Saying the UNC football team has underachieved this season, Bears head coach Ed Lamb sees Saturday’s season finale as a must-win game.
UNC (3-8 overall, 1-6 Big Sky Conference) hosts Portland State at noon Saturday for Senior Day at Nottingham Field in Greeley. Portland State is 1-10 overall and 1-6 in the Big Sky.
The Bears are on a five-game losing streak during which they’ve averaged 15 points per game. UNC had a 3-3 record through the first six weeks, during which there were tight and tough games — including an overtime loss, an overtime win, and an overturned touchdown for a loss at Colorado State.
UNC lost last week at Eastern Washington 27-7.
“Now we sit in really what I would call a must-win situation where we’ve got our final chance to win a conference game at home this year,” Lamb said in his final game-week media session of the year.
Lamb is near the end of his third season and has a 4-30 overall record heading into this weekend. The team didn’t win a game in his first season (0-11). UNC won one game last year, which was a Big Sky Conference road game at Weber State. One of the three wins this year was a road win at then nationally ranked Idaho.
University of Northern Colorado football linebacker Hudson Voggesser, who is from Loveland High School and Fort Collins, in a game against Montana State on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 at Nottingham Field in Greeley. (Joseph Sykes/For the Greeley Tribune)Lamb’s teams have not won a Big Sky game at Nottingham Field.
“We’ve got, you know, a team that I think has underachieved in the win-loss column,” Lamb added. “This would be a step in the right direction.”
If UNC beats Portland State, the Bears will have won the most games in a season since 2016.
The Bears won six games overall that season and were 4-4 in the Big Sky Conference. The six wins matches the program’s best in the Division I era. UNC also won six games in 2015. The four conference wins also matches a program best since UNC joined the Big Sky in 2006. The 2012 team was 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the Big Sky.
“I think a win would send our seniors out on a high note, give them something to be of,” Lamb said. “I think it would keep them interested as young alumni in the direction of the program, and maybe feeling like they were on the front end, laying some groundwork.”
Quarterbacks, quarterbacks
Eric Gibson Jr. is the starter and Peter Costelli is the backup, Lamb said.
Those two combined for five interceptions in the loss last week at Eastern Washington. Gibson Jr. threw two, and Costelli threw three, including one at the end of the game.
Quarterback play has been a source of scrutiny within the team, Lamb has said in recent weeks.
Costelli was the starter out of preseason camp, but he suffered a fractured collarbone in the season opener against Chadron State and missed the next seven weeks.
University of Northern Colorado quarterback Peter Costelli prepares to throw the ball against Eastern Washington during the teams' Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Roos Field in Cheney, Washington. Eastern Washington won 27-7. Costelli threw three interceptions, including one on the final play of the game. Quarterback Eric Gibson Jr. threw two interceptions as UNC dropped to 3-8 this season and 1-6 in the Big Sky. (Courtesy/Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics)Gibson Jr., a first-year transfer from junior college, came in and has done a lot of good things with the offense, contributing to a level of productivity not reached in Lamb’s first two seasons.
In 11 games, Gibson Jr. has thrown for nearly 2,500 yards and completed 65% of his passes (221 of 340). Gibson Jr. has also thrown 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
A couple of weeks ago, when Costelli was in the mix to play, Lamb said coaches were looking for better decisions from both quarterbacks. On Wednesday, the coach said Gibson Jr. has played a little better.
“Not that we reinvent the wheel every week, but there are some game thoughts that go into each week. And to be able to do that with a clear direction about who our starting quarterback is, I think that will be kind of a first step in an offensive reset,” Lamb said.
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