GREELEY, Colo. – HBU freshman defensive end Jacoby Brass forced a fumble on a sack, then linebacker Jalyx Hunt scooped it up and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to seal the Huskies' 46-34 victory over Northern Colorado in the FCS season-opener Saturday afternoon at Nottingham Field.
 
HBU freshman running back Ismail Mahdi rushed 24 times for 172 yards and a touchdown, including a 78-yard score, and made two catches for 83 yards, with a 74-yard touchdown catch for the Huskies (1-0). Sophomore quarterback Justin Fomby completed 15-of-29 passes for 305 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Junior Karl Reynolds had four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Ismael Fuller and freshman Anthony Harris also added touchdown receptions.

Safety Isaiah Cash and cornerback Devion Hargrove led the Huskies with 11 tackles each and safety Xavier Toliver added eight stops and a 30-yard interception return. Hunt finished with eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and the fumble return for a touchdown. 
 
Dylan McCaffrey completed 16-of-26 passes for 177 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Bears (0-1), both to Trevis Graham, who finished with three catches for 83 yards. Jacob Sirmon was 22-of-33 for 249 yards and also threw a pair of touchdowns in UNC's furious comeback, one to Alec Pells, who made eight catches for 68 yards and another to Elijah Dotson, who had four catches for 43 yards. McCaffrey was also the Bears' leading rusher with 61 yards.
 
The Bears took the opening kickoff and McCaffrey constructed a 12-play, 72-yard drive that took 6:04 off the clock. Graham capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown reception.
 
The Huskies answered three minutes later, with Fomby hitting Reynolds for a 66-yard touchdown down the near sideline, but the extra point hit off the upright.
 
HBU got the ball back after a punt, then hit another home run when Mahdi took a screen pass 74-yards for touchdown to put the Huskies ahead, 13-7, with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter. On HBU's next possession, Fomby threw a 21-yard strike to Fuller, but the extra point again was no good, as the Huskies led, 19-7.
 
The Bears came right back as Graham hauled in a 55-yard touchdown from McCaffrey to cut the Huskies' lead to 19-14. With 2:22 left to work, Fomby found Vernon Harrell for a 32-yard completion to the UNC 21 and Alberto Arroyo hit a 30-yard field goal with 35 seconds left to put HBU up 22-14 heading into halftime.
 
HBU took the second-half kickoff and put together a nice 14-play, 67-yard drive, but it stalled out at the UNC 8 and the Huskies settled for a 25-yard field goal by Arroyo to lead 25-14. The Huskies forced a three-and-out, but Fomby was intercepted and the Bears took over in HBU territory. No harm was done, as UNC missed a 44-yard field goal attempt.
 
UNC made a quarterback switch to Sirmon, who was intercepted by senior safety Coi Miller, setting up HBU at the UNC 29. Fomby finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown to true freshman wide receiver Anthony Harris to extend the lead to 32-14 with just under a minute left in the third quarter.
 
Sirmon bounced back and led a drive to set up David Afari's 1-yard touchdown run, but the two-point conversion failed to make the score 32-20 with 12:28 to go in the game.
 
HBU responded immediately with Mahdi's 78-yard touchdown run through a wide open hole on the left side for a 39-20 lead. On UNC's ensuing possession, an HBU interception was overturned by replay, then Sirmon completed a 21-yard pass to Alec Pell to convert on third-and-13. Pell then caught a 1-yard pass for a touchdown as the Bears pulled to within 39-27 with 6:37 remaining.
 
After an HBU three-and-out, UNC converted two third-and-longs, then Sirmon hit Dotson for a nine-yard touchdown as the Huskies led 39-34 with 2:25 on the clock.
 
UNC then recovered the onside kick at its own 41. The Bears' promising drive into HBU territory was halted by a personal foul penalty, then Sirmon was sacked by Brass, fumbled the ball, which was scooped up by Hunt and taken all the way for the score.
 
The win snaps HBU's 11-game losing streak, dating back to a 33-30 victory on the road at Eastern Kentucky in the season finale on Oct. 3, 2020.
 
The Huskies return to action when they Lindenwood in the home opener Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. at Husky Field.