GREELEY, Colo. – Turnovers proved costly today for No. 25 Northern Arizona (3-3, 1-1 Big Sky), as it fell on the road, 24-17, to Northern Colorado (2-3, 1-1 Big Sky) at Nottingham Stadium. The Bears snapped a nine-game Big Sky losing streak, as NAU fell to UNC for the first time since 1978.

"We were moving the ball pretty well, but we weren't finishing the drives," said head coach Jerome Souers. "I think we had too many penalties at that time, but we were remaining in the game due to our defense. The turnovers that turned into touchdowns were tough at first, and then devastating at the end, which probably cost us the game."

The scoring got started with an eight-yard touchdown run by Casey Jahn with 1:54 to go in the first quarter. Ryan Hawkins connected on his longest field goal of the season, with a sail of 45 yards with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter to give NAU a 10-0 edge.

NAU entered halftime up 10-3, after a last second field goal by UNC. Backed by a solid defensive performance by senior linebacker Austin Hasquet, who finished the game with 12 tackles, the Lumberjacks held UNC to 47 rushing yards and 85 passing yards in the first half.

With a seven-point lead entering the second half, NAU began the third quarter with the ball in its hands. The Lumberjacks were unable to get the ball moving, which made way for the Bears to take their turn on offense. UNC recorded a 27-yard touchdown with 11:14 to go in the third quarter to give the game its first tie.

The Bears took their first lead of the game (17-10) when Dominick Sierra returned a 91-yard interception for a touchdown with 1:46 to go in the third quarter.

With the never quit mentality, true freshman Marquice Paige stiff-armed the Bears' secondary as the running back rushed 24 yards into the end zone to tie the game at 17-17 with 14:12 remaining.

UNC's defense kept the game alive for the home team as Kyle Griffin recorded a 74-yard pick six at the 7:25 mark in the fourth quarter to give the Bears the lead.

NAU had a few chances late in the game to make a comeback, but three turnovers in the final 11 minutes stung the Lumberjacks, as they were unable to come away with the win.

"I felt like defensively we did some things well," said Hasquet. "We created some new schemes on defense that worked really well, but we gave up 10 points today. If you take away those 10 points, that makes a difference in the game. We need to work on shutting offenses out."

Jahn registered his second straight 100-plus rushing game, as he battled through the UNC defense to finish with a team-high 132 yards. Paige added 81 yards rushing. Freshman wide receiver Bryant O'Georgia finished with 79 receiving yards.

"It was a tough game," said Souers. "Give credit to our opponent. They played well today, and we have a lot of mistakes to repair. We have to look at the chemistry of our team to create a better performing unit."

NAU has a bye next week, but will return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 18 when it travels to Portland State. The game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS as the Game of the Week. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m.