Box Score PUEBLO, Colo. (Sept. 2, 2021) – The No. 12 Colorado State University Pueblo football team fell in its home opener to No. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce, 12-6 in a battle of stingy defenses. The 12-6 loss snaps the ThunderWolves' six game win streak at home.

The Pack (0-1) and the Lions (1-0) each struggled to put points on the board throughout the night. Each team was held to three-and-out drives to start the 2021 season and it was not until the fourth drive of the game that a team was able to make a first down conversion.

With the help of a punishing run game by Michael Roots, the ThunderWolves were able to march down the field all the way to the Lions' 2-yardline. A&M-Commerce's defense did not buckle and stood up to the strong Pack offensive line.

After the Lions held the ThunderWolves from getting in the end zone, A&M-Commerce forced a Pack penalty on fourth down. With 4:02 remaining in the quarter, CSU Pueblo struck first in the with a 29-yard field goal from Pack newcomer, Dean Faithfull.

The ThunderWolves defense remained hard-nosed throughout the opening quarter. With 2:08 remaining, the Pack took advantage of a fumbled snap by the Texas A&M-Commerce special teams as Curtis Luckadoo rushed the frenzied Lions punter and recovered the ball on the opponent's 22-yardline.

Despite the Lions being back against a wall, the ThunderWolves made two costly penalties to back them back up to the 27-yardline. This time on fourth down, the Pack did not fair as well on the 44-yard field goal attempt and the score remained 3-0 in favor of CSU Pueblo early in the second quarter.

The Lions began to shift the momentum. After a drive that stalled out at CSU Pueblo's 40, A&M-Commerce attacked and marched all the way down to the Pack's 12-yardline. The Lions suffered a holding penalty and had to settle for a 30-yard field goal to even things up at 3-3 with 6:01 remaining in the first half.

On the ensuing kickoff, the special teams fumbled the catch and turned the ball back over to the Lions on the CSU Pueblo 23-yardline. Despite the Lions having good field position, the Pack defense stood tall and held its ground. Dominick Fini capped off the defensive stand with a four-yard tackle for loss to force another Lions field goal from 29 yards with 4:27 remaining in the half.

One final push in the half was made by the ThunderWolves. With quarterback Devin Williams punching holes in the Lions defense with short passes to four different receivers, the Pack offense found itself at the Lions' 6-yardline. Once again A&M-Commerce showed its stubborn defense off and forced the ThunderWolves to settle for another Faithfull field goal, this time from 33 yards.

The teams headed into the second half knotted up at 6-6. Texas A&M-Commerce emerged with new energy coming out of the locker room as the Pack were shutdown and the Lions broke the tie with a 40-yard field goal five minutes into the half.

The Lions kept up the pressure and took advantage of the tough winds by forcing a punt deep in CSU Pueblo territory. With 6:25 remaining in the third, Texas A&M-Commerce was held to only three offensive plays after starting on the ThunderWolves' 35-yardline. The Lions kicker put through a 52-yard field goal and grew the CSU Pueblo deficit to 12-6 with 6:07 remaining in the third.

In the final possession of the third quarter, Ikenna Onwuasoanya put pressure on the Commerce quarterback. Onwuasoanya capped off a defensive stand with an 11-yard sack to push the Lions back to the CSU Pueblo 41-yardline.

The fourth quarter featured more defensive showings, with neither team allowing an inch from the opposing offense. With 10:49 remaining in the game, the Pack pushed the ball up to the Lions' 22 but came up empty after another missed field goal to keep the score 12-6.

With 4:33 remaining, the Lions had a chance to seal the game with a 41-yard field goal. Kicking into the strong Pueblo winds, the Lions came up short and kept the game in reach for the ThunderWolves.

The new Pack drive saw a new quarterback under center as Steven Croell stepped up to try and get the Pack back ahead late in the game. Starting on his own 20, Croell launched his first pass downfield for a 35-yard connection with Nigel Mitchell.

Croell started the drive 6-6 passing, connecting with three different receivers. The Pack made it down to the 21-yardline, but the Lions held the ThunderWolves and forced one more fourth down. The fourth and eight pass was incomplete near the sideline and clinched the Lions 12-6 victory.

Onwuasoanya led the Pack in tackles for loss as he racked up four on the night and tallied the only ThunderWolves' sack. Patrick Howell, Sam Warren, Trevor Philio, Marcus Lawrence, and Fini each had one tackle for loss each to rack up -35 yards.

Michael Roots led the ThunderWolves in rushing with 11 rushes for 53 yards in his Pack debut. Nine different ThunderWolves pulled in a catch with Mitchell's 35-yard catch being the longest of the night for either team.

Following the Thursday night opening game loss to No. 8 A&M-Commerce, the Pack look to rebound on the road as they face another ranked out-of-conference foe in No. 16 Grand Valley State University. The game in Allendale, Mich. kicks off Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. MT.