Northern Colorado (1-0, 0-0 Big Sky) at Colorado State (0-1, 0-0 Mountain West)
When/where: 5 p.m. Saturday/Canvas Stadium
TV/Radio: Altitude/Mountain West Network/Rams Radio Network
BetMGM Line: No line available
Weather: 58 degrees, party cloudy
Series History: 21-1-1, according to CSU sports information; 19-1, according to UNC sports information
Three storylines
New UNC QB: In coach Ed Lamb’s third year, the Bears matched their win total from the prior two seasons in Week 1 with a 17-3 victory over Chadron State. It was an encouraging performance for a struggling program, even if it came against a Division II school. But UNC was dealt a significant blow in the win, as starting QB Peter Costelli suffered a season-ending injury. The Bears now turn to Eric Gibson Jr., who spent two seasons at LSU and then was an all-conference QB at Monterey Peninsula College.
The Dupree Factor: In his first collegiate start last week against Washington, Jalen Dupree was the Rams’ offense star and a central reason that CSU hung around for so long. He earned Mountain West freshman of the week honors after logging 92 rushing yards on 6.1 yards a carry, and had a 15-yard TD run just before half that tied the game. Considering CSU had 224 yards on the ground last year against UNC, Dupree could go off.
Owen Long, Tackling Machine: The opener against Washington provided a glimpse into what all the training-camp hype around linebacker Owen Long was about. The sophomore, who is the youngest player ever voted captain under coach Jay Norvell, was a one-man wrecking crew against the Huskies with a game-high 13 tackles. He showed he could plug up running holes as well as close on ballcarriers in open space. UNC needs to have a plan to minimize his impact, or he could mess up a game plan all by himself.
Predictions
Kyle Newman, sportswriter: CSU 41, Northern Colorado 20
CSU has won eight straight over the Bears by double-digits, and that trend continues on Saturday for Ag Day in Fort Collins. Tight end Jaxxon Warren turns in a dominating performance with his first 100-yard game as a Ram, and Jalen Dupree runs wild for over 100 yards. UNC looks better than it did last year, but the Bears are still no match for the Rams.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: CSU 33, Northern Colorado 17
At least Jalen Dupree won’t have to worry about carries. If this one goes as it should, everybody in Rammies green is going to get a shot to tote the rock. CSU trampled UNC last September, and you could argue Jay Norvell has even better backs at his disposal this time around. Bears coach Ed Lamb would love to shock the world. Not this time. UNC feels more like a tune-up for a Rams roster that wants some mojo heading into winnable swing games at home against UTSA (Sept. 20) and Washington State (Sept. 27).
Matt Schubert, sports editor: CSU 34, Northern Colorado 10
UNC coach Ed Lamb can’t catch a break. Losing a starting quarterback before the fourth quarter of the season opener is brutal — especially with CSU waiting in the wings the next week. Tyson Summers’ Rams defense may not have looked like the Steel Curtain in last week’s loss at Washington, but the Huskies have a different level of offensive weaponry than the Bears. That’ll be apparent right away Saturday.
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