2023 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Montana $^   7 – 1     13 – 2  
No. 8 Idaho ^   6 – 2     9 – 4  
No. 9 Montana State ^   6 – 2     8 – 4  
Northern Arizona   5 – 3     5 – 6  
No. 24 UC Davis   5 – 3     7 – 4  
No. 13 Sacramento State ^   4 – 4     8 – 5  
Portland State   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Weber State   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Eastern Washington   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Idaho State   3 – 5     3 – 8  
Cal Poly   1 – 7     3 – 8  
Northern Colorado   0 – 8     0 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll

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

Polls

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

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 316:00 p.m.at Abilene Christian*
ESPN+
Zach Carlyle, Andy Penney, Daisy Strine		L 11–316,164
September 92:00 p.m.No. 10 Incarnate Word*
ESPN+
Jason Alvine, Nick Hager		L 7–423,898
September 163:00 p.m.at No. 23 (FBS) Washington State*
P12N
Matt Chazanow, Michael Bumpus		L 21–6423,595  
September 234:00 p.m.at Idaho State
ESPN+
Dylan Carder, Kody Graves		L 21–35N/A
September 301:00 p.m.No. 13 Weber State
  • Nottingham Field
  • Greeley, CO
ESPN+
Jason Alvine, Nick Hager		L 21–283,375
October 141:00 p.m.No. 4 Sacramento Statedagger
  • Nottingham Field
  • Greeley, CO
ESPN+
Jason Alvine, Nick Hager		L 13–214,783
October 217:05 p.m.at Cal Poly
ESPN+
Chris Sylvester, John Kane		L 17–249,263
October 281:00 p.m.at No. 7 Montana
ESPN+
Jay Kohn, Marty Mornhinweg, Kyle Hansen		L 0–4025,463
November 41:00 p.m.No. 3 Idaho
  • Nottingham Field
  • Greeley, CO
ESPN+
Jason Alvine, Nick Hager		L 13–273,608
November 111:00 p.m.at Northern Arizona
ESPN+
Zach Carlyle, Joseph Chapa, Connor Mullins		L 7–286,003
November 1812:00 p.m.Portland State
  • Nottingham Field
  • Greeley, CO
ESPN+
Jason Alvine, Nick Hager		L 23–272,578

Conference opponents not scheduled this season: Eastern Washington, Montana State, UC Davis

Game summaries

at Abilene Christian

See also: 2023 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team

vs No. 10 Incarnate Word

See also: 2023 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team
Game Two – Incarnate Word Cardinals (0–1) at Northern Colorado Bears (0–1)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 10 Cardinals 7 14 14742
Bears 0 0 077

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 Alvine (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

See also: 2023 Washington State Cougars football team
Northern Colorado Bears (0–2) at No. 23 (FBS) Washington State Cougars (2–0) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 7 7721
No. 23 (FBS) Cougars 22 21 14764

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 announcers (P12N): Matt Chazanow, Michael Bumpus
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 Cam 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

See also: 2023 Idaho State Bengals football team
Idaho State Bengals (0–3) vs. Northern Colorado Bears (0–3) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 7 0 14021
Bengals 7 14 7735

at Holt Arena, Pocatello, Idaho

  • Date: September 23
  • 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

See also: 2023 Weber State Wildcats football team

vs No. 4 Sacramento State

See also: 2023 Sacramento State Hornets football team
No. 4 Sacramento State Hornets (4–1) at Northern Colorado Bears (0–5) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 4 Hornets 14 0 7021
Bears 3 7 0313

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: Nick Hager
  • Sources:[2][3]
Game information
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

See also: 2023 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

at No. 7 Montana

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 0 0 0 0 0
No. 7 Grizzles 0 14 12 14 40
See also: 2023 Montana Grizzlies football team

vs No. 3 Idaho

See also: 2023 Idaho Vandals football team
No. 3 Idaho Vandals (6–2) at Northern Colorado Bears (0–8) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 3 Vandals 3 7 71027
Bears 0 7 0613

at Nottingham Field • Greeley, CO

  • Date: November 4, 2023
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. MDT
  • Game attendance: 3,608
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Alvine, Nick Hager

at Northern Arizona

See also: 2023 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team

vs Portland State

See also: 2023 Portland State Vikings football team

References

  1. ^ "Montana State Tabbed Preseason Football Favorites". July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  2. ^ "Football vs Northern Colorado on 10/14/2023 - Box Score - Sacramento State". October 14, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Football Wins Another Close Game In Victory At Northern Colorado". October 14, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Northern_Colorado_Bears_football_team
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