2024 Northern Colorado Bears football team

The 2024 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Ed Lamb and played their home games at Nottingham Field. The Bears snapped their 18-game losing streak on October 12 with a victory against Weber State.

2024 Northern Colorado Bears football
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	1–11 (1–7 Big Sky)
Head coach	Ed Lamb (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Justin Walterscheid (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Preston Hadley (2nd season)
Home stadium	Nottingham Field
Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Big Sky Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 Montana State $^		8	–	0					15	–	1
No. 5 UC Davis ^		7	–	1					11	–	3
No. 7 Idaho ^		6	–	2					10	–	4
No. 22 Northern Arizona ^		6	–	2					8	–	5
No. 10 Montana ^		5	–	3					9	–	5
Idaho State		3	–	5					5	–	7
Eastern Washington		3	–	5					4	–	8
Weber State		3	–	5					4	–	8
Portland State		3	–	5					3	–	8
Cal Poly		2	–	6					3	–	8
Sacramento State		1	–	7					3	–	9
Northern Colorado		1	–	7					1	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	5:00 pm	at No. 14 Incarnate Word*	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	ESPN+	L 7–28	2,257
September 7	5:00 pm	at Colorado State*	Canvas Stadium Fort Collins, CO	MW Network	L 17–38	36,573
September 14	2:00 p.m.	No. 25 Abilene Christian*	Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	ESPN+	L 22–24	3,017
September 21	6:00 p.m.	at Stephen F. Austin*	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	ESPN+	L 7–48	7,683
September 28	1:00 p.m.	Cal Poly	Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	ESPN+	L 7–28	4,495
October 5	2:00 p.m.	at No. 3 Montana State	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	ESPN+	L 14–55	22,007
October 12	6:00 p.m.	at No. 20 Weber State	Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT	ESPN+	W 21–17	10,345
October 26	1:00 p.m.	No. 9 Montana	Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	ESPN+	L 0–24	3,902
November 2	2:00 p.m.	at No. 4 UC Davis	UC Davis Health Stadium Davis, CA	ESPN+	L 7–59	10,638
November 9	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Washington	Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	ESPN+	L 15–43	1,880
November 16	12:00 p.m.	No. 25 Northern Arizona	Nottingham Field Greeley, CO	ESPN+	L 3–44	2,279
November 23	2:00 p.m.	at Portland State	Hillsboro Stadium Hillsboro, OR	ESPN+	L 13–45	1,791
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

• Source: Schedule

Game summaries

at No. 14 Incarnate Word

See also: 2024 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team

Game One – Northern Colorado Bears (0–0) at No. 14 Incarnate Word Cardinals (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	0	0	0	7
No. 14 Cardinals	7	7	14	0	28

at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX

• Date: August 31
• Game time: 6:00 pm
• Game weather: Temperature: 92 • Wind: NE 10 mph • Weather: Cloudy
• Game attendance: 2,257
• Referee: James Brookhart
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Karl Schoening (play-by-play)
• Box Score

Game information

First Quarter UIW – 13:40 Dekalon Taylor 27 yard run, Brack Peacock kick UIW 7–0 Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:20 UNC – 5:40 Vann Schield 58 yard run, Hunter Green kick Tied 7–7 Drive: 5 plays, 89 yards, 2:12 Second Quarter UIW – 2:57 Jalen Walthall 46 yard pass from Zach Calzada, Brack Peacock kick UIW 14–7 Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 3:18 Third Quarter UIW – 14:23 Logan Compton 13 yard pass from Zach Calzada, Brack Peacock kick UIW 21–7 Drive: 2 plays, 16 yards, 0:37 UIW – 6:35 Dekalon Taylor 1 yard run, Brack Peacock kick UIW 28–7 Drive: 13 plays, 86 yards, 6:11

Statistics	UNCO	UIW
First downs	15	24
Total yards	71–360	74–408
Rushing yards	43–214	39–203
Passing yards	146	205
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–28–2	21–35–1
Time of possession	29:47	30:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Colorado	Passing	Peter Costelli	16/26, 141 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Vann Schield	11 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Brayden Munroe	7 receptions, 66 yards
Incarnate Word	Passing	Zach Calzada	21/35, 205 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Dekalon Taylor	14 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jalen Walthall	5 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD

at Colorado State (FBS)

See also: 2024 Colorado State Rams football team

Game Two – Northern Colorado Bears (0–1) vs Colorado State Rams (FBS) (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	0	7	3	17
Rams (FBS)	10	14	7	7	38

at Canvas Stadium • Fort Collins, CO

• Date: September 7, 2024
• Game time: 5:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 84 °F (29 °C)
• Game attendance: 36,573
• Referee: Nolan Dumas
• TV announcers (Altitude): Brian Roth (play-by-play) and Mike Sanford Jr. (analyst)

Game information

First quarter CSU – Tory Horton 78-yard punt return (Jordan Noyes kick), 13:18. Rams 7–0. CSU – Jordan Noyes 20-yard field goal, 7:14. Rams 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 3:26. UNCO – Fisher Clements 9-yard pass from Peter Costelli (Hunter Green kick), 0:45. Rams 10–7. Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards, 1:23. Second quarter CSU – Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi 2-yard run (Jordan Noyes kick), 10:23. Rams 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:22. CSU – Keegan Holles 4-yard run (Jordan Noyes kick), 0:29. Rams 24–7. Drive: 14 plays, 58 yards, 6:22. Third quarter UNCO – Brayden Munroe 50-yard pass from Peter Costelli (Hunter Green kick), 12:13. Rams 24–14. Drive: 5 plays, 78 yards, 2:27. CSU – Caleb Goodie 40-yard pass from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (Jordan Noyes kick), 8:01. Rams 31–14. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:22. Fourth quarter UNCO – Hunter Green 53-yard field goal, 4:11. Rams 31–17. Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 3:34. CSU – Avery Morrow 8-yard run (Jordan Noyes kick), 0:43. Rams 38–17. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 3:27.

Statistics	UNCO	CSU
First downs	13	21
Total yards	298	426
Rushing yards	107	224
Passing yards	191	202
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12–23–0	18–27–0
Time of possession	27:54	32:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Colorado	Passing	Peter Costelli	11/22, 187 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Peter Costelli	10 carries, 32 yards
	Receiving	Brayden Munroe	3 receptions, 86 yards, TD
Colorado State	Passing	Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi	18/27, 202 yards, TD
	Rushing	Keegan Holles	10 carries, 89 yards, TD
	Receiving	Tory Horton	3 receptions, 65 yards

No. 25 Abilene Christian

See also: 2024 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team

Game Three – No. 25 Abilene Christian Wildcats (1–1) at Northern Colorado Bears (0–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 25 Wildcats	0	7	14	3	24
Bears	3	7	0	12	22

at Nottingham Field, Greeley, Colorado

• Date: September 14
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT/2:00 p.m. MDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
• Game attendance: 3,017
• Referee: Gregg Wilson
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Christian Ceyanes (play-by-play) and Nick Hager (analyst)

Game information

First quarter UNCO – Hunter Green 35-yard field goal, 3:57. Bears 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:42. Second quarter UNCO – Caden Meis 2-yard run (Hunter Green kick), 13:52. Bears 10–0. Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 4:42. ACU – Sam Hicks 17-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes kick), 1:09. Bears 10–7. Drive: 4 plays, 66 yards, 0:46. Third quarter ACU – Sam Hicks 65-yard run (Ritse Vaes kick), 9:32. Wildcats 14–10. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:05. ACU – Isaiah Johnson 5-yard run (Ritse Vaes kick), 1:00. Wildcats 21–10. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 3:50. Fourth quarter UNCO – Caden Meis 2-yard run (pass failed), 8:42. Wildcats 21–16. Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 7:18. UNCO – Hank Gibbs 3-yard run (pass failed), 1:10. Bears 22–21. Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards, 5:29. ACU – Ritse Vaes 54-yard field goal, 0:00. Wildcats 24–22. Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 1:10.

Statistics	ACU	UNCO
First downs	12	18
Total yards	325	266
Rushing yards	96	241
Passing yards	229	25
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	20:17	39:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Abilene Christian	Passing	Maverick McIvor	20/34, 229 yards, TD
	Rushing	Sam Hicks	9 rushes, 76 yards, TD
	Receiving	Javon Gibson	7 receptions, 102 yards
Northern Colorado	Passing	Jonah Chong	4/8, 14 yards
	Rushing	Darius Stewart	21 rushes, 132 yards
	Receiving	Brayden Munroe	1 reception, 8 yards

at Stephen F. Austin

See also: 2024 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team

Game Four – Northern Colorado Bears (0–3) vs Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (1–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0		0	0
Lumberjacks	14	21	7	6	48

at Homer Bryce Stadium, Nacogdoches, Texas

• Date: September 21, 2024
• Game time: 7:02 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 7,683
• TV: ESPN+
• Box Score

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNCO	SFA
First downs	12	26
Total yards	242	509
Rushing yards	224	250
Passing yards	18	259
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13–21–0	18–28–0
Time of possession	33:34	26:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Colorado	Passing	Kia'i Keone	10/14, 20 yards
	Rushing	Kia'i Keone	17 carries, 76 yards
	Receiving	Brayden Munroe	3 receptions, 16 yards
Stephen F. Austin	Passing	Sam Vidlak	16/26, 219 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Jaylen Jenkins	6 carries, 80 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Blaine Green	5 receptions, 93 yards

Cal Poly

See also: 2024 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

Game Five – Cal Poly Mustangs (1–2) vs Northern Colorado Bears (0–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mustangs	0	0	0	0	0
Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at Nottingham Field • Greeley, CO

• Date: September 28, 2024
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CP	UNCO
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Cal Poly	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northern Colorado	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 3 Montana State

See also: 2024 Montana State Bobcats football team

Game Six – Northern Colorado Bears (0–5) vs No. 3 Montana State Bobcats (5–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
No. 3 Bobcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT

• Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
• Game time: 2:00 PM MST
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNCO	MTST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Colorado	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Montana State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 20 Weber State

See also: 2024 Weber State Wildcats football team

Game Seven – Northern Colorado Bears (0–6) vs No. 20 Weber State Wildcats (3–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
No. 20 Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Stewart Stadium, Ogden, UT

• Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNCO	WEB
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Colorado	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Weber State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 9 Montana

See also: 2024 Montana Grizzlies football team

Game Eight – No. 9 Montana Grizzlies (5–2) vs Northern Colorado Bears (1–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 9 Grizzlies	0	0	0	0	0
Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at Nottingham Field • Greeley, CO

• Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MONT	UNCO
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Montana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northern Colorado	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 4 UC Davis

See also: 2024 UC Davis Aggies football team

Game Nine – Northern Colorado Bears (1–7) vs No. 4 UC Davis Aggies (7–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
No. 4 Aggies	0	0	0	0	0

at UC Davis Health Stadium, Davis, CA

• Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNCO	UCD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Colorado	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UC Davis	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Eastern Washington

See also: 2024 Eastern Washington Eagles football team

Game Ten – Eastern Washington Eagles (2–7) vs Northern Colorado Bears (1–8) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	22	7	7	7	43
Bears	0	8	7	0	15

at Nottingham Field • Greeley, CO

• Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• Game attendance: 1,880
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Christian Saez, Nick Hager

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EWU	UNCO
First downs	33	12
Total yards	538	323
Rushing yards	339	48
Passing yards	199	275
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16-24-1	13-26-0
Time of possession	43:38	16:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Washington	Passing	Kekoa Visperas	13-20 179 Yards 3 TD 1 INT
	Rushing	Malik Dotson	17 Carries 125 Yards
	Receiving	Efton Chism III	10 Receptions 93 Yards 2 TD
Northern Colorado	Passing	Peter Costelli	11-23 258 Yards 2 TD
	Rushing	Jacquez Robertson	2 Carries 17 Yards
	Receiving	Carver Cheeks	4 Receptions 136 Yards 1 TD

No. 25 Northern Arizona

See also: 2024 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team

Game Eleven – No. 25 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (6–4) vs Northern Colorado Bears (1–9) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 25 Lumberjacks	0	0	0	0	0
Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at Nottingham Field • Greeley, CO

• Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
• TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	NAU	UNCO
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Arizona	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northern Colorado	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Portland State

See also: 2024 Portland State Vikings football team

Game Twelve – Northern Colorado Bears (1–10) vs Portland State Vikings (2–8) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Vikings	0	0	0	0	0

at Hillsboro Stadium, Hillsboro, OR

• Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNCO	PRST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Colorado	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Portland State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving