Weber State brought first-year college head coach Eric Kjar to Greeley to face Lamb’s Bears in the 2026 season opener. Not only is Kjar in his first year as a college head coach, it’s his first season as a college coach, period. He has 20-plus years under his belt in high school, with 16 as a head coach.

Lamb, meanwhile, is in Year 26 as a college coach, a run that includes eight years as head man at Southern Utah that included a playoff win and a Big Sky title, and now in his fourth year running Northern Colorado’s program.

But all those facts belied what transpired Friday night.

Both teams were prepared. It was hard to discern any glaring Northern Colorado advantage that might have left Kjar wanting. Whether it was a talent advantage or an upper hand in preparation, the game hinged on special teams and WSU passed with flying colors.

After years of seeing what appeared to this amateur’s eye like undisciplined football — leaving TD drives inches short in one-point road losses, or fumbling multiple times at the goal line against one of the country’s worst teams — Friday’s victory had the details you like to see.

The game featured one turnover; it was Weber State’s, a Devin Brown interception, so nobody’s saying Kjar and company pitched a perfect game, especially not Kjar. But the Wildcats had only two penalties for 10 yards. WSU’s offensive line allowed zero sacks. Weber went 4 for 4 in red-zone trips and averaged more yards per play on offense (6.5 to 6.1) than its opponent.

Northern Colorado had its chosen starting quarterback in for the whole game; Weber State lost its guy early in the third quarter and turned to freshman Nate Dahle to finish the job. Kjar, also the offensive coordinator, adjusted and the duo led WSU to 10 more points to close the win. (I’m sure some kudos go to quarterbacks coach Zach Larson, too, who is in the QB’s ear via in-helmet communication devices.)

It’s definitely a one-game sample, ripe for overreaction. No doubt about that. The struggles stopping the run might mean Southern Utah (who’s had the nation’s leading FCS rusher two years straight) runs over the Wildcats in the next game, and this mild take could look freezing cold in a week’s time.

But it was hard to see what transpired and not think about the hard-won experience Kjar has earned, both on and off the football field.

An outsider might expect a “high school coach” to hoot and holler and crow about winning that game. A postgame video interview WSU posted from the field, and Kjar’s ensuing radio interview, gave few vibes to that end. I heard someone satisfied with a win, but ready with a laundry list of things his team needs to fix. Being just OK at football isn’t on his write-up of yearly resolutions.

It’s hard to find the kind of confidence Kjar brings to the gridiron; if he proves to be a good hire, that will be a large part of it. Going 181-39 as a high school coach, with seven state championships and mentoring two future NFL quarterbacks, is surely a part of it. He has enough experience to know that what he does works, and he has no reason to believe the level of play changes that.

So far, so good.

And, it’s not just the ball coach, either.

Junior receiver Noah Kjar saw his second season cut very short with a knee injury last year. He got his feet wet with 200 receiving yards in 2024 and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. That meant hopes were high for him as a sophomore but, after getting his first career receiving touchdown on three catches for 48 yards, his 2025 was done.

Noah Kjar returned to the field Friday with six catches for 114 yards and parlayed his one career receiving touchdown by adding two more to his stat sheet. He was as dangerous as anyone could hope.

But Tate Kjar, too, had something to show. The junior receiver spent two seasons at Utah State without recording a statistic. But not long ago, he was a three-star recruit who left high school eighth in career yards in Utah’s record book, and holds two of the top five marks in single-season receptions.

Tate got things going. He burned his defender on the game’s first play for a 26-yard reception and was behind the defense early and often. He and Noah looked well on their way to torturing Northern Colorado for a full 60 minutes before Tate left the game early in the second quarter. Tate Kjar rose in traffic for a high ball and came down awkwardly on his right foot, appearing to have twisted his ankle.

Since senior Carter Kjar caught two touchdown passes to help Corner Canyon beat Fremont 49-0 in preps action on the same night, Tate’s injury was the lone sour note for the family, as far as football goes.

All said, it’s hard to argue against one thing: your football chances seem better if there’s a Kjar around.