking off Wildcats quarterback Kylan Weisser three times and twice on fourth down in the first half, though those picks didn’t lead to points.
Sirmon, a graduate student and experienced player, threw three fourth-quarter interceptions — two of which led to Weber State tying the game and then taking the lead on a pick-6 with 1:46 to play.
“The pain of it comes down to that, but the reality is if Sirm hadn’t played as well as he played and the receivers up to that point, then it would’ve never been as painful as it was,” Lamb said.
Sirmon ended up 28-of-42 passing for 287 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. His third interception came on third down at the Bears’ 24-yard line with 56 seconds left. He was 15 of 20 for 157 yards in the first half with touchdowns to Kyle Helbig and Fisher Clements.
On the go-ahead pick 6, UNC had a first down at its own 40-yard line. Sirmon moved out of the pocket a bit, and a Bears lineman apparently got blocked into the quarterback.
The ball fluttered out of Sirmon’s hands and ended up with Wildcats’ linebacker Winston Reid who returned it for the go-ahead and deciding score.
Reid, who came into the game as the Wildcats’ leading tackler, finished the afternoon the leader in the same category. He had 10 tackles to go with the interception.
Weber State got back into the game with under 4 minutes to play in the fourth. UNC got the ball back at its own 29 with 3:50 left, a 21-14 lead and another chance to protect the lead following an interception by defensive back Cameron Murray.
UNC’s previous drive stalled out on three plays after Weisser scored on a 1-yard keeper to cut the lead to seven points at 21-14 with 6:34 remaining.
Two plays into the Bears’ drive, Wildcats linebacker Jack Kelly hit Sirmon. The ball came out as a wobbler and WSU defensive back Abraham Williams caught it and returned it to the UNC 22. Kelly, also one of the team’s leading tacklers, had eight for the day.
Three plays later, running back Kris Jackson ran in from 5 yards out for the tying score, 21-21 with 2:28 left.
Lamb said Sirmon was “down” after the game. Lamb said Sirmon had pressure in his face on Reid’s interception return.
“I told him we’re going to get another shot here,” Lamb said. “The ball comes right back to us. No harm done. We just have to march it right back down and get a score.”
Weber State 28, Northern Colorado 21
Weber State 7 – 0 – 0 – 21 — 28
UNC 6 – 15 – 0 – 0 — 21
1st Quarter, WSU — Kris Jackson 3 run (Kyle Thompson kick), 11:31. 10 plays, 75 yards, time of possession 3:29.
1st Quarter, UNC — Kyle Helbig 6 pass from Jacob Sirmon, 9:26. 6 plays, 75 yards, 2;05.
2nd Quarter, UNC — Fisher Clements 4 pass from Jacob Sirmon, 7:33. 15 plays, 78 yards, 7:33.
2nd Quarter, UNC — David Afari 28 run (Blake Haggerty pass from Sirmon), 4:44. 11 plays, 93 yards, 5:43.
4th Quarter, WSU — Kylan Weisser 1 run (Thompson kick), 6:34. 9 plays, 74 yards, 2:57.
4th Quarter, WSU — Jackson 5 run (Thompson kick), 2:28. 4 plays, 22 yards, 1:05.
4th Quarter, WSU — Winston Reid 40 interception return (Thompson kick), 1:46.
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