Just like that, UNC had lost its two top receivers. Then things got worse.
There was the bizarre case of Rafael Mendoza, who was stabbed in the leg by fellow punter Mitch Cozad in September, allegedly in a bid to take over as the Bears' starter. After that came a pair of assault charges against Bears players, and the suspension of three assistant coaches for holding an illegal practice last spring.
None of the events seem very far away. The Los Angeles Times wrote a piece on the Greeley, Colo., school's football problems in mid-October. Mendoza attended Cozad's first court appearance on Monday. On Wednesday the Bears attended Matthews' funeral.
“Has it been a tough year? No question,” said first-year coach Scott Downing, whose 1-8 Bears host No. 2-ranked Montana on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. “It never gets any easier, especially this week.
“I think our kids have obviously handled it as well as they could. Each one of these presents a unique situation for our players to react to and deal with. I think our players have done about as good as they can, being that they're only 19, 20, 21 years old.”
Downing took over a program already going through tough times, coinciding roughly with its move up from Division II - the Bears won football national championships there in 1996-97 under Joe Glenn, who coached UM from 2000-02.
Northern Colorado went 9-2 in its first year in I-AA but struggled to a 6-16 mark the past two seasons, resulting in O. Kay Dalton's dismissal.
Downing was coming off his second three-year stint at Nebraska, sandwiched around 10 seasons at Wyoming and six at Purdue. The 49-year-old came to Greeley, a town of 85,000 an hour northeast of Denver, knowing UNC had a great recruiting base and a spot in a great league.
He was excited, comparing the Big Sky to the Big 12 and Big Ten. He hasn't changed his tune after six straight losses and a litany of off-field problems.
“I didn't have my head buried in the sand,” Downing said. “I know that as you went through this transition, there were going to be things outside the norm, and you're going to have to deal with them. I think the players have done a pretty good job of that.”
The team has played solidly at times, including their 14-13 win at Texas State, ranked No. 23 at the time. The Bears also took narrow losses at Weber State (26-21 on Sept. 28), Sacramento State (14-9 on Oct. 28) and Montana State (13-10 last week).
The key for Downing is a bye following a 34-0 home loss to Eastern Washington on Oct. 14.
“We took that week to say, ‘Guys, the first part of the season is over. We're 0-0 with four games left,' ” he said. “I think the kids took a really healthy approach.”
But Northern Colorado is still dealing with injuries. Freshman quarterback Brian Wiedeman suffered a concussion at Sac State and as of Tuesday hadn't been cleared to practice. Junior Dominic Breazeale, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 245 pounds, hurt a knee at MSU.
T.J. Swanson, a Mississippi State transfer who moved to receiver in the preseason when Birkel and Brown were injured, finished up at QB in Bozeman. He threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to cap the scoring. Swanson has a hip injury, but he's the only QB who'll for-certain play Saturday.
Whoever is there will be handing the ball off to Andre Wilson - he's just 36 yards from surpassing the aforementioned Matthews on UNC's career rushing list - or throwing it to another running back named Patrick Ealy. Wilson is the Bears' second-leading receiver with 17 catches. After that it's Brian Barman with 14 receptions, and Zac Carlson and Jahir Waterman with 11 each.
“We've played quite a few guys in rotation,” Downing said. “It's kind of like everything else with our team - it's just whether we can manufacture the correct plays and get them in sync with the quarterbacks.”
The defense has been steadier while working in several young players. Cristian Sarmento is the acknowledged leader of a strong linebacker crew that includes freshman Thomas Bauer, sophomore Joe Kenney and junior Asa Matthews, Adam's brother.
The defensive rotation includes nine defensive linemen, only three of them being seniors. Likewise nine Bears (three seniors) play in the secondary.
“Our defense is playing real well right now,” said Matt West, the Bears' 225-pound senior defensive end. “It feels like we're working as a unit. When everything is clicking like that, things seem to go our way.”
Scoreboard-wise, that has happened only once. But there are two games left. On Saturday the Bears will induct the 1996 national championship team into UNC's athletic hall of fame. Glenn, whose Wyoming Cowboys play BYU Thursday, will be there.
So, of course, will the Griz. It's a unique situation for the younger Bears, though West and Wilson played against UM in Missoula in 2004. The Grizzlies won that game 27-16.
“The Big Sky's a challenge,” said West. “Nobody's given up. Everybody knows there are two games left. I'd like to see that these younger guys are playing for guys like me, who are seniors. Then we'll be just fine.”
Reporter Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 523-5247 or at fneighbor@missoulian.com.
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