FloFootball’s season-long coverage of the Big Sky begins this weekend with a non-conference showdown between Northern Colorado and Sacramento State.

Who: Sacramento State (1-1) vs. Northern Colorado (0-2)

When: Saturday, Sept. 15, 3 PM CT

Where: Greeley, Colo., Nottingham Field

Watch: LIVE on FloFootball

UNC is off to an 0-2 start but head coach Earnest Collins’ team appears to be close. The Bears lost a heart-breaker to then-No. 17 McNeese State in the opener, then surrendered 20 unanswered second quarter points in a 15-point loss to No. 23 South Dakota.

Alex Wesley hauled in a career-best 10 receptions for 184 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Northern Colorado outscored South Dakota 14-9 in the fourth quarter after a scoreless third quarter.

After hammering St. Francis (IL) in its season opener, Sacramento State showed its mettle in a hard fought 28-14 loss to San Diego State last week.

The Aztecs were fresh off of a respectable loss to FBS No. 9 Stanford—a game they led 7-0 after the first quarter and trailed by two points at the break—but found themselves trailing the Hornets 14-13 heading into the fourth quarter on Saturday.

Kevin Thomson completed 11-of-18 passes for 177 yards and a score. The Sacramento State defense held SDSU quarterback Ryan Agnew to 159 passing yards and picked him off twice.

Bryant Perkinson Is Back

Sacramento State running back Bryant Perkinson made his anticipated season debut against San Diego State last week and didn’t disappoint, scoring both of the Hornets touchdowns on Saturday.

The Hawthorne, Calif., native ended the 2017 season with a 25-yard touchdown reception in a 52-47 victory over UC Davis, so his 64-yard touchdown catch-and-run last week made it two consecutive games with a receiving touchdown for the sophomore

Thomson’s Availability In Question

Hornets’ quarterback Kevin Thomson is banged up and questionable as a result of a shoulder injury suffered in last week’s loss to the Aztecs.

If Thomson is unable to go, a typically balanced SSU offense may be forced to lean on its stable of running backs—Perkinson, Elijah Dotson and Ja’Narrick James against a UNC defense that has surrendered nearly 140 rushing yards per game through two game.

Air Bears

The duo of quarterback Jacob Knipp and go-to wide receiver Alex Wesley has emerged as one of the most formidable in the country thus far.

Knipp, who missed the final five games of last season, has thrown for 592 yards and four touchdowns—including his second career 300-yard performance against South Dakota last week. Knipp finished 26-for-35 for 331 yards and three touchdowns.

Wesley, for his part, has been virtually uncoverable. He’s averaging 142 yards per game through two weeks—the second-highest number in the league and the sixth-most per game in the FCS.

Wesley is coming off of a year in which he became the ninth player in program history to record 1,000 yards receiving and earned track and field All-America honors after setting a UNC school record in the 400-meter dash (45.91).