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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah football fans, the time has come.
Preseason camps are over. Coaches are finalizing game plans.
Cars are packed with tailgating supplies.
Game day. August freaking 30th. Football. Rice-Eccles. Utah. MUSS. Third-down jump. Awesome.
Game Notes- Utah (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12) vs. Northern Colorado (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky)
- Date: Thursday, Aug. 30
- Time: 5:15 p.m. MDT
- Site: Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,017/FieldTurf)
- TV: Pac-12 Networks • in Utah Comcast 757 (HD) & 37 (SD)
- Radio: ESPN700
- Series Record: Utah leads 2-0
- Last Meeting: 1937 (Utah 7-6)
- Kickoff Weather: Partly cloudy, temps in the upper 80s
If you can't tell, I am just a little excited.
To help you impress your friends, coworkers and the people you sit next to, here are a few things about Northern Colorado as the Utes get set to take on the Bears Thursday afternoon.
First off, the Utes and Bears have actually played before. Twice in fact, with the Utes winning both games. In 1936 the Utes won 26-0 in Salt Lake, and in 1937 the Utes pulled out a 7-6 win in Greeley, Colo. The kicker? Northern Colorado has beaten BYU three times.
Northern Colorado plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as part of the Big Sky Conference (same as SUU and Weber St.) and have won two national championships (1996, 1997), but haven't been to the postseason since 2002. The Bears went 0-11 last season, and haven't won a game since Nov. 13 2010 against Portland State.
| Offense | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bears | Utes | |
| 56.1 | Rushing/Game | 137.6 |
| 2.2 | Rushing/Att. | 3.8 |
| 218-409-12 | Passing | 188-334-10 |
| 237.6 | Passing/Game | 173.2 |
| 293.7 | Total/Game | 310.8 |
| 4.7 | Total/Att. | 5.0 |
| 18.8 | Scoring/Game | 25.0 |
| Defense | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bears | Utes | |
| 170.7 | Rushing/Game | 113.5 |
| 3.9 | Rushing/Att. | 3.2 |
| 243-357-10 | Passing | 260-464-19 |
| 267.5 | Passing/Game | 237.4 |
| 438.2 | Total/Game | 350.9 |
| 5.8 | Total/Att. | 5.0 |
| 34.7 | Scoring/Game | 20.2 |
The Bears return starting QB Seth Lobato (#9), who threw for 2448 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2011. Northern Colorado's offense is very pass heavy, so expect to see Lobato throw the ball quite a bit. The Bears run a lot of bubble screens and quick outs, and knowing that they are going up against one of the best defensive lines in the Pac-12 in Utah, I wouldn't expect to see much of a downfield passing attack. Look for him to target Jace Davis (#25), who missed all of last season with academic issues, but lead the team in 2010 with 992 yards and seven touchdowns and was named to the Big Sky All-Conference First Team.
Kickoff returns could be how Northern Colorado sparks some momentum. Senior Dominic Gunn (#16) already holds the Bears' school single season and career kickoff return yardage records. He recorded a 94-yard touchdown on a return against nationally ranked Montana last season.
Defensively, watch out for #32 Marcel Gibbons. Gibbons had 90 tackles in 2011, including 12 that went for a loss. When asked about Northern Colorado, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham pointed out #32 as a player the Utes are keeping their eyes on. Gibbons also forced two fumbles, had two interceptions, had four pass breakups and one fumble recovery.
