The University of Northern Colorado football team is gearing up for its first game in nearly two years, and fans should expect to see a big difference on the defensive side of things.

UNC Defensive Coordinator Scott Darnell said the players and the staff have been busy during fall camp learning what everyone's strengths and weaknesses are, building a plan around using the players' talents most effectively.

"I think being flexible with our approach to our team schematically; that'll give us the best chance to win," Darnell said.

In the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the defense struggled the most. UNC's offense wasn't the best, but it kept up with opponents. That wasn't really the case on the opposite side of the ball.

In fact, Northern Colorado's defense gave up 806 points to opponents in those two seasons, or a little more than 40 points per game. It also couldn't stop the run game, giving up roughly double the total rushing yards, 4905-2413, across the two seasons.

Passing defense was better. It held opponents to fewer yards than the Bears recorded in the air on offense.

Darnell feels confident going into the first game of the season, despite the program's history. He said the staff has put together a roster of talented and hardworking players who all believe in the mission — get UNC back to the top — and work alongside the veteran Bears.

UNC added junior linebacker RJ Potts (Cincinnati), graduate transfer Komotay Koffie (New Mexico State) and senior defensive back Uryan Hudson (Colorado), among several others, to its 2021 roster. Two younger defensive linemen also transferred from Colorado.

Junior linebacker Jace Bobo said earlier this month that he's been pleased to see how well everyone is working together. Their eyes are set on making UNC a great program once again.

Bobo also appreciates the new coaches and Tyler Hill, director of sports performance. He said Hill's training is more intentional and doesn't focus on "just throwing up weight" but using specific techniques to meet the needs of each player and position group. He also appreciates the wealth of knowledge the defensive coaching staff has provided already.

The biggest difference fans should expect, though, is simply the effort. They might not be able to tell differences in the defensive game plan, but Darnell believes there is a big difference in how the team will play.

"I think they'll see that we have outstanding effort in our pursuit of the football," Darnell said. "I think our speed in general on defense has definitely improved from years past, and I think that'll be the most noticeable; how fast we are."

UNC will put all of its work and hype to the test on Friday when it finally takes the field at Colorado.

The Bears will kick off against Colorado at 7 p.m. with the game streamed on the Pac-12 Network. Tickets for the matchup in Boulder are still available at CUBuffs.com for those who want to catch the start of the Ed McCaffrey era in person.

"I just think it has been unprecedented what these kids have been through," Darnell said. "We've got guys from all over the place, different backgrounds, different strengths, different weaknesses. I think the thing that people need to know is these guys have worked their tails off. Because of that, they have an opportunity to be very successful this year."