While the rest of Centennial State’s college football landscape enjoyed a quiet weekend with scheduled byes, the spotlight fell squarely on the gridiron action between the United States Air Force Academy and the University of Northern Colorado.

For the Falcons, the weekend journey to the Midwest was historic and triumphant. Meanwhile, the Bears faced a familiar, frustrating fate out in the Pacific Northwest.

Air Force Makes History with Convincing Win Over Northern Illinois

In the first-ever meeting between the two programs, Air Force (4-1 overall, 2-1 Mountain West Conference) put on a disciplined, commanding display to defeat Northern Illinois (0-5, 0-1 MWC) 28-7 on the road in DeKalb in a game that lasted two hours, 36 minutes.

With only one pass attempt, Air Force possessed the pigskin for over 39 minutes by amassing 439 yards on 67 rushes (6.6 yards per carry); backup quarterback Evan Medders (114 yards, 16 carries, 2 TDs) and running back Owen Allen (100 yards, 13 carries, 2 TDs) led the Falcons to their third straight wins.

For full individual statistics and play-by-play breakdowns, check the official Air Force vs. Northern Illinois Box Score.

Northern Colorado’s Skid Continues Against Eastern Washington

On the other side of the ledger, Northern Colorado (2-5 overall, 1-3 in the Big Sky Conference) traveled to Cheney, Washington, to try to snap a daunting historical trend against Eastern Washington (2-5, 1-3).

Despite a hard-fought effort, the Bears ultimately fell 31-22. The loss extends Northern Colorado’s losing streak against the Eagles to 16 consecutive games, a persistent hurdle for the program in Big Sky play.

The Bears trailed 28-6 at intermission as Eastern Washington scored on four of its six first-half drives, covering 96, 63, 75, and 75 yards.  UNC outgained the Eagles 468 to 386 and possessed the ball over 38 minutes, but turned the ball over on its last two drives, preventing a comeback.

Junior kicker Landon Richardson kept the Bears within reach, connecting on 24, 21, and 35-yard field goals. It was his third game this season with multiple field goals, and the three he finished with tied the most in a single game in UNC Division I history. He now has 10 field goals on the season, tied for the fourth-most in a single season in the Division I era, and 31 career points, the 10th-most by a kicker in program Division I history.

Sophomore wide receiver Trey Olsen (Loveland) had his best game yet, catching eight passes for 103 yards. Both were career highs, and it was his first 100-yard receiving game.

For full individual statistics and scoring summaries, visit the Northern Colorado vs. Eastern Washington Box Score.

Quiet Weekend for the Rest of Colorado

As Air Force and Northern Colorado carried the state’s football banner this weekend, Colorado’s other eight college football programs, from FBS powerhouses to local DII programs, took a collective breather. With the state’s remaining teams on bye weeks, all eyes will return to a crowded local gridiron landscape next weekend as the rest of Colorado’s programs jump back into the thick of their respective conference races.

Saturday, October 10 Schedule

• at Eastern Washington 31, Northern Colorado 22  BOX SCORE / RECAP
• Air Force 28, at Northern Illinois, 7  BOX SCORE / RECAP
• Bye week for Adams State, Colorado, Colorado Mesa, Colorado Mines, Colorado State, CSU Pueblo, Fort Lewis & Western Colorado

Thursday, October 15 Schedule

• Colorado State at Texas State, 6 p.m., CBSSN

Saturday, October 17 Schedule

• Adams State at Chadron State, 1 p.m., RMACNet
• Colorado Mines at Colorado Mesa, 1 p.m., RMACNet
• Nevada-Las Vegas at Air Force, 1:30 p.m., CBSSN
• New Mexico Highlands at CSU Pueblo, 2 p.m., RMACNet
• Fort Lewis at Western Colorado, 6 p.m., RMACNet
• Cal Poly at Northern Colorado, 6 p.m., ESPN+
• Utah at Colorado, 8:15 p.m., ESPN2