Football Makes Homecoming Sweet With 27-10 Victory Over South Dakota :: Bears improve to a perfect 5-0 in the NCC behind 139 yards rushing from Adam Matthews. (Oct. 19, 2002)

Bears improve to a perfect 5-0 in the NCC behind 139 yards rushing from Adam Matthews. (Oct. 19, 2002)

Oct. 19, 2002

GREELEY, Colo. - Junior running back Adam Matthews rushed for 100-plus yards for the third consecutive game in leading the No. 16 ranked University of Northern Colorado Bears to a 27-10 victory at Nottingham Field on UNC's annual Homecoming football weekend.

Matthews carried the ball 24 times for 139 yards and a touchdown on the day for UNC (6-1 overall, 5-0 NCC). Matthews picked a good day for his feat, as the fourth largest crowd in Nottingham Field history, 7198 fans, saw the performance.

The win was the eighth in a row at home for Northern Colorado and its eight consecutive North Central Conference victory. UNC, which is ranked third in the Midwest region, sits atop the NCC standings with a perfect record, a game above St. Cloud State (4-1), which was a 20-17 winner over North Dakota on Saturday.

The Bears would get on the board first thanks to a one-yard rush from junior fullback Ron Scott. Scott claimed the glory, but it was Matthews who was the workhorse on the drive. He carried the ball seven times during the 11-play drive, including five consecutive rushes at one stretch.

UNC would extend its lead to 14-0 when Matthews scored his fifth rushing touchdown on the season, a five-yard scamper, at the 13:21 mark of the second quarter.

South Dakota (2-5, 2-3 NCC) would hit the scoreboard on the next possession, driving 52-yards in eight plays and capping the drive with a 34-yard field goal from kicker Cody Butler.

The score remained 14-3 at the half as Matthews had racked up 75-yards in the first two quarters and senior quarterback Mark Passard had completed 9-14 passes for 92-yards in that opening half.

But the Bears would not be content with an 11-point lead, as senior linebacker Anthony Dunn picked off Coyote quarterback Ryan Justice on the third play of the third quarter, and went five-yards for his first career touchdown on the fifth interception of his standout career.

USD looked like it would make a run in the fourth quarter to try to get back into the contest. Off a Coyote punt, UNC returner Hassan Rashad fumbled, giving South Dakota the ball on the UNC 14-yard line. Three straight Jason Anderson runs resulted in a two-yard score, to pull the Coyotes within 17 at 27-10.

On the ensuing play, kicker Jason Edelen attempted an on-side kick that appeared to be recovered by USD, however the officials ruled a Coyote player touched the ball before it travelled 10-yards, giving UNC possession and ending any South Dakota threat.

Bears senior wide receiver George Carroll caught four balls for 48-yards on the afternoon, moving him into second place on the UNC all-time receiving yards list with 2,315. He is only 193 yards away from holding the all-time record outright. Fellow senior Eric Nelson had two catches on the day for 25-yards, and moved into seventh place all-time in receptions (96) and fifth all-time in receiving yards (1,614).

Passard finished the game 14-20 for 143 yards and a score. Justice was 9-18 for 67-yards for USD before leaving the game after taking a hard hit. Backup Sean McLaughlin finished out the game and was 4-11 for 56-yards.

UNC outgained USD 276-219 in total yards on the afternoon.

UNC will return to the road next weekend to face Augustana in Sioux Falls at 11 a.m. mountain time. The Bears next return home November 9 to host South Dakota State for Senior Day.