Weber St. football: Wildcats hold off No. Colorado

GREELEY, Colo. — Cameron Higgins threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns and Bo Bolen ran for a career high 207 yards and another score Saturday as Weber State fought off a second-half rally to edge Northern Colorado 28-20 in a Big Sky Conference clash.

After the Bears (2-6, 1-5 Big Sky) scored 13 unanswered points to pull within 21-20 with 6:28 to go, Higgins found Joe Collins for an 8-yard TD pass with 3:01 left to give the Wildcats (5-3, 5-1 Big Sky) a 28-20 lead.

WSU cornerback Thyrell Lewis thwarted Northern Colorado's last drive by picking off a UNC pass and returning in 15 yards to the Bears' 18-yard line. Bolen then carried the ball four straight times as the 'Cats ran out the clock.

Bryan Waggener threw for 278 yards and a touchdown for Northern Colorado.

Bolen, a redshirt freshman from nearby Aurora, Colo., who was making his first career start after Weber State's star senior Trevyn Smith was suspended, finished with 295 all-purpose yards. Bolen wound up with 37 carries in Smith's absence. He had three receptions for 43 yards and three kickoff returns for 45 yards, giving him the sixth-best, single-game all-purpose-yards performance in Weber State history.

WSU quarterback Cameron Higgins completed 25-of-37 passes with no interceptions. Collins had a career-high nine catches for 80 yards.

Higgins also connected with Collins on a 6-yard TD strike with 20 seconds left in the second quarter to give Weber State a 21-7 advantage. The Wildcats took an early 14-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Bolen and a 5-yard TD toss from Higgins to Tyrell Francisco.

The Wildcats will take a three-game winning streak into their showdown with undefeated Montana (7-0, 4-0 Big Sky) this Saturday at Missoula, Mont.