Northern Colorado and Idaho State have in recent years been the two most downtrodden programs in the Big Sky.

The Bengals have lost 22 of their 24 games since they last beat the Bears in 2007. Northern Colorado got some measure of revenge when it toppled Idaho State 29-9 at home last October, but there has been little else for the fourth-year Big Sky program to cheer about.

Northern Colorado has lost 10 straight Big Sky games since then, and it is mired in a 19-game road losing streak. The team still does not own a road win in the Big Sky.

"We've struggled over the last three years, four years getting victories here," Northern Colorado coach Scott Downing said during the Big Sky coaches teleconference Wednesday. "But the one thing I do say about our young men, now that we've had them here for a while, is they're very, very resilient.

"They're very, very disappointed when they don't win on Saturday. Extremely disappointed. And that's a sign, I think, that they're committed to the program. They don't take losing lightly."

The Bengals would surely say the same thing.

Unfortunately, one team is going to have to endure that feeling for at least another week following their clash at 3:35 p.m. today at Holt Arena.

The following are some other talking points surrounding the two teams.

FIRST DOWN

The Bears aren't reading too much into the fact that they emerged victorious in the most recent meeting between the two teams.

"Our guys approach every game virtually the same," Downing said. "Saturday rests on how we prepare ourselves during the week both physically and mentally and with our schemes and everything. They're looking forward to going to Idaho State and playing, but they look forward to every game."

SECOND DOWN

Fans expecting a shootout today likely will head home disappointed. Idaho State and Northern Colorado rank last and next-to-last, respectively, in the Big Sky in several major offensive categories.

Both teams have been plagued by injuries. They've robbed Idaho State of a total of 55 player-games, 45 of those coming on offense. Northern Colorado, meanwhile, has lost 37 player-games to injuries, with 34 of those on offense.

The Bears have lost players across several positions, but their hardest-hit unit has been their offensive line. Three starting linemen went down in the first two weeks of the season alone. Of those, left tackle Ryan Kemp, a three-year starter, is out for the season.

Also shelved for the year is junior wide receiver Brandon Smith, who was the Bears' Most Valuable Player on offense last season. Smith caught 36 passes for 500 yards and four touchdowns.

In all, six offensive starters came up lame during the first two weeks.

"Our production levels are coming up," Downing said. "Those are guys that you've had together for 44 practices in spring and fall camp, so it was almost like going back to the drawing board again to start off with replacing guys and all that."

THIRD DOWN

The two-year contract extension Idaho State gave coach John Zamberlin on Thursday erased all doubt about which coach in the Big Sky now faces the most uncertainty about his contract status.

Downing, who signed a one-year extension last offseason that expires in five games, addressed the issue during Wednesday's teleconference.

"I operated for 30 years as a coach on one-year deals, so it doesn't matter," Downing said. "If you sit around and think about your contract, you're not doing your job as a coach. We're comfortable with where we're at. We wish at this point in time in the season we had more wins, but we understand the things that we have to improve upon."

FOURTH DOWN

Former Idaho State recruit Darin McDonald finally gets to play at Holt Arena today.

McDonald, a Colorado native, originally signed a letter of intent to play for the Bengals in 2006, but he then decided to pursue a baseball career after the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him in the 12th round.

McDonald spent three seasons toiling as an outfielder in the minor leagues before deciding to return to football. McDonald, now a redshirt freshman wide receiver, has caught nine passes for 47 yards.