By FRITZ NEIGHBOR of the Missoulian
Vincent Jackson had a game that harkened to 2003, and the rest of Northern Colorado offense clicked along with him as the Bears rolled up a 34-14 lead over Idaho State last week.
"To be honest, I was very encouraged with the way we played," UNC coach O. Kay Dalton said Wednesday. "And extremely disappointed with the way the game turned out.
"It was a pretty disappointing loss. We had it in the bag and let it get away."
Two blocked punts doomed Northern Colorado to the home loss. The second one was the killer - it was partially blocked and traveled some 19 yards. It wasn't a disaster until the Bears' special teams crew neglected to down it; ISU's Kenyon Blue picked it up and sprinted 39 yards for a TD that sent the game into overtime. The Bears, 1-2 this season after a 9-2 campaign in '03, eventually fell in OT.
"The first one was just a breakdown in our blocking," linebacker Ryan Palmer, UNC's leading tackler, said of the punt blocks. "Plain and simple. The second one was one person got beat on the one side. We've fixed it Š but you've got to realize that special teams is such an important part of the game. You've got to go b-- out on special teams, too."
Palmer is a special teams fixture, and he was also on the field two years ago when Northern Colorado came to Missoula and lost 31-14.
"They're a big, physical group," the 240-pound senior said of the Grizzlies. "When I played them before, they were more about running the ball."
This year's Grizzlies have shown more of a penchant for passing, although preseason All-America Justin Green remains a threat at running back. "I think they've gotten a little away from their running game," Dalton noted. "But they've always thrown the ball a lot at Montana."
Northern Colorado hasn't been particularly strong against either the pass (239 yards per game given up) or the run (179 per game). But the defense, led by Palmer and bolstered by free safety Reed Doughty (36 tackles) and linebacker Thomas Smith (33) looked good at times last week. That might be tied to an offense that rolled up 425 yards in regulation.
Jackson - a 6-foot-6 senior who set school records of 66 catches and 1,462 receiving yards last season - got loose for 127 receiving yards. He also had an 85-yard punt return shortened when officials ruled him out of bounds. It was a disputed call.
As it was Jackson still picked up 155 all-purpose yards, giving him 4,144 for his career. That broke the UNC school record, and his 27 career touchdown catches is another school record. The career marks for receptions, receiving yards and punt and kickoff returns could also be his before he's through.
Not bad for a player who as a 6-3 senior was passed on by every I-A and I-AA school.
"I've gotten faster since then," said Jackson, who's NFL potential was detailed in Wednesday's USA Today. "I was pretty lanky, and looked more like a basketball player early on.
"I was not very highly recruited at all. (UNC) has a great business school, and it was the best program to offer me a scholarship."
Jackson, who took advanced placement courses in high school that boosted his grade-point average to 4.1 on a 4.0 scale, reportedly runs a 4.5-second 40 yards. He still hoops it up, too - he led UNC's basketball team in points and assists last season.
And he's not the only weapon the Bears have. Andrew Wilson, a 190-pound running back, torched Idaho State for 188 yards last week. Sophomore Tony Christensen, who threw 18 TD passes last year, got time against ISU and threw his first two scoring passes of the season. Jamar Farbes, a 175-pound senior, is actually UNC's leading receiver (13 catches, 147 yards) and almost forced a third overtime with ISU, but fumbled inside the one after a reception.
It was a far cry from the week before, when UNC went to Maine - a team Montana beat 27-20 to open the season - and absorbed a 38-0 loss. "Maine just manhandled us, that's all," Dalton said. "It was a long, hard trip for us. But I do not make excuses. We didn't play well at Maine."
The Bears' last game was more of an indication of what the Grizzlies need to prepare for.
"We've got a wide receiver who's as good as anybody they'll face," Dalton said. "And Jamar Farbes is no slouch. We've got decent kids. If we can protect the quarterback, you'll probably have problems with our guys."
That's what happened last week. An offensive line featuring four new faces gelled, and the Bears controlled the ball, for the most part.
"There are definitely things we can improve on, but it was definitely encouraging," Jackson said. "Just to get the offense going and put some points on the board."
The next step for UNC, in its second of five seasons as a "transitional" I-AA team, is to have those points hold up.
"We know we should've won last game, and that's what makes us madder than anything," Palmer said. "I think we're finally ready to go and put together a complete game.
"I think everybody got a taste of it, and everybody wants it that much more. The O-line really came around and got it done last week, and - I'm excited."
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