The University of Northern Colorado football team nearly beat nationally ranked South Dakota last week.
Almost wins have been a theme for the Bears in the early going this season. They almost beat Colorado State in Fort Collins on Sept. 6. Then, they lost in overtime against the Coyotes in Vermillion, South Dakota.
When a team starts a season with one win in the two previous years, as UNC did this year, any on-field progress will be noted, measured and evaluated.
UNC (1-2) will try again for a road win Saturday evening when it plays at Houston Christian in the final nonconference game of the season. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. at Husky Stadium in Houston, Texas. UNC opens its Big Sky Conference schedule next week.
Last week, UNC nearly beat South Dakota by opening up its offense in the second half. The Bears went to the passing game, quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. threw for 336 yards with 245 yards in the second half. Gibson Jr.’s 336 yards are the most for a UNC quarterback in the past three seasons. He completed 28 of 39 passing attempts. Gibson Jr. was 17 of 28 for 160 yards and an interception at CSU.
UNC ran for 91 yards against South Dakota, which is not bad but not enough compared to the 301 yards rushing from Coyotes back L.J. Phillips.
While the Coyotes ran all over UNC, the Bears stayed in the game with Gibson Jr.’s arm and outgained USD 427-406.
So, did we see an evolution of the UNC offense last week?
“Definitely gained some confidence,” second-year UNC offensive coordinator Justin Walterscheid said. “I’ve told our offense before, but in a perfect world, we have a good balance (to the offense). Now, we will lean on what we feel is working versus a particular opponent better than the other.”
University of Northern Colorado quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. runs with the ball during the Bears' 17-3 season-opening win over Chadron State on Aug. 30 at Nottingham Field in Greeley. Gibson Jr. will make his first career start for UNC at Colorado State on Saturday in Fort Collins. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. (Courtesy/UNC Athletics, Jesus Ayala)Walterscheid also mentioned guys with a “hot hand” and what’s happening in any given game.
The hot hand last week belonged to Gibson Jr. and tight Charles Garrison. Garrison caught seven passes on seven targets for a game-high 112 yards and key 24-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Garrison had 196 yards on 15 catches in all of 2024.
Carver Cheeks caught three passes for 95 yards with a 49-yard reception in the third quarter. Brayden Munroe had four catches for 57 with a long of 25 yards.
Lamb said earlier this week the Bears need to run the ball better than they did at South Dakota. Overall, Lamb, like Walterscheid, is looking for balance.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t be a pass-first football team on offense,” Lamb said. “I think we’re showing some signs of being able to really connect in the passing game. Those are encouraging signs.”
Lamb said Gibson Jr. sees the game well and to work in a precision passing offense at a high level. Lamb referred to a cliched adage in football that more things can go wrong in the passing game as opposed to the run — tips at the line, incompletions, interceptions among them.
These risks haven’t been as glaring with Gibson Jr.
“It looks like he has the ability, has shown the ability to be somewhat of a precision passer and potentially can control the football and move the football consistently with the passing game,” Lamb said.
University of Northern Colorado quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. works with the Bears offense during practice Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 Nottingham Field in Greeley. Gibson Jr. threw for 336 yards on 28 of 39 passing in a Sept. 13 loss at South Dakota. The UNC offense has shown improvement through three games this year with Gibson Jr. under center. (Anne Delaney/Staff Reporter).Gibson Jr. said the offense was a spark for the team late in the game. He also credited Walterscheid for his play calling and trust in the quarterback. Gibson Jr. also mentioned the UNC defense for setting up the offense with good field position.
The touchdown pass to Garrison was Gibson Jr.’s first of the season since taking over at QB in the second half of the season opener against Chadron State. He has one interception.
“So moving forward, we just know our identity, right,” Gibson Jr. said. “We spread the football, we throw it, and you know, just knowing that that is like a threat to defenses that we’re going to play, they have to respect our pass game.”
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