UNC pleased with team chemistry

Fall practices ending soon; games in spring

The University of Northern Colorado football team will soon hang up its helmets for a few more months as it enters its pseudo-offseason.

UNC, as part of the Big Sky Conference, postponed the fall sports season until the spring of

2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The NCAA allowed programs opting for a spring season to hold 15 fall practices. These practices were required to take place within a 34-day window.

With the practices nearing an end, UNC players will get roughly eight hours a week for conditioning and weight lifting sessions.

Football teams require “a lot of moving parts,” and first-year head coach

Ed McCaffrey said the players need connections and trust with each other to be successful. He said the team grew together in its ability to compete against and support each other well.

“I’m kind of sad we have to end it, because we had so much fun after being off for so long,” McCaffrey said.

Due to the limited practice time allowed by the NCAA, any additional work must be done on players’ own time. This is especially important during winter break. The coaching staff will expect them to stay in shape and get better, rather than “play into shape” like they had to this fall.

“We’ll give them a workout plan, but everything is player driven,” McCaffrey said. “I’m hoping the guys will take the time they have off seriously. It’s tough because different student-athletes have different resources when they go home for the holidays. It’s really going to be on them to find a place to work out and to find a field. Some are from different climates, so there may be snow or colder weather. You really have to find a way to work out.”

The coaching staff will begin developing a basic depth chart next month after evaluating the players’ fall practice performances. McCaffrey said they already have ideas about older players who are expected to start, but there are still multiple positions open.

“I want to be fair to everyone and give them a chance to compete and show what they can do,” McCaffrey said. “We’ll enter training camp with a depth chart, but it’s fluid. It could change week-toweek based on how guys are playing.”

McCaffrey does not know when the Bears will begin training camp. The Big Sky announced this month that each team will play six regular season games. The conference will release the game schedule in early November.