GREELEY, Colo. - After 70 points were scored in the first three quarters of the game, the final was decided by a field goal with 2:11 remaining, as Texas State defeated Northern Colorado, 38-35. The Bears fall to 0-2 on the season, while the Bobcats move to 2-1.

After the Bobcats scored with 2:11 on the clock, the Bears drove the field and junior quarterback Bryan Waggener hit senior tight end Ryan Chesla for 30 yards and it looked like a touchdown, but Chesla was called down at the one-yard line and the Bears turned the ball over on the next play, sealing the Texas State victory.

"Obviously it was a disappointment to lose a game like that," said head coach Scott Downing. "38-35, I feel like Texas State was a very, very good football team and it was a back-and-forth battle. Neither team got through it clean, without turnovers or inopportune penalties but I thought the thing that we showed as a team, was we scored on the first play of the game and then went down 21-7 during the first quarter. We fought back to tie it, fought back to take the lead, and driving down at the end of the game with the potential to score a touchdown and end the game in regulation."

In a back-and-forth affair, the two teams tallied 975 yards of total offense. The Bears gained 568, compared to 407 for Texas State, marking the first time since 2005 Northern Colorado gained more than 500 yards of total offense in a game (617 vs Colorado Mines, Sept. 5, 2005).

Northern Colorado got started early, scoring on the first play from scrimmage, an 80 yard rush from sophomore wide receiver Brandon Smith. Smith also scored with one second remaining in the third quarter on a 75-yard reception from Waggener to knot the score at 35-35. Smith ended the contest with 189 all-purpose yards, the most since Andre Wilson tallied 220 against Southern Utah (Oct. 22, 2005).

Waggener threw for 392 yards, completing 31 of 51 passes and three touchdowns. He was also intercepted three times. His 392 yards is the first time since Sept. 3, 2005 a player has passed for 300 or more yards in a game for the Bears (Nick Hager, 304 yards vs Colorado School of Mines).

Defensively, senior linebacker Cristian Sarmento showed why he was a preseason Big Sky All-Conference selection as he tallied 18 tackles, including two sacks for 12 yards and three tackles for a loss of 14 yards. Sarmento has now had double figure tackles in 10 straight games against FCS opponents. Sophomore Max Hewitt was second on the squad with nine tackles and had the team's lone interception with a four-yard return.

Senior wide receiver Cory Fauver and junior wide receiver Alex Thompson each caught touchdown passes from Waggener, while senior running back David Woods rushed for one. Thompson and Fauver each caught eight passes in the game with Thompson gaining 80 yards and Fauver 74. Smith led the team with 78 rushing yards, while Woods rushed for 54 and junior running back DC Wilson had 51.

Freshman punter Cameron Kaman had a much better second game of his career, averaging 42.2 yards per punt on four punts, with two going 50 or more yards.

Texas State's Stan Zwinggi led on offense, rushing for 109 yards, gaining 40 yards on kickoff returns and catching two passes for 16 yards for a total of 165 all-purpose yards. Cameron Luke caught four passes for 70 yards and quarterback Clint Toon completed 18 of 36 attempts for 227 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

After the Bears scored on the first play of the contest, Texas State answered with 21 straight points. NC got another touchdown late in the first quarter for the 21-14 score after the first 15 minutes. Each squad added a touchdown before halftime for the 28-21 score at the break. In the third quarter, the Bears got a pair of touchdowns, while the Bobcats had one for the tie score, 35-35 and the Bobcats got a 29-yard field goal from A. Ireland in the final stanza for the victory.

Northern Colorado begins Big Sky Conference action next week as they host Northern Arizona on Saturday. Game time is set for 1:35 p.m.