Sept. 28, 2002

Final Stats

GREELEY, Colo. - Defense was the name of the game for 19th ranked Northern Colorado once again this week, as the Bears made the most of several Minnesota State, Mankato miscues, building a 20-0 lead before eventually winning 27-14 to notch their seventh straight victory at Nottingham Field.

UNC's (3-1, 2-0 NCC) was able to score first thanks to that tough defense that had not allowed an offensive touchdown to a Division II team this season entering the game. On Minnesota State's (1-4, 0-2) second possession of the game, Maverick quarterback Andrew Shea was picked off by UNC junior safety Erik Viken at the MSU 32 setting up a 21-yard field goal by freshman Mike Swim to give the Bears a 3-0 advantage.

In the second quarter, senior Anthony Dunn recorded his 22.5 sack of his career which forced Shea to fumble allowing sophomore defensive tackle Jared Wallen to recover the ball at the MSU 17-yard line. Three plays later, senior running back Tyler Hawkins scored from three-yards out to give UNC a 10-0 cushion. Hawkins, who did not play last week against North Dakota after suffering a concussion in the Montana game two weeks prior, rushed for 73 net yards on the game pushing his career total to 1,457 yards and moving him into ninth place on the UNC career rushing list.

Swim added his second field goal of the game, a career-long 42-yarder, at the 4:52 mark of the second quarter to give UNC a 13-0 lead. But UNC was not done scoring, as their defense once again came up big, when sophomore Charles Barrett partially deflected a MSU punt, giving UNC the ball at the Minnesota State 43-yard line. Three plays later, senior quarterback Steve Cutlip hooked up with senior wide receiver Eric Nelson for a 28-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 20-0.

In the fourth quarter, MSU became the first Division II team to score an offensive touchdown against the Bears, when Shea led a five-play, 68-yard drive that was capped by a 11-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Dan Weldon to cut the UNC advantage to 20-7.

UNC answered later in the fourth thanks to a one-yard touchdown run by junior fullback Ron Scott. Shea added another touchdown pass on the following drive, a two-yard completion to Evan Blanks to close the scoring.

UNC's defense had its way with Shea on the day, intercepting him three times and sacking him six times. UNC redshirt freshman Dusty Hoffschneider, a two-time Colorado High School football player of the year, recorded a half of a sack in the game, extending his streak of having a sack in each game this season. Junior linebacker Cabel Rohloff, who scored his first touchdown off a fumble recovery last week, recorded a game-high 12 tackles.

UNC outgained MSU 330-295 on the day.

UNC hits the road next week, traveling to Nebraska-Omaha for a Noon start-time.