James Williams
The Paw Print
The Adams State College Grizzlies traveled north on I-25 and took on the University of Northern Colorado Bears in Greeley, but failed to build on their season-opening victory, as the Bears cruised to season-opening victory of their own, winning in decisive fashion 54-0 at Nottingham Field in Greeley.
It was the Bears’ first season-opening victory since 2005 and their first shutout since Sept. 7, 2002 when the Bears shutout Western State.
The NCAA Division I-FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) Bears dominated throughout the course of the game, including during an especially ugly first half for the Grizzlies that saw them punt on 8 of their first 10 possessions and commit turnovers on the other two.
Only three Grizzly drives made it across the 50-yard line, as the stout Bears defense held sophomore quarterback Trevor Eggleston and the Grizzlies in check throughout, allowing only 104 yards of total offense and five first downs on the afternoon. On the other side, the Bears committed zero turnovers on the way to amassing 452 yards of total offense and 18 first downs.
The Bears scored early and often, including on their first drive of the game, as junior quarterback Dylan Orms connected with sophomore wide receiver Jace Davis for 70 yards and a touchdown less than four minutes into the game.
Senior running back Andre Harris balanced out the Bears’ offense, scampering in from 30 yards on the first of his three touchdowns on the afternoon to extend the lead to 14-0 later in the first quarter.
Senior defensive back Korey Askew picked off an Eggleston pass to start the second quarter and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown to add even more to the lead. Harris followed with his second touchdown, a 39-yard effort. The Grizzlies would punt on their next two drives, and the Bears wasted no time capitalizing on the struggles by the Grizzlies’ offense, adding a field goal and a short touchdown run by Orms.
Orms and Davis got together again late in the second quarter for 53 yards and another touchdown, bringing the score to 44-0 entering the half. Northern Colorado didn’t have a drive last longer than 2:14, scoring on seven of its first nine possessions, including six touchdowns.
“It was a nice way to start the season,” said UNC head coach Scott Downing. “I was really pleased with the way we came out. I thought our defense was consistent all day long, certainly some guys stepped up and made some big plays. Adams State presents a lot of problems because they run a 3-3 stacked defense and they come at you from a lot of different angles. I thought our offensive line did an excellent job of covering them up.”
That offensive line, coached by Brad Bedell, a former All-American guard at the University of Colorado, paved the way for an impressive 263-yard showing from the Bears running game.
Orms finished his first career start 5-of-11 for 151 yards and two passing touchdowns. Davis hauled in only three passes, but finished with 148 yards and two touchdowns.
Bright spots were few and far between for the Grizzlies, but can be taken from the efforts of senior kick returner Trevor Zott, who missed last week’s season-opener against Dixie State due to injury, and sophomore defensive back James Ackel.
Zott, who was perhaps busier than any player not wearing a Northern Colorado jersey, returned nine kicks for 190 yards, the third most in all-time single-game school history.
Ackel recorded a game-high 12 tackles, matching a personal career-high, including six solo tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Northern Colorado (1-0), having continued their recent decade-long dominance over the RMAC, will open Big Sky conference league play next week on the road against the Weber State Wildcats, with kickoff scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
The Grizzlies (1-1), who suffered through their worst defeat since a 59-3 beatdown at the hands of the Montana State Bobcats to begin the 2008 season, will take this Saturday off before continuing their season on Sept. 18 against the Colorado State – Pueblo ThunderWolves. Kickoff for this quickly growing rivalry is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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