Weber State University Athletics
Saturday, October 24
Greeley, CO
1:30 p.m.
Weber State University
28
at
20
Northern Colorado
Wildcats Hold On For 28-20 Big Sky Road Win At Northern Colorado
10/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
It was a cloudy day in Greeley, Colorado and over the Weber State football program to begin the day, but in the end it was a sunny day in the Wildcat locker room as the Wildcats posted a 28-20 win on the road over Northern Colorado.
The day began with an announcement that WSU star running back, Trevyn Smith, would be suspended for the first half of the game for a violation of team rules. Smith did not play in the game at all.
That left the ball carrying duties to, ironically, to a Colorado native. Bo Bolen, from near by Aurora, Colorado, rushed a career high 37 times for a career high 207 yards in Smith's absence to lead the Wildcat charge.
Bolen went from goat to hero in a matter of minutes in the first quarter. The Wildcats took the opening kickoff and drove to the Northern Colorado eight on the strength of an 18-yard pass from Cameron Higgins to Bolen, putting the 'Cats on the Bear's six-yard line. On the first play, Bolen took the ball and appeared to get to the end zone but fumbled at the two and UNC recovered.
WSU's defense then came out and shut the Bears down on three plays forcing a punt which only went 14 yards. The Wildcats took over at the 23 of UNC and took just three plays to score on a one yard run by Bolen.
The Wildcats made it 14-0 with 11:56 left in the second quarter on a five-yard pass from Higgins to tight end Tyrell Francisco.
UNC got on the scoreboard with 5:09 left in the first half on a two-yard run by Andre Harris, but the Wildcats came back with a 13-play, 90 -yard drive which consumed 4:44 on the clock with Joe Collins catching a 6-yd pass from Higgins with 20 left before the break, giving the Wildcats a 21-7 lead.
Northern Colorado's defense, which came into the game as the Big Sky's leader in Total Defense, clamped down on the Wildcats in the third quarter and did not allow a score by the Wildcats. UNC's offense got 10 points on a 42-yard pass from Bryan Waggener to Patrick Walker at the 8:53 mark and a 37-yard field goal by Michael York just three minutes later to make it a 21-17 game.
The Wildcats moved the ball around the field in the fourth quarter but couldn't put points on the board. Mike Snoy missed a 39-yard field goal attempt with 9:45 left in the game which would have given the 'Cats a 24-17 lead. Instead, the Bears took over and went 49 yards in nine plays but had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by York with 6:28 left making it a 21-20 game for the Wildcats.
Bo Bolen then took over going 35 yards on WSU's first play from scrimmage following UNC's kickoff. He ended up at the UNC 27. He followed it with a seven-yard run to the 20. Cameron Higgins completed a seven-yard pass to Joe Collins, followed by runs of two and three yards by Bolen which put the Wildcats on the UNC eight. Higgins found Collins on an eight-yard pass all alone in the end zone and Snoy's PAT made it 28-20.
The Bears began a potential game-tying drive with 2:57 left on the clock at their own 23-yard line. Waggener completed a six-yard pass to Patrick Walker on the first play, but was then picked off by WSU cornerback Thyrell Lewis at the 33 who returned it to the UNC 18. Bolen then cried four straight times with runs of nine, three, minus three and six yards to run out the clock.
Bolen added three catches for 43 yards and had three kickoff returns for 45 yards giving him 295 all-purpose yards with the sixth best single game all-purpose yards effort in Weber State football history.
WSU quarterback Cameron Higgins completed 25-37 passes, no interceptions, for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Joe Collins had a career high nine catches for 80 yards.
Weber State now moves to 5-3 overall for the 2009 season and 5-1 in Big Sky Conference play, setting up the big showdown next Saturday, October 31 in Missoula, Montana against the #2 ranked Grizzlies.
NOTES: UNC held Tim Toone to just three catches for 64 yards and two punt returns for -2 two yards. Toone had been averaging 22.1 yards per return this season and was ranked 2nd in the Big Sky and in NCAA Division I FCS behind Montana's Mark Mariani. ... The Wildcats had 36:01 of possession time in Saturday's game at Northern Colorado. ... The Wildcats were 10-16 in 3rd Down Conversions vs. UNC.
Players Mentioned
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