Nov. 14, 2007

Weekly Notes: Game #12 Portland State

*Attached in pdf format*

 

Game #12 Information

Date: Saturday, November 17, 2007

Kickoff: 12:07 p.m. MT

Location: Greeley, Colo.

Stadium: Nottingham Field

Capacity: 8,500

Series: Portland State leads 3-1

Last Meeting: Sept. 9, 2006; PSU 45-3

Promotions: Reverse Raffle Friday evening/Senior Day

 

Radio: Northern Colorado Radio Network

     Greeley: 1310 KFKA

     Troy Coverdale, play-by-play

     Chris Ott, color analyst

Internet Video Streaming: bigskytv.org

TV: None

 

So Hard To Say Goodbye

     The final game of the season will honor the 10 seniors on the Northern Colorado roster. Prior to the game, the seniors will be presented to the fans and then face Portland State at 12:07 p.m. The 10 seniors are: wide receiver Andy Birkel, quarterback Dominic Breazeale, defensive back D.J. Craft, center Jake Gable, linebacker Asa Matthews, punter Rafael Mendoza, defensive tackle Vinny Pallone, defensive tackle Ben Sibert, running back Jeff Vaden and tight end Clint Wright. Craft, Gable, Mendoza, Pallone, Sibert, Vaden and Wright spent their entire careers with the Bears, while the other three transferred in midway through their collegiate playing time.

 

Season Finale

     The Bears close out their regular season at Nottingham Field, hosting Portland State. The Vikings sit one game ahead of the Bears in the Big Sky Conference standings with a 2-5 record, while NC is 1-6. Last week, Portland State fell 50-36 to Montana State, the Bears lone win of the year, while NC lost on a last second hail mary pass that ricocheted off a helmet for the 20-17 Sacramento State victory. Last season the two teams faced off in the first-ever Big Sky Conference game for Northern Colorado, a 45-3 Portland State victory in Portland. In fact, the last three meetings between the two teams have been in Portland.

 

Series Record

     Saturday will be the fifth meeting between the Bears and Vikings with Portland State holding the slight 3-1 advantage in the series. Last season the two teams met in Portland in the second game of the season, with PSU winning 45-3. The Bears struggled with turnovers, fumbling twice and throwing three interceptions. Quarterback Dominic Breazeale rushed for a then-career high 56 of the team's 74 yards and threw for another 112 in his second game with the team. This will be just the second meeting in Greeley and the first since 1979 as the last three contests have all taken place in Portland, including a Division II playoff game in 1991.

 

     2006:   Portland     L, 3-45              1991:   Portland     L, 24-28

     2005:   Portland     L, 17-41             1979:   Greeley     W, 21-20          

 

The Northern Colorado Connection

     Senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale and Portland State fullback/linebacker Ronnie Fa'avae both played at Mt. San Antonio Junior College before attending their current institutions. Defensive assistant coach Dan Daniel worked with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League between 1978 and 1981, while Portland State wide receivers coach Kevin Strasser was with the Eskimos in 2000 and 2001.

 

2007 Sacramento State Schedule

Sept. 1      at #10 McNeese State                   L, 12-35

Sept. 8      UC DAVIS                                  L, 17-26

Sept. 15    *SACRAMENTO STATE             W, 35-24

Sept. 22    at San Diego State                         L, 17-52

Sept. 29    *at Eastern Washington                 W, 28-21

Oct. 6       *NORTHERN ARIZONA              L, 43-44

Oct. 20      *at Idaho State                               L, 20-38

Oct. 27      *WEBER STATE                          L, 68-73

Nov. 3      *at Montana                                  L, 31-34

Nov. 10    *MONTANA STATE                     L, 36-50

Nov. 17    *at Northern Colorado                 12:07 p.m.

*Indicates Big Sky Conference Game

 

Career Day

     Senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale continues to improve each week in every facet of the game. Breazeale rushed for a career-best 61 yards to lead the Bears in rushing against Sacramento State. He also threw for a career-best 286 yards with a career-high 28 completions on a career-most 38 attempts. Breazeale also threw for two touchdowns for the first time this season, hitting senior tight end Clint Wright for one and junior wide receiver Cory Fauver for the other.

 

Etching His Name

     Junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento, despite playing only a little more than two quarters of football on Saturday, notched 13 tackles to lead the team and mark the eighth straight time he has had 10 or more tackles in a game. Sarmento, who is out due to an ankle injury for the season finale, ends his junior year with 135 tackles which ranks 10th on the school's all-time single season lists. He also now has 234 tackles for his career, needing just 58 to tie for 10th on the NC career charts.

 

Nottingham A Great Place To Watch Football

     Both of the last two football games at Nottingham Field have come down to the wire, as the Bears kicked a field goal with four seconds remaining to defeat Montana State on Oct. 27 and Sacramento State won as time expired on a hail mary pass 44 yards into the endzone that was tipped off a players helmet and brought down in the back corner of the endzone. In 2004, North Dakota State tried to make a late run in the opening game at Nottingham, scoring a touchdown with just over a minute left to close within two, 15-13, and the Bears intercepted the pass on the two-point point-after attempt to seal the win. In the next home game against Idaho State, the Bears held the 42-35 advantage when the Bengals scored a touchdown with 25 seconds remaining to force an overtime which ISU eventually won 49-42 in double overtime.

 

Kick Blocker Extraordinare

     Sophomore Quincy Wofford blocked the second kick this season, when he blocked Sacramento State's field goal attempt in the second quarter. Earlier this season, Wofford blocked a point-after attempt at Idaho State. He is now tied for seventh on the Northern Colorado single season list for blocked kicks in a season and the school record is seven by Tim Bowie in 1995. His two blocks also tie him for eighth on the school's career charts.

 

On The Board

     Sophomore Michael York put the Bears on the scoreboard first against Sacramento State, making his first career field goal against the Hornets (1-for-4). York nailed a 36-yard field goal with 1:12 remaining in the first quarter for the early 3-0 Bears lead. York now has nine points on the season as he is also 6-for-7 on point-after attempts.

 

Go-To Guy

     Junior wide receiver Cory Fauver and senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale had the hot connection in the game against Sacramento State as Fauver caught a career-high eight passes from Breazeale and tallied a career-most 78 yards, including his first career touchdown. Fauver also had 17 yards in punt returns and 76 yards in kick returns for 171 all-purpose yards in the game, also a career best number for the junior.

 

Quite An Honor

     Northern Colorado has had three student-athletes earn Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors this season. Junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento earned the defensive player of the week honor after recording a career-best 20 tackles at Eastern Washington. Sarmento's tally also ties for the 10th most in school history, tying Ed Markham from the Eastern New Mexico game in 1978 and is the most in a game for a Bear since Reed Doughty had 21 against Nebraska-Omaha in 2002.  Sophomore corner back Quincy Wofford earned the award the week earlier after the Bears' victory over Montana State. Wofford recorded a career-best 10 tackles, had two pass break-ups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. The same week, redshirt freshman kicker Zak Bigelow scored 10 points, including making the game-winning field goal from 37-yards with just four seconds left on the clock to be named the league's Special Teams Player of the Week.

 

Triple Threat

Northern Colorado now has three players with over 300 receiving yards each this season. Junior tight end Ryan Chesla leads with 444 yards (37 catches), while senior wide receiver Andy Birkel has 402 yards (37) and junior wide receiver Cory Fauver has 397 (39). The last time three receivers each had over 300 in a season was in 2002, when five players had over 400 yards.

 

Pick Me

Sophomore defensive back Stephen Michon became the sixth different player this season to record an interception in a game this season, picking off Matt Nichol's pass and returning it 12 yards against Eastern Washington. The Bears have 10 interceptions for 229 yards in 2007, while opponents have picked off nine passes for 78 yards. The team also has tied last year's total of 10 interceptions, but has surpassed the yardage tally by 152 yards, as the 2006 squad returned for 77 yards.

 

On Pace

     Junior running back David Woods is just 66 yards shy of 1,000 all purpose yards this season. It would be the sixth straight year and the 25th time in school history a player has surpassed the century mark in all purpose yards. Woods is averaging 93.4 yards per game, so he should break the 1,000 yard barrier on Saturday against Portland State.

 

The Advantage

     After not leading at any point in the first eight games of the season, Northern Colorado has held the lead in the last three contests. The Bears won against Montana State 16-13 and held the lead at 3-0, 10-6, 13-6 and 16-13, while against Eastern Washington the Bears were up 7-0 and 7-3 and they held 3-0, 10-7 and 17-14 leads against Sacramento State on Saturday.

 

Turnovers

     Northern Colorado has forced at least one turnover in 21 of 23 games since head coach Scott Downing took over the reins of the program. The Bears have forced 22 turnovers this season and have done so in all but one game (Idaho State). Last week against Sacramento State, the Bears gained possession four times from the Hornets.

 

Upset Bid

     Northern Colorado snapped a 16-game losing streak with the upset victory over #19 Montana State, winning its first-ever Big Sky Conference game. The Bears win was the first in 2007 and the second of head coach Scott Downing's career with the team. Both of his victories are now over ranked opponents as in 2006, NC defeated #23 Texas State, 14-13 in San Marcos.

 

Block That Punt

     The key for victory at Northern Colorado might just be blocking a punt in a game. Redshirt freshman Joe Silipo blocked a punt against Montana State in the second quarter, becoming the first player since sophomore Martin Awachie did it last season at #23 Texas State - both wins for the Bears. Silipo is the second player to block a kick this season as sophomore Quincy Wofford blocked an extra-point attempt at Idaho State on Oct. 6 and then blocked a field goal attempt by Sacramento State on Saturday. Junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento is the only other active player on the roster with a blocked kick, as he blocked a punt against Colorado School of Mines to open the 2005 season.

 

Hitting The End Zone

     Last season, Northern Colorado scored six touchdowns through the air in its 11 games. With the pair of touchdown passes from senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale to senior tight end Clint Wright and junior wide receiver Cory Fauver against Sacramento State, the Bears have nine passing touchdowns through the first 11 games this season.

 

The Future's So Bright

     True freshman defensive back Max Hewitt recorded his third interception of the season and the second in as many games against #3 Montana and returned it 73 yards to the eight-yard line. His return is the sixth longest in school history and the longest non-scoring interception return ever at Northern Colorado. Hewitt now has three interceptions for 93 yards on the season. His 73 yard return is also the third longest in the league this year, his 93 total return yards also ranks third and his three picks ties for the second most (6, K.J. Gerard, Northern Arizona).

 

Catching The Long Ball

     For the second time this season, five different receivers caught passes for 20 or more yards in the same game. Junior wide receiver Cory Fauver caught three passes for 54 yards and the long catch of the day at 36 yards against Montana State. Freshman wide receiver Brandon Smith caught a game-high six passes for 72 yards with a long of 29, while junior tight end Ryan Chesla caught two for 32 with a long of 26. Senior tight end Clint Wright caught three passes for 39 yards and one touchdown with a long catch of 25 and senior wide receiver Andy Birkel caught three passes for 58 yards and a long of 22. The Bears also had five players have receptions of 20 or more yards against Northern Arizona, and that was the first time NC had five with catches of 20 or more yards since Oct. 18, 2003 against Florida Atlantic.

 

Big Offensive Plays

     After not having any plays for 20 or more yards in the first two games of the year, the Bears have put together 25 (23 pass, 2 rush) plays from scrimmage that have covered at least 20 yards. Eight of those 25 passing plays have been to junior tight end Ryan Chesla, with seven coming from senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale and one coming from junior quarterback Mike Vlahogeorge. Redshirt freshman Andy Muns has one rush for 20 yards, while junior David Woods also has a 20-yard gain on the ground this season. Last year, the Bears had 34 plays (23 pass, 11 rush) for 20 or more yards.

 

Going Streaking

     Senior wide receiver Andy Birkel has caught at least one pass in all 22 games he has played for Northern Colorado... Senior defensive tackle Vinny Pallone started in his 29th consecutive game against Sacramento State, the longest active streak on the team... Junior wide receiver Cory Fauver has had multiple receptions in all 11 games this year... Junior linebacker Joe Kenney has had three or more tackles in 24 straight games and in 30 of the 31 in his career, while junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento has notched four or more tackles in 22 straight and has been in double figures in the last eight contests.

 

Statistically Speaking

     Several Bears rank among the top 10 in different statistical categories in the Big Sky Conference. Junior running back David Woods ranks ninth in rushing, averaging 66.0 yards per game, while senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale ranks ninth in both passing yards per game (117.0) and passing efficiency (112.8).  Breazeale also ranks eighth in total offense with 124.6 yards per game. Senior punter Rafael Mendoza ranks eighth with his 39.9 yard per punt average. Junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento is second with 11.9 tackles per game, while fellow linebacker Joe Kenney is tied for 10th with 7.2 a contest. Sophomore defensive end John Eddy is tied for fourth in the league with 5.0 sackes this season and is tied for fifth with two fumbles recovered. Sophomore corner back Quincy Wofford is ninth in the conference with nine passes defended.

 

By The Numbers

     Junior linebacker Joe Kenney recorded the 200th tackle for his career against Sacramento State and now has 206... Junior running back David Woods is 66 yards shy of 1,000 all-purpose yards for the season... Senior quarterback Dominic Breazeale now has 2,457 total offenive yards for his career, needing just 43 to hit 2,500... Senior wide receiver Andy Birkel is 46 yards shy of 1,500 all-purpose yards for his career... Senior defensive back D.J. Craft is six tackles shy of 100.

 

Double Trouble

     Twice this season two Bears have broken the 100-yard barrier in all purpose yards in the same game. Junior defensive back Eric Brown notched 104 yards all coming in kickoff returns, while junior running back David Woods tallied 101 yards (98 rushing, 3 receiving) at Idaho State. The Bears also had two over 100 at San Diego with Woods gaining 180 all-purpose yards, while senior wide receiver Andy Birkel garnered 101 yards.

 

Tight End Tandem

     The Bears feature tight ends junior Ryan Chesla and senior Clint Wright. Last season, the two combined to average 0.81 catches per game (9 catches, 89 yards, 0 touchdowns). Thus far in 2007, they're averaging 5.0 catches per game (55 catches, 647 yards, 8 touchdowns), 58.8 yards per game and have eight of the nine receiving touchdowns on the year.

 

Injury Update

     Senior defensive back Aaron Henderson, sophomore defensive end Scott Allen and sophomore cornerback Korey Askew are all out the remainder of the season with knee injuries. Junior defensive back Eric Brown, junior linebacker Cristian Sarmento and junior tight end Ryan Chesla are all out for the season finale against Portland State.

 

All New Conference Call

     For the first time in Big Sky Conference history, the league will sponsor a weekly conference call with the nine head coaches. The call will take place on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon (Mountain) beginning Sept. 5. Northern Colorado head coach Scott Downing will fill the fifth time slot from 10:02 to 10:10.

 

10:30-10:38                John Zamberlin, Idaho State         11:10-11:18                Jerome Souers, Northern Arizona

10:38-10:46                Bobby Hauck, Montana              11:18-11:26                Paul Wulff, Eastern Washington

10:46-10:54                Ron McBride, Weber State          11:26-11:34                Marshall Sperbeck, Sacramento St.

10:54-11:02                Rob Ash, Montana State              11:34-11:42                Jerry Glanville, Portland State

11:02-11:10                Scott Downing, No. Colorado  11:42-noon (if needed) Commissioner Fullerton

 

All In The Family

     The Bears sport two pair of brothers currently on the roster in Matt (Fr-LB) and Mike (Jr-QB) Vlahogeorge, and Justin (So-RB) and Korey (So-DB) Askew but there are several other members of the team who had brothers on previous year's teams. Senior linebacker Asa Matthew's brother Adam played for the Bears from 1999-2003, while senior nose guard Vinny Pallone's brother Dominic played for the Bears from 1996-00.