Cal Poly to face Big Sky tackles leader in Northern Colorado’s Kyle Newsom

Northern Colorado linebacker Kyle Newsom is quietly having one of the best statistical seasons in the Big Sky Conference this fall, and that comes as no surprise to anyone inside the Bears’ program.

A 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior, Newsom has been one of the driving forces behind Northern Colorado’s push to make the FCS playoffs over the past month, which culminated in a stunning 28-25 upset of then-No. 18 Montana last Saturday.

Newsom made 17 tackles for the second straight week, helping the Bears (6-4, 4-3 Big Sky) earn their first victory over the Grizzlies since 1976. For the season, Newsom leads the conference with 103 total tackles, to go with eight tackles for lost yardage and 3.5 sacks.

“I have a lot of passion for this game and this team,” Newsom said following the win against Montana. “Every time I go out there I want to play for my brothers and give it everything I have.”

Newsom took an unusual path to Greeley, Colorado, a city of more than 100,000 located about 50 miles northeast of Denver. A 2012 graduate of Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood, Washington, Newsom attended Feather River Community College and made 82 tackles during a standout freshman season.

He transferred closer to home the following season, and accepted a walk-on position at Washington State. After a redshirt year, Newsom transferred again to Northern Colorado, where he quickly emerged as one of the Bears’ defensive leaders in 2015.

He finished fifth on the team with 71 tackles and helped Northern Colorado secure its first winning season in 12 years.

“He’s got more passion for this game of football and he’s only been here for two years,” Bears head coach Earnest Collins said. “But you’d think he’s been here five just because of the way he cares about his teammates.”

Injuries hindered Newsom’s production in September, but he’s been on some sort of tear since conference play began. He’s recorded double-digit tackles in five of seven Big Sky contests (he had nine stops in the other two) and has four games with at least 14 tackles to his credit.

Northern Colorado allows 34.3 points and 468.3 yards per game, yet its held the top three scoring offenses in the Big Sky below their season averages.

The Bears limited Eastern Washington (45.1 points per game), Montana (41.7) and Northern Arizona (34.0) to more than two touchdowns below their respective averages. Newsom made 46 combined tackles in those three contests.

“We are so blessed to have him on our football team,” Collins said.

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Cal Poly to face Big Sky tackles leader in Northern Colorado’s Kyle Newsom."