Idaho State is back in action this weekend, traveling to Greeley for a road matchup with Northern Colorado at 1 p.m. on ESPN+. For the Bengals, it’s a chance to enter the winning column for the first time this season, after losses to UNLV, San Diego State and Central Arkansas.

Can they do it? It might be their best opportunity. Northern Colorado was voted to finish next-to-last in the Big Sky media and coaches preseason polls, right next to ISU. The Bears have followed two losses with a win over Lamar, making them 1-2 on the season.

This is both teams’ Big Sky Conference openers.

To know more about UNC, and what ISU will be up against, we chatted with Greeley Tribune sports reporter Jadyn Adams. Here is our Q&A.

Idaho State Journal: Give us a general scouting report on Northern Colorado.

Jadyn Adams: UNC is coming off an important win against Lamar, and it is relatively healthy, despite missing defensive starter Ethan Kramer and All-American David Hoage. Graduate QB Dylan McCaffrey did not play last week. Despite Jacob Sirmon’s struggles on offense, when he is given a chance to get comfortable in a game, he has shown the ability to get into a rhythm. Regardless of the starter, the offense can put up big numbers if it can settle in and not give up too many penalties. Defense will likely be a big factor, since it has become a more consistent group for the team.

ISJ: What went wrong for the Bears in their first two games? Is their loss to Houston Baptist as bad a loss as it might look on paper?

Adams: UNC’s biggest issue is not putting things together. The Houston Baptist loss was pretty bad, but the offense showed its scoring capability. It was the defense that struggled. Against Wyoming, the defense showed strength for most of the game and the offense could not get into a rhythm. That’s been the biggest issue, not having all three phases playing efficiently.

ISJ: How did UNC turn things around to beat Lamar last weekend? Were you surprised they won that game?

Adams: I don’t know that it turned things around, because the offense still struggled at inopportune times. However, the defense stepped up again. Not only did it stop Lamar’s offense, but it turned takeaways into points and capitalized when the offense did not. I’m not surprised the team won, because I knew the team wanted retribution for the 2021 loss (to Lamar) and it wanted its first win this season. I was surprised, though, at the defensive strength. That has been a key since (head coach) Ed McCaffrey started last year, but the turnovers finally showed up.

ISJ: If ISU’s defense is vulnerable in one way, it’s giving up big plays. Does Northern Colorado’s offense figure to be able to exploit that?

Adams: I think so. UNC can make big plays. It’s proven that already. The biggest challenges were opposing defenses breaking down the O-line and pressuring the QB and mistakes. When the QB has time to make a decision and it’s not giving away yardage on penalties, there have been some great plays. Although, even under pressure, Sirmon has made some impressive plays. It’s definitely possible for the Bears to put together some great drives against Idaho State’s defense, pending any issues on their side.

ISJ: How has Northern Colorado’s defense looked so far this season?

Adams: Oh, see above. For real, though, even without David Hoage, it’s shown strength. The game against Houston Baptist was the early outlier, but part of that comes down to experience and adjusting to play without Hoage. Plus, HBU had a lot of help on penalties — which came from both sides — so it’s hard to put all the blame on defense.

I think being able to hold Wyoming to under 10 points at halftime and under 20 through three quarters says a lot. Yes, the team gave up 17 points in the fourth quarter, but it also spent 13 more minutes in play than the offense.

Plus, the turnovers and stops against Lamar were huge. There is still a lot of work left to do, but it’s actually been the most fun phase to watch.

ISJ: Score prediction for the game?

Adams: I hate these. I’ll do 30-17 (Northern Colorado). I think UNC is strong enough to win and has enough motivation, but I also believe there is enough youth on the team that Idaho State can break the Bears down on a few drives.