Final Stats

GREELEY, Colo. - In a game of offensive showmanship, the University of Northern Colorado football team fell short to the Division I-A Florida Atlantic Owls, 39-24, in front of a Homecoming crowd of 6,481. It was the largest of the season and 10th largest in Nottingham Field history.

It was the Bears' first Homecoming loss at Nottingham Field. UNC's last Homecoming loss came at Jackson Field on Oct. 13, 1994, when the North Dakota State Bison handed the Bears a 34-17 defeat. UNC had won 13 straight Homecoming games going into Saturday's contest.

Senior wide receiver Vincent Jackson dazzled the crowd again as he tallied a 10-catch, 228-yard performance with two touchdowns. The 200+ yard receiving game is the third for Jackson this season, and the fifth for his career. Jackson also continued his ascent on the steps of the UNC record books. His touchdowns put him at 36 for his career, which puts him three short of the UNC record (39) held by Gaynor Blackmon. Jackson is also just seven yards away from breaking the UNC record for career punt return yards; he currently has 960 and Earnest Collins holds the record with 976.

The Bears (1-6) had a tough time with FAU (5-0) in the beginning of the game as they gave up an opening drive field goal. On UNC's first possession, they produced nine yards and had to punt the ball away. The Owls were able to march down the field on the ensuing possession with a 16-yard pass that brought the ball down to the Northern Colorado 49-yard line. FAU's Doug Parker then broke off a 29-yard run down to the Bears' 6-yard line. Parker punched the ball in to extend FAU's lead to 10-0. Another Atlantic field goal brought the score to 13-0 at the end of the first quarter.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Bears' luck took a turn for the worse when a high snap from senior Ryan Palmer went over senior punter Chad Harter's head and through the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety to make the score 15-0.

UNC was finally able to roar back at the the Owls when junior quarterback Tony Christensen connected with Jackson from 18 yards out, making the score 15-7 with 6:48 remaining in the second quarter. FAU was able to put another ball through the uprights before the end of the quarter, which broadened the Owls' lead to 18-7 at halftime.

Northern Colorado dug itself into a trench at the beginning of the second half when Christensen was intercepted on the first possession. The Owls were able to glide 46 yards down the field for another touchdown, setting the score at 25-7.

UNC tried to answer effectively when a 59-yard catch by Jackson took the ball all the way down to the FAU 3, but they were denied on three straight running plays. Bears' junior kicker Justin Zaitz had a successful field goal attempt, changing the score to 25-10. The field goal was Zaitz's 13th of the season, which is four away from the Northern Colorado single-season record.

Florida Atlantic flew back with an 80-yard touchdown pass by Owls' senior quarterback Jared Allen to make the score 32-10 with 4:52 left in the third quarter. It was the second straight week the Bears' defense gave an 80-yard touchdown.

The game might have seemed out of reach, but the UNC offensive machine was not finished. After a forced fumble by UNC senior linebacker Ryan Palmer and a recovery by senior safety Reed Doughty, Christensen completed a 16-yard pass to Jackson. The play took the ball down to the FAU eight-yard line. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Cory Sleeth caught a 7-yard pass, bringing the ball to the Owls' one. The Bears again had trouble punching the ball in the end zone, as they were unsuccessful on their first three attempts. On fourth-and-goal, Christensen threw a fade pass to Jackson, which was incomplete. But a penalty flag on the Owls gave Northern Colorado new life. Christensen snuck his way through the line into the end zone, which brought the Bears to within two touchdowns of the FAU lead.

In the middle of the fourth quarter, a holding penalty forced UNC to punt from its own end zone, and the Owls returned the ball to the Bears' 33-yard line to start their possession. Northern Colorado junior linebacker Thomas Smith welcomed FAU sophomore backup quarterback Danny Embick into the game with a monstrous sack that sent Embick all the way back to Florida. After the 10-yard loss, Embick responded with a 43-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Thomas Parker that made the score 39-17.

The Bears continued to battle with the Owls on their next possession when they scored another touchdown on the coattails of Jackson. He caught a 45-yard reception and then capped off the drive with an 18-yard touchdown grab.

The Owls successfully ran out the clock to put an end to the stunning offensive display seen in the fourth quarter.

Christensen completed 18 of 31 passes for 298 yards in the losing effort. Sophomore strong safety Charles Barrett had career-high 12 tackles.

Northern Colorado will attempt to shatter its losing streak next Saturday when they travel to Huntsville, Texas to take on the Sam Houston State Bearkats (5-1). The game can be heard on the Bears Radio Network 12 p.m. (Mountain Time).