PUEBLO Colo. (Oct. 14, 2021) - The (RV) Colorado State University Pueblo football team (4-2, 4-0) is traveling to New Mexico Highlands University (1-5, 1-4) for another Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) battle. Kickoff for the match-up is at noon on Saturday.
The Thunderwolves are coming off an impressive 42-17 win over Chadron State College on Oct. 9 which featured dominating defense and an in-sync offense. The Pack look to keep their four-game win streak alive heading into the second road contest in a row.
THE GAME
The ThunderWolves head into week seven riding on a high after defeating Chadron State in convincing fashion, as the Pack defeated the Eagles 42-17 after scoring 42 points unanswered.
The Pack have owned the series against New Mexico Highlands with the ThunderWolves owning a 12-0 record all-time over the Cowboys.
Since 2008, the Pack have accumulated a 56-17 record on the road. The team is 2-1 on the road this year with a tough loss to now-No. 7 Grand Valley State and two dominating wins over South Dakota Mines and Chadron State.
CSU Pueblo is currently tied for first in the RMAC standings with a 4-0 record while New Mexico Highlands has struggled so far in conference play, winning only their first gam of the season over Adams State.
This is the seventh time the Pack and Eagles have met in Las Vegas, N.M.
New Mexico Highlands nearly captured a surprising upset over Western in week six, but the Mountaineers' late comeback surge prevented the upset and sent the Cowboys packing.
CSU Pueblo is on a four-game win streak for the first time since 2019 when they went on a 6-0 spurt following a loss to Colorado School of Mines.
Despite their slow start, the Cowboys own the third-best first down offense in NCAA Division II and average the 17th-most yards per game (467.8) in the nation.
Head Coach Josh Kirkland is in his first season at the helm for the Cowboys. Kirkland served at the University of Incarnate Word as the assistant head coach and running backs coach before joining New Mexico Highlands in 2021.
SERIES NOTES
The ThunderWolves and Cowboys are meeting for the 13th time since the reboot of the Pack program in 2008 and 26th time all-time. The Pack enter the week six match-up 20-5 all-time and 12-0 since 2008 vs. the Cowboys.
CSU Pueblo took the last match-up between the two teams 31-14 in Las Vegas.
The series has only had one game in its history that was decided by one score. The Pack have shut-out the Cowboys twice and have prevented a Highlands touchdown in three games.
The ThunderWolves have score 60 points against Highlands on two separate occasions which includes one match-up in 2010 that featured a 66-0 Pack shutout.
Since the 2008 reboot, the Cowboys have never scored more than 21 points on the Pack defense.
LAST TIME OUT
CSU Pueblo clinched its fourth-straight win of the season over Chadron State College in a convincing 42-17 blowout.
In the win over Chadron, the Pack scored 42 unanswered points which included 28 in the third quarter alone.
RB Michael Roots headlined the win over Chadron State with a career day. Roots rushed for 136 yards and accumulated three total touchdowns which included one receiving and two on the ground.
Roots dominant day was capped of by his 56-yard touchdown run toward the end of the third quarter of play.
QB Devin Williams picked up his first CSU Pueblo start under center against the Eagles.
Williams passed for 219 yards while throwing 23-31 on the day and three touchdowns.
Williams threw a 54-yard pass to WR Max Fine which was taken across the goal line by the receiver for his first touchdown of the season. Williams threw touchdowns to three different receivers which included Roots and RB Nick Bingham who also logged his first score of the season.
The ThunderWolves defense dominated the Eagles after struggling in the first quarter. In the final three quarters, the Pack forced four turnovers which included a fumble and three interceptions.
LB Patrick Howell logged his first career pick-six with a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown to kick-start the dominant second half.
LB Max Gonzales led the Pack's defense with eight total tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss.
The defense started off slow after they surrendered 10 points early on. In the second half, the Eagles only crossed the 50-yard line one time after the Pack defense stepped-up and shut down the Chadron offense.
DL Ikenna Onwuasoanya racked up 1.5 tackles for loss which included another sack for the senior transfer on the year. Onwuasoanya now has 3.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss on the season.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Pack did not struggle moving the ball. The ThunderWolves picked up 22 first downs off 410 total yards of offensive production.
12 of the first downs were picked up by the punishing running back corps of Roots, DJ Penick, Mariano Kemp, John Mumphery, and Bingham.
P Justin Dwinell excelled in his six punt attempts to kick for 247 yards and average 41.7 yards per attempt.
Dwinell ranks third in the nation with an average punt of 44.2 yards per punt as the sophomore leads the RMAC in the same category. Following the win over Chadron, the Dwinell ranks 12th in the nation in net punting.
The ThunderWolves kicked off their season with a defensively dominated 12-6 loss to No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce.
Week two featured a hostile road trip to No. 14 Grand Valley State where the Pack fell to the Lakers 34-14 in front of a rambunctious crowd of 11,000 strong.
Week three featured the Pack's first victory of the season over with a 19-16 win over RMAC foe, Black Hills State. The Yellow Jackets nearly completed a 16-point comeback, but the Pack staved off the attempt by controlling the final five minutes of the game.
In week four the Pack offense came alive and put up 474 total yards of offense. The 474 yards were the most gained since the 2019 season and were capped off by a 49-7 domineering win.
In another thrilling contest, the Pack completed a minor seven-point comeback over Colorado Mesa while compiling a defensively dominated second half. The comeback featured the ThunderWolves grinding out a double overtime victory over the Mavericks.
Finally, in their last outing, the Pack dominated the Eagles from the second quarter on. The ThunderWolves compiled over 400 yards of offense which featured a 28-point third quarter.
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
New Mexico Highlands kicked off their season with a 41-7 victory over Fort Lewis College to account for the RMAC contest of the season.
The Cowboys have struggled finishing games since the offensive explosion against Fort Lewis. New Mexico Highlands has accumulated a 1-5 record overall and 1-4 in RMAC play.
Despite the tough losses, New Mexico Highlands sits as one of the top offenses in scoring and first downs in the entire nation.
The Cowboys rank as the 21st passing offense, 17th-best in yards-per game, the 13th-best in total offense, and own the third-ranked first down offense in NCAA Division II.
The Highlands defense has had its struggles this season as they rank near the bottom in penalties committed, red zone defense, and fourth downs conversions allowed.
The Cowboys have scored 61 points on the season in the first quarter alone. This has set the tone in their games as they hit fast and often on the offensive side of the ball.
QB Ramon Atkins leads the RMAC in passing yards, passing yards per game, and passing touchdowns. Atkins ranks in the top-15 in all of Division II in each of those categories.
Head Coach Josh Kirkland is in his first season at the helm for the Cowboys. Kirkland served at the University of Incarnate Word as the assistant head coach and running backs coach before joining New Mexico Highlands in 2021.
THE POLLS
The Pack entered the season No. 12 in the D2Football.com and the AFCA polls. The ThunderWolves are one of two RMAC teams with a top 25 ranking in either poll to begin the season.
CSU Pueblo finished 2018 ranked No. 7 in the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
In the second week of the AFCA Coaches' Poll, CSU Pueblo dropped to No. 19 following the heartbreaking loss to No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce and are still receiving votes following the traveling loss to GVSU and the wins over Black Hills State, South Dakota Mines, Colorado Mesa, and Chadron State.
The Pack ranked in the AFCA top 25 for 66 consecutive polls ranging from Sept. 5, 2011 (21st) to Sept. 5, 2016 (19th).
The ThunderWolves ranked in the top 10 nationally for a then-NCAA Division II-best 37 straight weeks from Oct. 17, 2011 (eighth) to Oct. 6, 2014 (second).
TEAM NOTES
The CSU Pueblo football program and Head Coach John Wristen recorded their 100th victory since the restart of the program in 2008 when they defeated New Mexico Highlands 48-3, Oct. 6, 2018. Wristen owns a 122-30 all-time record.
Since 2008, CSU Pueblo is undefeated when scoring 36 or more points (64-0) and when allowing 10 points or less (47-0).
Since 2008, the ThunderWolves are 65-12 (.838) at the ThunderBowl.
The Pack won 15 straight at home from 2016-2018, which ranked as the second longest current home winning streak in NCAA Division II. CSU Pueblo had that streak broken by Mines in the home opener.
CSU Pueblo had a league-best +23 turnover margin in 2019. The next best team was at +7. Their 1.92 turnover margin per game was good for 1st nationally, while the 35 takeaways was tied for 1st in Division II heading into the Pack's final game.
The Pack have accumulated five defensive touchdowns so far on the season to rank first in the nation in a tie with Bowie State.
The Pack are playing in their fifth different state of the season as they head into New Mexico. The ThunderWolves also traveled to Michigan, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado.
The ThunderWolves have now racked up one D2Ftooball.com Player of the Week, RMAC Player of the Week, and NFFCC Player of the Week award. LB Trevor Philio pulled in the NFFCC Player of the Week following his dominating defensive play against Colorado Mesa. P Justin Dwinell earned the D2Football.com and RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. This marks his fifth career RMAC honor and second D2Football.com honor.
CSU PUEBLO POSITION NOTABLES
OFFENSE
QB Devin Williams emerged as the starting quarterback in week six at Chadron. Williams is a senior transfer from Texas Southern who has split time under center with R-Fr. Steven Croell since Gunnar Lamphere went down due to injury.
In Williams' first start for the Pack, he excelled in his new role. Williams passed for a Pack season-high 219 yards off 23-31 passing. Williams also completed three touchdown passes to three different receivers.
Williams owns the two longest passes on the season as he completed an 83-yard pass to WR Andrew Cook in the win at South Dakota Mines and then another 54-yarder to WR Max Fine against Chadron.
RB Michael Roots was able to have a breakout game against the Hardrockers. Roots compiled 145 yards off 14 carries with a game-long 53-yard rush. The senior transfer compiled two touchdown rushes in the victory to tally his first scores as a CSU Pueblo running back.
Following his breakout performance against South Dakota Mines, Roots led the way against Colorado Mesa with an 80-yard performance on the ground.
Roots broke out two rushes over 40 yards in the South Dakota Mines win off his best performance of the year. The Central Washington transfer leads the Pack with 359 yards on the ground off 65 total rushes.
In his performance against Chadron State, the running back exploded again. Roots compiled three total touchdowns off 136 yards rushing and 37 yards receiving.
WR Max Fine continues to be one of the favorite targets for the Pack, leading the team with 16 catches and an even 200 yards receiving.
The junior also has racked up 10.4 yards per return on special teams off 15 total returns to rank 27th in the nation for all punt returners.
Thanks to a big week in South Dakota, WR Andrew Cook and WR Jensen Feggins each have over 100 yards on the season now to come in as two of the top five receivers on the team.
WR Nick Williams leads all Pack receivers after he tallied up eight catches in the win over the Eagles. Williams now has 216 yards off a team-high 22 receptions. In the win over Colorado Mesa, Williams completed a 14-yard touchdown pass the WR Nigel Mitchell to tie up the ballgame late in the game. Then, in double overtime, Williams received a 17-yard pass from Croell. Williams fought his way into the end zone and completed the game-winning touchdown.
DEFENSE
The Pack have owned one of the most stingiest and unforgiving defenses in the nation the past eight seasons. Since 2011, the ThunderWolves have finished the season in the top 22 nationally in scoring defense, which includes leading the country in 2011 and 2014. CSU Pueblo has also ranked in the top 21 in turnover ratio (or turnovers gained) in all but one season in that span with the nation's best mark in 2014 and in 2018.
LB Patrick Howell turned in another touchdown for the Pack last week at Chadron State as the linebacker snagged a pass out of the air and ran it back for a 25 yard touchdown.
LB Trevor Philio had another big weekend as he wreaked havoc once again. Philio had four tackles, one for loss, and a forced fumble to his tally.
LB Max Gonzales tallied another team-high in total tackles over the Eagles. Gonzales racked up eight total tackles and two for loss to lead the ThunderWolves defense.
The defense in week one shut down the Texas A&M-Commerce offense and prevented the Lions from marching down the field. The Lions were only able to muster up 214 total yards on 64 plays.
The stifling defense by the Pack limited the two high powered offenses of No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce and No. 14 Grand Valley State to low passing efficiencies and limited yardage.
The Pack rank 19th in the nation in Scoring Defense at 16.5 points per game and sit 23rd in Defensive Pass Efficiency.
S Cory McLellan nabbed the Pack's first interception for a touchdown on the season in the loss to Grand Valley State. McLellan's pick-six almost shifted the tide against the Lakers, but not enough to overturn the final result.
S Tanner Draper tallied his first career pick six in week 5 vs. South Dakota Mines, where he ran back an interception for a 30-yard return
Since 2008, the Pack have totaled 47 interception returns for a touchdown. The most in a season is eight, occurring in 2019. The ThunderWolves produced five in 2010, 2014 and 2017 and now sit at two for the current season.
The ThunderWolves had eight interceptions for touchdowns in 2019 to set the program record. CSU Pueblo totaled three in one game against Adams State. With 13 defensive touchdowns since the beginning of 2019, the Pack are first nationally.
CSU Pueblo's rushing defense was established on game one of the program re-boot in 2008. The Pack allowed 13 yards rushing against Oklahoma Panhandle State (Sept. 8, 2008) and since have held their opponent to less than 50 yards rushing on 26 more occasions.
Nine times since 2008 the ThunderWolves allowed 10 or fewer rushing yards, with the all-time record standing at -68 yards this season at New Mexico Highlands. The previous record was -11 yards last season at Black Hills State.
DL Ikenna Onwuasoanya highlighted the defensive efforts for the Pack against Texas A&M-Commerce as he finished with 2.5 tackles for loss and added on a sack to his line score.
Onwuasoanya headlined his Pack debut with seven tackles. The senior transfer now has 7.5 tackles for loss, just a half behind the 8.0 LB Philio has on the season.
DB Sam Warren has 31 tackles on the season to lead all defensive backs. He also has tallied a pass break-up and two interceptions to round out his defensive stat-line.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K Dean Faithfull leads RMAC in field goal percentage and sits 29th in the nation (.711). He kicked two field goals as the only points for the Pack in the loss to Texas A&M-Commerce and has since tacked on five more to bring the total to seven. Faithfull knocked through a 29-yard FG and a 33-yard FG against the Lions.
Faithfull joins the Pack in 2021 after returning to collegiate athletics after a long hiatus since his time as a soccer player at Florida Tech. Faithfull graduated from Florida Tech in 2010 after playing four years with the Panthers as a defender.
Redshirt sophomore punter Justin Dwinell took over punting duties in 2019 and placed 29 punts inside the 20. He averaged 41.0 yards per kick to rank third in the RMAC and 23rd nationally. He has 14 50+ yard punts and a long of 77 yards, which is the 5th longest in NCAA Division II this season.
The sophomore punter sits at second in the nation for total punting as he averages 44.2 yards per punt. He trails the national leader by just .3 yards.
Dwinell ranks 12th in the nation with an average net punt of 39.84=8 yards per punt as the sophomore leads the RMAC in the same category.
Dwinell clinched his fifth career RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week honor and second career D2Football.com Player of the Week honor with the performance against Colorado Mesa. The punter kicked for a season-high 374 yards off seven attempts while landing four punts inside the 20 and logging four punts over 50 yards.
In the first week vs. Commerce, Dwinell punted seven times for 244 yards while fighting harsh windy conditions. The Dwinell punts averaged 34.9 yards per attempt. Dwinell logged a punt that soard 62 yards and then tacked on two punts that landed inside the 20 yardline.
In week two, the punter stood out as a key player on special teams, logging eight punts for over 350 yards and tallying two punts over 50 yards.
Once again against Black Hills State, Dwinell shined. He logged five punts for over 200 yards while pinning the Yellow Jackets inside their own 20-yard line twice.
Dwinell excelled in his four punt appearances against South Dakota Mines as he logged his fourth consecutive game with at least two punts in side the 20 and another over 50 yards.
He had a touchdown in the 2019 season after picking up a fumbled snap on a punt attempt, Dwinell returned it 80 yards for a touchdown against CMU.
Dwinell had four RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week awards and two D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week honors in the 2019 season.
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