Sept. 2, 2007

Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes

Honolulu, Hawai'i - The University of Northern Colorado football team opened its season at FBS #23 ranked Hawai'i, dropping a 63-6 decision in front of 40,252 fans at Aloha Stadium.

Junior transfer running back David Woods led the Bears with 27 yards rushing on 12 carries, while junior transfer Tyrone Wilson gaining 23 yards on nine rushes. Senior wide receiver Andy Birkel caught six passes for 49 yards. Senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale completed nine of 16 passes with one interception for 62 yards, while junior quarterback Mike Vlahogeorge completed nine of 13 attempts for 70 yards and he rushed for the lone Bear touchdown.

Birkel also returned seven kickoffs for 121 yards, tallying 170 all purpose yards on the night. The Bears had two interceptions, both by freshmen, in true freshman Max Hewitt and C.J. Stemo. Defensively, seniors D.J. Craft and Cristian Sarmento each had eight tackles to lead the Bears, while Craft had a tackle for a loss of three yards.

Hawai'i was led by senior quarterback Colt Brennan with 34 completions in 40 attempts for 416 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for a team-best 23 yards.

"I thought there were a lot of things we could improve on," said head coach Scott Downing. "But I think we started to adjust to the speed of the game better as the game went along. I thought our effort remained strong. Obviously we've got some things we've got to work on, but all in all I think we can grow from it."

In the opening play of the 2007 season, the Bears had a total of six players on the field with no previous collegiate game experience, including true freshmen Dan Freismuth, Amal Gumbs and Hewitt, who turned 18 the day the Bears landed on the island.

"We're a young team and I think they learned a lot from this experience," added Downing. "They learned a lot about playing football at this level and we'll continue to build on that and see what we do next week."

At the end of the first quarter, the Bears trailed 28-0, gaining just 15 yards on 12 plays. Hawai'i did not attempt a single running play in the first quarter, as Brennan was 19-for-21 for 263 yards, setting the school record for completions in a quarter with his 19 passes.

In the second stanza, NC held the Warriors scoreless in their second possession of the quarter, as they turned the ball over on downs on the 10-yard line. Offensively, the Bears improved, gaining two first-downs, gaining 31 yards on 10 plays.

With just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Bears forced their first turnover of the game as linebacker Stemo picked off backup quarterback Tyler Graunke. In the ensuing drive, Breazeale connected with Birkel for the longest pass of the night for 15-yards.

As with the second quarter, the Bears continued to improve in the third, moving into Warriors territory for the first time with just under two minutes to play. Hawai'i was called for two personal fouls in four plays moving NC to the 15-yard line and then the quarter concluded.

Vlahogeorge completed the first pass of the fourth quarter to tight end Ryan Chesla to move the ball to the 13-yard line giving the Bears their best opportunity of the evening, however the snap was fumbled on the field-goal attempt and Hawai'i took over on the 30-yard line. In the third quarter, the Bears amassed 70 yards on 18 plays.

With 13:15 remaining in the game, a bad snap by the Warriors sent Graunke scrambling and the newly turned 18-year-old Hewitt picked him off at the 38-yard line. The Bears drove the 38 yards for a five-yard touchdown run by Vlahogeorge, but redshirt freshman Zak Bigelow's extra point attempt was blocked to make the score 49-6. (Scoring drive: Six plays, 38 yards, time of possession 2:51) Hawai'i ran back the kickoff for a touchdown, giving them the 56-6 advantage with 10:02 to play. The fourth quarter saw the Bears tally 66 yards with six first downs as the final score ended 63-6.

Northern Colorado opens its home season on Saturday against Chadron State. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.