# 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.

## Schedule

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

## Game summaries
### at No. 14 Incarnate Word

| 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
| 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 |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing | Vann Schield | 11 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving | Brayden Munroe | 7 receptions, 66 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 21/35, 205 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 14 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Jalen Walthall | 5 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD |

### at Colorado State (FBS)

| 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)
| 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 |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing | Peter Costelli | 10 carries, 32 yards |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving | Brayden Munroe | 3 receptions, 86 yards, TD |
| Colorado State | Passing | Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi | 18/27, 202 yards, TD |
| Colorado State | Rushing | Keegan Holles | 10 carries, 89 yards, TD |
| Colorado State | Receiving | Tory Horton | 3 receptions, 65 yards |

### No. 25 Abilene Christian

| 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)
| 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 |
| Abilene Christian | Rushing | Sam Hicks | 9 rushes, 76 yards, TD |
| Abilene Christian | Receiving | Javon Gibson | 7 receptions, 102 yards |
| Northern Colorado | Passing | Jonah Chong | 4/8, 14 yards |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing | Darius Stewart | 21 rushes, 132 yards |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving | Brayden Munroe | 1 reception, 8 yards |

### at Stephen F. Austin

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

### Cal Poly

| 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+
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Cal Poly | Passing |
| Cal Poly | Rushing |
| Cal Poly | Receiving |
| Northern Colorado | Passing |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving |

### at No. 3 Montana State

| 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
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Northern Colorado | Passing |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving |
| Montana State | Passing |
| Montana State | Rushing |
| Montana State | Receiving |

### at No. 20 Weber State

| 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
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Northern Colorado | Passing |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving |
| Weber State | Passing |
| Weber State | Rushing |
| Weber State | Receiving |

### No. 9 Montana

| 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+
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Montana | Passing |
| Montana | Rushing |
| Montana | Receiving |
| Northern Colorado | Passing |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving |

### at No. 4 UC Davis

| 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
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Northern Colorado | Passing |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving |
| UC Davis | Passing |
| UC Davis | Rushing |
| UC Davis | Receiving |

### Eastern Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Nottingham Field • Greeley, CO
* Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* TV: ESPN+
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Eastern Washington | Passing |
| Eastern Washington | Rushing |
| Eastern Washington | Receiving |
| Northern Colorado | Passing |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving |

### No. 25 Northern Arizona

| 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+
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Northern Arizona | Passing |
| Northern Arizona | Rushing |
| Northern Arizona | Receiving |
| Northern Colorado | Passing |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving |

### at Portland State

| 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
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Northern Colorado | Passing |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving |
| Portland State | Passing |
| Portland State | Rushing |
| Portland State | Receiving |