Sept. 16, 2006

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SAN MARCOS - Texas State scored 13 third-quarter points and Morris Crosby had a career-high 160 yards on five catches, but the Bobcats were unable to overcome 111 penalty yards and a pair of costly turnovers in a 14-13 loss to Northern Colorado Saturday at Jim Wacker Field.

Bradley George passed for a career-best 275 yards on 11-of-25 passing, and Alvin Canady led the `Cats on the ground with 60 yards on 11 carries. Texas State (1-2) rushed for 113 yards in the game and accounted for 324 yards through the air.

Northern Colorado (1-2) rushed for 53 yards and quarterback Dominic Breazeale threw for 168, as the Bears were out gained 437 to 221 in the game. Patrick Ealy hauled in seven catches for 85 yards to lead UNC, and the Bears were paced on the ground by 62 yards on 21 touches from Andre Wilson.

The Bears never trailed, striking in only three minutes in the first quarter to go up 7-0 as Breazeale hit Ealy on a 30-yard strike to cap an eight-play, 80-yard drive with 11:55 on the clock.

Texas State followed by moving the ball deep into UNC territory on its first possession, but after a third-down penalty, the Bobcats were forced into fourth-down from the 27 and failed to convert on a 44-yard field-goal attempt.

After missed possessions for both teams ended the first quarter and began the second, the Bobcats again moved near the UNC goal line with less than five minutes to play, as George found Crosby on a pair of deep passes that moved the ball inside the five.

As he neared the goal line on his second reception of the possession, Crosby dove toward the pylon and knocked it over but was called out at the UNC three. The `Cats were denied the score a play later, however, when on first down Stan Zwinggi fumbled into the end zone where it was recovered by Matt Thomas for a Northern Colorado touchback.

With 1:51 to go in the second, Breazeale hit T.J. Swanson on a 37-yard pass to the Bobcat 18, but three plays later, Texas State linebacker Jammar Crane blocked a David Dyches 27-yard field-goal attempt, leaving UNC up by a touchdown with less than 40 seconds to play.

Northern Colorado would find the end zone one final time in the half, however, as Texas State moved the ball two-yards and was forced to punt with 16 seconds remaining. Chris McDonald's kick was blocked at the five and scooped up by Matt West, who returned the ball into the end zone, sending the game to half with UNC up 14-0.

Texas State came out firing from the halftime break, as George connected with Crosby for 73 yards on the third quarter's first play. The Bobcats were on the board one play later when James Aston scored on his first collegiate carry, a three-yard touchdown plunge that cut the UNC lead to 14-7.

The Bobcats forced a punt on the Bears' first second-half possession, and five-plays after the drive-ending kick, Kyle Bronson capped a 22-yard Bobcat scoring drive with a 49-yard field goal with 9:50 to go in the third.

Northern Colorado moved the chains twice on its next drive before being forced into a third-and-9, where the drive ended when Joe Bell hammered Breazeale for a sack and a nine-yard loss that forced a fourth-and-18 from the 33-yardline.

After the UNC kick, the Bobcats took over at their own 20 and were pushed into UNC territory on a 43-yard Zwinggi run, and six plays later, George hit Adrian Thomas for 19 yards to put the ball at the UNC seven. Bronson finished the ten-play possession, booting a 21-yard kick through the uprights to pull Texas State to within one.

As the game moved into the final quarter, Texas State's first opportunity to grab a lead came with 7:21 to go, but a 46-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left leaving the score unchanged at 14-13.

The Bobcats would force a punt and regain possession with 2:41 left, and after two incompletions and a four-yard gain brought up fourth-and-6, UNC was flagged for pass interference, bringing new life to the Bobcat possession.

Two plays after the flag, George found Alex Darley in front of the Texas State sideline for a 37-yard gain to the UNC 34, but a sack and three incompletions followed to end the Texas State drive, securing the one-point win for the Bears.

Texas State travels to Southern Utah Saturday, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. (Mountain) in Cedar City, Utah. The `Cats return home on Oct. 7 after an off week Sept. 30, taking on Stephen F. Austin at Bobcat Stadium.