Northern Arizona football beats UNC to hand Bears 4th straight Big Sky Conference loss

The University of Northern Colorado football company lost in blowout fashion for the second time in two weeks Saturday falling to Northern Arizona - in a Big Sky Conference challenge in Flagstaff Arizona The loss was UNC s fourth straight in the Big Sky and drops the Bears to - overall and - in the conference with two regular-season games to play UNC lost to Montana State - last week at Nottingham Field in Greeley The Bears tour to Eastern Washington for a Nov battle before returning to Greeley for the season finale Nov against Portland State NAU kept its Football Championship Subdivision playoff hopes alive with the win moving to - overall and - in the conference Northern Arizona scored twice in the final two minutes of the first half for a - lead including a -yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kolbe Katsis Katsis return came with seconds left in the second quarter after UNC scored its first and only touchdown of the day to cut the Lumberjacks lead to - University of Northern Colorado football quarterback Eric Gibson Jr in the shotgun formation with the Bears during their Big Sky Conference tournament Saturday Nov at Northern Arizona NAU won - sending the Bears to their second-straight blowout loss and fourth consecutive loss in the Big Sky Conference Jesus Ayala UNC Athletics Katsis -yard run on the opening possession of the second half set up a Seth Cromwell count and a - lead just two minutes into the third quarter Katsis finished the match with all-purpose yards rushing receiving and kick return yards and a touchdown He s a great competitor and he s had a great year UNC head coach Ed Lamb reported of Katsis He s had a lot great games He s an outstanding receiver UNC played the encounter without one of its best players in sophomore safety Cam Chapa Chapa who was named to the Big Sky preseason organization in July didn t make the trip to Flagstaff Lamb explained Chapa has a minor knee injury and he is expected to return next week The Lumberjacks went ahead - lead with two minutes to go in the first half to play on a -yard touchdown run by Quran Gossett The touchdown was set up by a UNC failed fake punt on the previous series The Bears had fourth-down and six on their own -yard line Punter Leo Blumentritt attempted a throw to Keenan Campbell at the NAU The ball was not well thrown and thrown short and the Lumberjacks took over on downs UNC rallied for its touchdown after Gossett s result The Bears went yards in plays over seconds capped by a -yard touchdown run from Brandon Johnson The touchdown was Johnson s team-best fifth rushing number of the year Katsis took Leo Blumentritt s high kickoff near his own goal line and went yards for the touchdown return and the - halftime lead Katsis -yard run came on a double-reverse end-around play that brought the Lumberjacks to the UNC -yard line Cromwell scored three plays later from yards out for the - lead He scored a second touchdown on a -yard run with left in the third for a - NAU lead The series of plays from the fake punt to Katsis touchdown to Cromwell s touchdown after halftime changed the encounter for the Lumberjacks We battled back and gave up the touchdown on the kickoff return and the touchdown on the first drive of the second half Lamb noted Those three plays swung the momentum UNC quarterback Peter Costelli came into the meeting in the fourth quarter for starter Eric Gibson Jr Costelli was the Bears starter out of preseason camp but he suffered a fractured left collarbone in the season opener against Chadron State Costelli returned last week for a sparse plays of action against Montana State UNC had total yards with rushing yards Gibson Jr was of passing for yards Gibson Jr didn t throw for a touchdown or interception He ran twice for four yards Costelli was of for yards and an interception He ran four times for yards I think they both deserve the opportunity to play and to lead us Lamb explained of the quarterback switch Currently neither guy was able to spark much offense Northern Arizona Northern Colorado UNC - NAU - st Q NAU Jayson Raines yard pass from Ty Pennington Sam Hunsaker kick - st Q NAU Darvon Hubbard run Hunsaker kick - nd Q UNC Jacob Willig field goal - nd Q NAU Quran Gossett run Hunsaker kick - nd Q UNC Brandon Johnson run Willig kick - nd Q NAU Kolbe Katsis kickoff return Hunsaker kick - rd Q NAU Seth Cromwell run Hunsaker kick - rd Q NAU Cromwell run Hunsaker kick - th Q NAU Ryan Fontaine run Hunsaker kick -