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American college football season
The 2023 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Ed Lamb and played their home games at Nottingham Field.
Preseason[edit]
On July 23, 2023, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Bears were predicted to finish tenth in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.[1]
Coaches poll
Predicted finish
|
Team
|
Votes (1st place)
|
1
|
Montana State
|
120 (10)
|
2
|
UC Davis
|
96 (1)
|
3
|
Sacramento State
|
94 (1)
|
4
|
Weber State
|
91
|
5
|
Idaho
|
89
|
6
|
Montana
|
84
|
7
|
Eastern Washington
|
52
|
8
|
Portland State
|
45
|
9
|
Northern Arizona
|
44
|
10
|
Northern Colorado
|
37
|
11
|
Cal Poly
|
25
|
12
|
Idaho State
|
15
|
Media poll
Predicted finish
|
Team
|
Votes (1st place)
|
1
|
Montana State
|
447 (26)
|
2
|
Idaho
|
410 (8)
|
3
|
Montana
|
359 (2)
|
4
|
Sacramento State
|
334 (3)
|
5
|
UC Davis
|
330
|
6
|
Weber State
|
320
|
7
|
Eastern Washington
|
216
|
8
|
Northern Arizona
|
178
|
9
|
Portland State
|
167
|
10
|
Northern Colorado
|
109
|
11
|
Cal Poly
|
103
|
12
|
Idaho State
|
69
|
Schedule[edit]
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|
| 6:00 p.m. | at Abilene Christian* | | ESPN+ | L 11–31 | 6,164 |
September 9 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 10 Incarnate Word* | | ESPN+ | L 7–42 | 3,898 |
September 16 | 3:00 p.m. | at No. 23 (FBS) Washington State* | | P12N | L 21–64 | 23,595 |
September 23 | 4:00 p.m. | at Idaho State | | ESPN+ | L 21–35 | N/A |
September 30 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 13 Weber State | - Nottingham Field
- Greeley, CO
| ESPN+ | L 21–28 | 3,375 |
October 14 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 4 Sacramento State | - Nottingham Field
- Greeley, CO
| ESPN+ | L 13–21 | 4,783 |
October 21 | 7:05 p.m. | at Cal Poly | | ESPN+ | L 17–24 | 9,263 |
October 28 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 7 Montana | | ESPN+ | L 0–40 | 25,463 |
November 4 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 3 Idaho | - Nottingham Field
- Greeley, CO
| ESPN+ | L 13–27 | 3,608 |
November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | at Northern Arizona | | ESPN+ | L 7–28 | 6,003 |
November 18 | 12:00 p.m. | Portland State | - Nottingham Field
- Greeley, CO
| ESPN+ | L 23–27 | 2,578 |
|
Conference opponents not scheduled this season: Eastern Washington, Montana State, UC Davis
Game summaries[edit]
at Abilene Christian[edit]
vs No. 10 Incarnate Word[edit]
Game Two – Incarnate Word Cardinals (0–1) at Northern Colorado Bears (0–1)
Period |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
No. 10 Cardinals |
7 |
14 |
14 | 7 | 42 |
Bears |
0 |
0 |
0 | 7 | 7 |
at Nottingham Field, Greeley, CO
- Date: September 9
- Game time: 2:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Wind: NE 9 mph • Weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 3,898
- Referee: Gregg Wilson
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Alveen (play-by-play) and Nick Hager (analyst)
- Box Score Pregame line: UIW −17.0
Game information
|
- First Quarter
- UIW – 8:34 Marquez Perez 21 yard pass from Zach Calzada, Mason Lawler kick
UIW 7–0 Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 0:41
- Second Quarter
- UIW – 14:24 Caleb Chapman 1 yard pass from Zach Calzada, Mason Lawler kick
UIW 14–0 Drive: 16 plays, 97 yards, 6:50
- UIW – 1:53 Timothy Carter 16 yard run, Mason Lawler kick
UIW 21–0 Drive: 7 plays, 89 yards, 1:39
- Third Quarter
- UIW – 9:22 Zach Calzada 11 yard run, Mason Lawler kick
UIW 28–0 Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 3:18
- UIW – 5:10 Tre Siggers 11 yard run, Mason Lawler kick
UIW 35–0 Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:05
- Fourth Quarter
- UIW – 10:04 Caleb Chapman 25 yard pass from Zach Calzada, Mason Lawler kick
UIW 42–0 Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:37
- UNC – 6:28 Blake Haggerty 43 yard pass from Hank Gibbs, Hunter Green kick
UIW 42–7 Drive: 9 plays, 88 yards, 3:36
|
Statistics
|
UIW
|
UNC
|
First downs |
29 |
14
|
Plays–yards |
82–617 |
69–261
|
Rushes–yards |
42–235 |
37–93
|
Passing yards |
382 |
168
|
Passing: comp–att–int |
29–40–1 |
15–32–1
|
Time of possession |
31:03 |
28:57
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Incarnate Word
|
Passing |
Zach Calzada |
23/32, 255 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
|
Rushing |
Timothy Carter |
16 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD
|
Receiving |
Caleb Chapman |
5 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD
|
Northern Colorado
|
Passing |
Jacob Sirmon |
13/27, 114 yards, 1 INT
|
Rushing |
David Afari |
14 carries, 43 yards
|
Receiving |
Blake Haggerty |
4 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD
|
at No. 23 (FBS) Washington State[edit]
Northern Colorado Bears (0–2) at No. 23 (FBS) Washington State Cougars (2–0) – Game summary
Period |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Bears |
0 |
7 |
7 | 7 | 21 |
No. 23 (FBS) Cougars |
22 |
21 |
14 | 7 | 64 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
- Date: September 16, 2023
- Game time: 3:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SW 8 mph
- Game attendance: 23,595
- Referee: Gary Reed
- TV: P12N
Game information
|
- First quarter
- (10:28) WSU – Cameron Ward 8-yard run, Billy Riviere pass (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:32; Washington State 8–0)
- (6:08) WSU – Kyle Williams 37-yard pass from Cameron Ward, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 3:23; Washington State 15–0)
- (3:41) WSU – Lincoln Victor 28-yard pass from Cameron Ward, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:07; Washington State 22–0)
- Second quarter
- (12:27) WSU – Josh Kelly 18-yard pass from Cameron Ward, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:33; Washington State 29–0)
- (8:45) WSU – Nakia Watson 6-yard run, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 1:40; Washington State 36–0)
- (3:20) WSU – Lincoln Victor 31-yard pass from Cameron Ward, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 2:31; Washington State 43–0)
- (0:12) NCU – Jamarii Robinson 18-yard pass from Jacob Sirmon, Hunter Green kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:08; Washington State 43–7)
- Third quarter
- (9:43) WSU – Josh Meredith 15-yard pass from John Mateer, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 7 plays, 93 yards, 2:38; Washington State 50–7)
- (5:45) NCU – Hank Gibbs 1-yard run, Hunter Green kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:58; Washington State 50–14)
- (5:10) WSU – Tsion Nunnally 72-yard pass from John Mateer, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:30; Washington State 57–14)
- Fourth quarter
- (13:46) WSU – Dylan Paine 1-yard run, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:04; Washington State 64–14)
- (11:36) NCU – Darius Stewart 52-yard pass from Jacob Sirmon, Hunter Green kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:10; Washington State 64–21)
|
Statistics |
NCU |
WSU
|
First downs |
17 |
33
|
Total yards |
366 |
718
|
Rushes/yards |
31–158 |
36–229
|
Passing yards |
208 |
489
|
Passing: Comp–Att–Int |
18–30–0 |
29–38–1
|
Time of possession |
29:11 |
30:49
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Northern Colorado |
Passing |
Jacob Sirmon |
16/24, 171 yards, 2 TD
|
Rushing |
David Afari |
17 carries, 116 yards
|
Receiving |
Blake Haggerty |
6 receptions, 70 yards
|
Washington State |
Passing |
Cameron Ward |
20/26, 327 yards, 4 TD
|
Rushing |
Dylan Paine |
7 carries, 71 yards, TD
|
Receiving |
Lincoln Victor |
6 receptions, 119 yards, 2 TD
|
at Idaho State[edit]
Idaho State Bengals (0–3) vs. Northern Colorado Bears (0–3) – Game summary
Period |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Bears |
7 |
0 |
14 | 0 | 21 |
Bengals |
7 |
14 |
7 | 7 | 35 |
at Holt Arena, Pocatello, Idaho
- Date:
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. MDT
- Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), Indoors
- Game attendance: 8,012
- Referee: Jim C.
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Carder (play-by-play), Kody Graves (analyst)
- Spread: Idaho State –6.5 • Odds to win: Northern Colorado 51.7% • [1]
Game information
|
- First quarter
- 7:04 UNC – Darius Stewart 16-yard run (Hunter Green kick) – Northern Colorado 7–0, Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 4:37
- 0:07 ISU – Alfred Jordan Jr. 32-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Thomas Kopcho kick) – Tied 7–7, Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 2:37
- Second quarter
- 5:31 ISU – Jordan Cooke 1-yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) – Idaho State 14–7, Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 4:25
- 0:20 ISU – Chedon James 1-yard pass from Hunter Hays (Thomas Kopcho kick) – Idaho State 21–7, Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 1:14
- Third quarter
- 10:32 UNC – Jacob Sirmon 1–yard run (Hunter Green kick) – Idaho State 21–14, Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:22
- 5:09 UNC – David Afari 18–yard run (Hunter Green kick) – Tied 21–21, Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 4:00
- 2:45 ISU – Aiden Taylor 8–yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) – Idaho State 28–21, Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:24
- Fourth quarter
- 5:05 ISU – Hunter Hays 2–yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) – Idaho State 35–21, Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 5:56
|
Statistics |
Northern Colorado |
Idaho State
|
First downs |
25 |
26
|
Plays–yards |
72–365 |
72–429
|
Rushes–yards |
40–242 |
30–103
|
Passing yards |
123 |
326
|
Passing: comp–att–int |
22–32–2 |
26–42–1
|
Turnovers |
3 |
1
|
Time of possession |
31:13 |
28:47
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Northern Colorado
|
Passing
|
Jacob Sirmon
|
22/32, 123 yards, 2 INT
|
Rushing
|
Darius Stewart
|
14 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD
|
Receiving
|
Ty Arrington
|
5 receptions, 42 yards
|
Idaho State
|
Passing
|
Jordan Cooke
|
14/23, 218 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
|
Rushing
|
Hunter Hays
|
13 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD
|
Receiving
|
Christian Fredericksen
|
7 receptions, 108 yards
|
vs No. 13 Weber State[edit]
vs No. 4 Sacramento State[edit]
No. 4 Sacramento State Hornets (4–1) at Northern Colorado Bears (0–5) – Game summary
Period |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
No. 4 Hornets |
14 |
0 |
7 | 0 | 21 |
Bears |
3 |
7 |
0 | 3 | 13 |
at Nottingham Field, Greeley, CO
- Date: October 14, 2023
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. MST
- Game weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 4,783
- Referee: Jim Crowley
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Play-by-Play: Jason Alvine • Analysis: Mik Hager
- Sources:[2][3]
Game information
|
- First Quarter
- (12:19) UNC – Hunter Green 39-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 0:50; Northern Colorado 3–0)
- (8:44) SAC – Devin Gandy 15-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:35; Sacramento State 7–3)
- (0:34) SAC – Ezra Moleni 8-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 3:56; Sacramento State 14–3)
- Second Quarter
- (7:47) UNC – Brayden Munroe 41-yard pass from Jacob Sirmon (Hunter Green kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 92 yards, 2:29; Sacramento State 14–10)
- Third Quarter
- (0:00) SAC – Carlos Hill 20-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 4:41; Sacramento State 21–10)
- Fourth Quarter
- (8:31) UNC – Hunter Green 19-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 73 yards, 3:50; Sacramento State 21–13)
|
- Line
- Over/Under
|
|
Statistics |
SAC |
UNC
|
First downs |
23 |
17
|
Total yards |
334 |
332
|
Rushing yards |
151 |
75
|
Passing yards |
183 |
257
|
Passing: Comp–Att–Int |
25–31–0 |
20–39–0
|
Time of possession |
30:57 |
29:03
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Sacramento State |
Passing |
Kaiden Bennett |
25/31, 183 yards, 3 TD
|
Rushing |
Ezra Moleni |
16 carries, 93 yards
|
Receiving |
Marshel Martin |
7 receptions, 52 yards
|
Northern Colorado |
Passing |
Jacob Sirmon |
20/39, 257 yards, TD
|
Rushing |
David Afari |
10 carries, 36 yards
|
Receiving |
Brayden Munroe |
3 receptions, 66 yards, TD
|
at Cal Poly[edit]
at No. 7 Montana[edit]
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
Bears
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0 |
0 |
No. 7 Grizzles
|
0
|
14
|
12
|
14 |
40 |
vs No. 3 Idaho[edit]
No. 3 Idaho Vandals (6–2) at Northern Colorado Bears (0–8) – Game summary
Period |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
No. 3 Vandals |
3 |
7 |
7 | 10 | 27 |
Bears |
0 |
7 |
0 | 6 | 13 |
at Nottingham Field • Greeley, CO
- Date: November 4, 2023
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. MDT
- Game attendance: 3,608
- TV: ESPN+
at Northern Arizona[edit]
vs Portland State[edit]
References[edit]
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Venues | |
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Culture & lore | |
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People | |
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Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |