PUEBLO, Colo. (Sept. 17, 2021) – The (RV) Colorado State University Pueblo (0-2) football team kicks off its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season Saturday at 1 p.m. in the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl against the visiting Black Hills State University Yellow Jackets (2-0).

The ThunderWolves enters RMAC play following two matchups against ranked opponents in No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce and No. 14 Grand Valley State. The Pack now look for its first win as league play begins.

THE GAME
• The ThunderWolves are entering week three after two tough battles against ranked opponents to kick of their season.
• The Pack are 8-0 vs. Black Hills State since 2012 and have not had a single game decided by fewer than 32 points.
• The ThunderWolves are 63-13 when playing at home since 2008, only losing three RMAC home competitions in the same time frame.
• CSU Pueblo has had two tough opening weeks, facing two top 25 teams, No. 8 Texas A&MCommerce and No. 14 Grand Valley State.
• The stifling defense by the Pack has limited the two high powered offenses to low passing efficiencies and limited yardage. The Pack rank 24th in the nation in Passing Efficiency Defense after two weeks of play. • CSU Pueblo and Black Hills State are each facing their first RMAC opponents of the season.
• Black Hills State has started the season 2-0 with wins over Dickinson State and William Jewell College. It is their first 2-0 start since the 2016 season when they finished 7-4.
• QB Chance Eben has passed for 507 yards in the two wins off 35-64 passing while tacking on five touchdowns. In one game played, RB Matthew Collier rushed for 127 yards on nine attempts to lead the Yellow Jackets.
• Head Coach Josh Breske emerged as Black Hills State's head coach in the 2019 season. Breske is now entering his third season at the helm after he returned to the Yellow Jackets, having played at Black Hills State as an offensive lineman from 2005-2009.

SERIES NOTES
• The ThunderWolves and Yellow Jackets are meeting for the ninth time since 2008. The Pack enter the week three match-up 8-0 against Black Hills.
• CSU Pueblo has not allowed a point by the Yellow Jackets since the 2016 meeting when they scored 14 points in a 49-14 Pack win.
• The Pack have scored 166 points in the past three games vs. the Yellow Jackets and have not allowed a single point on the other side of the ball.
• The ThunderWolves took the most recent game between the two, 58-0 in 2019.

LAST TIME OUT
• CSU Pueblo dropped its second game of the season to the No. 14 team in the nation, Grand Valley State. GVSU jumped into the top 10 AFCA Coaches' Poll following the home win.
• In the loss to GVSU, the Pack were limited on the offensive side of the ball as the ThunderWolves could only produce 162 yards with 133 of those yards being from the aerial attack.
• The ThunderWolves rotated two quarterbacks under center throughout the game with Steven Croell and Devin Williams stepping up for the Pack against a rowdy and physical defense.
• The defense headlined the night for the Pack as it was able to snag a pick-six off the ball-hawking defense by S Cory McLellan.
• The Pack special teams also forced a fumble and recovered it on their way to gaining some momentum from the rambunctious crowd of 11,000.
• The ThunderWolves recorded one sack, logged by Trevor Philio for nine yards. The senior racked up four tackles to help out the CSU Pueblo defense.
• P Justin Dwinell managed another impressive outing, logging eight punts for 366 yards while averaging 45 yards per attempt. Dwinell booted two balls over 50 yards which included a seasonbest 71-yard punt. Both 50-yard punts pinned the Lakers inside their own 20-yard-line.
• DB Marcus Lawrence finished the challenging road game with a team high nine tackles and added 1.5 tackles for loss.
• The ThunderWolves kicked off their season with adefensively dominated 12-6 loss to No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce.
• The Pack did not compete in 2020 after the RMAC and the NCAA deciding to cancel the NCAA Division II Fall Championships due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• The Pack enjoyed its 11th consecutive season in 2019 with a winning record, finishing 11-2 overall and 9-1 in the regular season.

SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
• This is the fifth time that the Yellow Jackets will visit the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl and the second consecutive time traveling to Pueblo.
• Black Hills State has begun their season 2-0 for the first time since 2016 with a pair of wins in their non-conference match-ups over Dickinson State and William Jewell.
• The Yellow Jackets are averaging 30 points a game through their opening two games and have excelled in the ground thus far.
• The offense has racked up 422 yards on the ground while averaging 196 per game. • Despite the success on the ground, the Yellow Jackets have stayed consistent in the air as well, averaging 274 yards a game while throwing only one interception.
• While the Black Hills State offense has not struggled scoring points, the defense has allowed around 400 yards a game thus far.
• The Yellow Jackets secondary has allowed 650 yards through the air, allowing teams to average 325 yards a game
• Black Hills has been an NCAA Division II school for 10 years and now enters its ninth year as a part of the RMAC.
• RB Matthew Collier has played in only one game so far but leads the Yellow Jackets with 126 yards on only nine attempts.
• Head Coach Josh Breske emerged as Black Hills State's head coach in the 2019 season. Breske is now entering his third season at the helm after he returned to the Yellow Jackets, having played at Black Hills State as an offensive lineman from 2005-2009.

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 now receiving votes following the traveling loss to GVSU.
• 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 117-28 all-time record. The .813 percentage ranks 2nd among active NCAA Division II coaches (min 5 years).
• Since 2008, CSU Pueblo is undefeated when scoring 36 or more points (63-0) and when allowing 10 points or less (46-0).
• Since 2008, the ThunderWolves are 62-12 (.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. The ThunderWolves started a new streak by going 6-0 at home since the loss in 2019.
• In the last 33 regular season games the ThunderWolves have allowed just 52 points in the fourth quarter, dating back to Sept. 16, 2017.
• 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 accumulated 124 points off turnovers in 2019. The team's eight interceptions for a touchdown and nine defensive scores is a program record and led the nation.
• The Pack are slated to play their five regular season road games in five different states (Michigan, Nebraska, South Dakota, New Mexico and Colorado).
• The ThunderWolves totaled eight RMAC Players of the Week in 2019. P Justin Dwinell had four RMAC Player of the Week awards in 2019 which was topped by an 80-yard touchdown run.

CSU PUEBLO POSITION NOTABLES
OFFENSE
• QB Steven Croell took on the majority of the offensive snaps in the loss to the Lakers. He had a game-long 16-yard pass to D.J. Penick on his way to 84 yards off 10 completions. In the first game of the season, Croell stepped in for the final two drives of the game and passed for 58 yards off 6-9 passing. Croell's first pass was a 35-yard, perfetly placed pass for receiver Nigel Mitchell. Croell completed his first five passes of his outing and then completed the final pass of the game.
• QB Devin Williams rotated with Croell at QB during the loss to the Lakers and took the majority of the snaps against Texas A&M-Commerce
• All three active QBs played in the loss to Texas A&M-Commerce and passed for 19 completions off 36 attempts while throwing one interception.
• Eight different ThunderWolves pulled in passes from the rotating quarterbacks and totaled 133 yards. The Pack completed four passes over 10 yards and three of 15 yards or more.
• WR Max Fine led the Pack with four catches for 40 yards in the loss to the Lakers.
• Williams came to CSU Pueblo this season as a transfer from Texas Southerm. He saw limited action but threw for 999 yards in 2019 when he threw for three consecutive 250+ yard games after getting three consecutive starts, respectively. Williams logged a career high against Southern University as he threw for 335 yards while throwing 29-44 on the game. Williams' three starts in 2019 saw completion percentages above 60% including a career-best 67.6% completion against Missouri S&T (273 yards off 25-37 throwing).
• TE Preston Guerra comes back to the Pack as one of the most experienced members, now entering his sixth year at CSU Pueblo.
• Guerra earned a Pack tight end best with 166 yards receiving in 2019 while pulling in two touchdowns off 20 total receptions. Guerra averaged 8.3 yards per reception to lead Pack TEs.
• He had 53 yards against Chadron State before suffering an injury that kept him out of the lineup until week 10. He came back and had two receptions for 97 yards. In five games with the Pack he owned 397 receiving yards on 17 receptions (23.4 ypc) in 2019.
• WR Nick Williams recorded a career game in the 2019 playoff opener against Augustana, as the then-sophomore brought in 10 receptions for 148 yards. He added 37 yards on the ground, which included a 35-yard rushing touchdown. He owned a team-best 670 yards (10th in the RMAC) and four touchdowns on 41 receptions. He tacked on 84 yards rushing with a score.
• The 100-yard game against Augustana was the third of the 2019 season. He recorded 102 yards on six receptions against Mines for his first-career 100 yard game. At Fort Lewis he brought down five receptions for 106 yards and a score.
• CSU Pueblo ranked 4th in the league in sacks allowed at 1.83 per game in 2019 and allowed two in the season opener against Commerce.

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.
• 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.
• Commerce's quarterback was only able to pass for 84 yards on 9-16 passing. The CSU Pueblo defense broke up five passes and forced two quarterback hurries.
• Since 2008, the Pack have totaled 45 interception returns for a touchdown. The most in a season is eight, occurring in 2019. The ThunderWolves produced five in 2010, 2014 and 2017.
• 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 nine defensive touchdowns since the beginning of 2019 (recovered fumble in the end zone on special teams), the Pack are 1st nationally.
• In the first quarter of the Commerce battle, the CSU Pueblo defense did not allow a single first down and limited the Lions to just two yards in the period. In the opening quarter, the Pack were also able to force the lone lost fumble of the game for the Lions.
• 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. This season against Fort Lewis, the Skyhawks finished with -3 yards. Last week, Augustana rushed for just 14 yards.
• DL Ikenna Onwuasoanya highlighted the defensive efforts for the Pack 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.
• DB Cory McLellan had a quiet night in the tackle category vs. GVSU, but logged an interception for a touchdown to tally the first CSU Pueblo touchdown of the season.
• McLellan finished the game vs. Commerce with two pass break ups. His second included a break up in the end zone which preserved the one score deficit and allowed the Pack to remain competitive.
• McLellan was named to the All-RMAC Honorable Mention team in 2019. He finished with 50 tackles (31 solo), three interceptions, and seven passes defended . His three inceptions had a season-long return of 36 yards.
• LB Patrick Howell logged seven tackles on the Thursday night opener. He also tallied a tackle for loss and a pair of quarterback hurries to keep the Commerce QB on edge throughout the night.
• OLB Trevor Philio finished with six tackles 1.5 tackles for loss (-2 yards) in the opening weekend game. He also tacked on two pass break ups.

SPECIAL TEAMS
• K Dean Faithfull kicked two field goals as the only points for the Pack in the loss to the Lions. Faithfull knocked through a 29-yard FG and a 33-yard FG.
• 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.
• 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.
• Last week, 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.
• 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 has four RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week awards and two D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week honors this season.
• The punter was the key in the victory against A&M-Commerce in 2019 and earned RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week. He had two 50-plus yard punts, which included a long of 61 yards that went out of bounds at the one yard line. He also had four of his seven punts land inside the 20. He totaled 297 yards for an average of 42.4 yards per punt. His efforts helped limit eventual All-American Lion returner Dominique Ramsey to two returns for 24 yards. Ramsey entered the game fourth in Division II in punt returns with 24.7 yards per return and was just one week removed from returning a punt 55 yards for a score.
• He was named RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week and D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week after the win at New Mexico Highlands. Dwinell totaled 313 yards on six punts to average 52.2 yards per punt (ranks as 9th best in DII this season), which included a long of 77 yards (ranks 3rd in DII this season).