PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo football team concludes its two-game October road trip this Saturday as the ThunderWolves travel to Chadron, Neb., for a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest against Chadron State. Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 12 p.m. in Elliott Field at Don Beebe Stadium.
 
CSU Pueblo comes into the match-up with the Eagles having won three straight games to push its overall record to 4-3 and 3-2 in the RMAC following its impressive 56-7 victory last Saturday at New Mexico Highlands. The New Mexico Highlands win followed a 43-10 win two weeks ago on Homecoming against Adams State and the current win streak began with a school record 85 points in an 85-7 win three weeks ago at Fort Lewis.
 
In last Saturday's win against New Mexico Highlands, the Pack scored eight touchdowns, including scoring on its first four possessions of the game to lead 28-0 just 17 minutes into the game and eight of its 11 possessions in the game overall. For the game, the Pack offense finished with 510 yards as they rushed for 202 yards on 33 carries and were 26-for-33 passing for 308 yards. In addition, the Pack was 6-for-6 in the red zone and averaged 7.7 yards per play.
 
Over its last three games, the Pack, who are 2-1 on the road this season and 2-0 on the road in RMAC play, are averaging 61.3 points and 585.3 yards of offense (268.0 rushing, 317.3 passing) per game and have gone a perfect 14-for-14 in the red zone and has allowed just one sack and has had four turnovers. Meanwhile, defensively, the Pack are allowing 8.0 points and 187.3 yards of offense (87.7 rushing, 99.7 passing) per game and have recorded 14 sacks and have forced five turnovers.
 
"We knew going into the Highlands game that we needed to efficient offensively because of what they do on offense, which is run the ball and hold the ball and efficient we were as we went 8-for-11 on Saturday on scoring drives and 9-of-11 on third down, which was a positive and a big key to our victory," Vigil said. "We were able to throw the ball and run the ball very efficiently. Defensively, we knew we had to stop the run and get off the field on third downs and I thought we accomplished those things very well. We held them (Highlands) way under their season average in the run game and held them to a 4-for-13 effort on third downs."
 
Highlands entered the game second in the RMAC in rushing as they were averaging 181.3 yards per game, but the Pack defense held the Cowboys to just 121 yards rushing on 38 carries as they averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. Additionally, the Pack defense didn't allow a score as Highlands' lone score came on a 46-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Gannon Ginnis late in the second quarter.
 
"I was pleased with our overall performance last week," added Vigil. "But the thing that I'm most pleased about though is how this team continues to get better every single week. We've got to continue to do that this weekend against another good opponent in Chadron State."
 
Against Highlands, graduate student quarterback Chance Fuller (Arlington, Texas/Fort Hays State) had another efficient performance in the passing game as he completed 74 percent of his passes as he was 20-for-27 passing for 247 yards and tossed three touchdowns and had one interception. With his three touchdown passes, he pushed his career total to 85, which is fourth among active Division II quarterbacks and his season total to 18, which is seventh on the school's single-season chart.
 
Fuller's top targets in the passing game were redshirt sophomore receiver Zack Rakowsky (Loveland, Colo./Loveland) and junior receiver Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College) as those two combined for 17 catches for 225 yards and three touchdown receptions. Rakowsky was targeted 11 times and caught 10 passes for a career-high 133 yards and had a touchdown reception, along with throwing a touchdown pass with 16 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Pack a 35-7 halftime lead, while Retzlaff caught seven passes for 92 yards and hauled in two touchdown passes, including that pass from Rakowsky, to push his league-high tying total to eight on the year.
 
On the rushing front, the Pack was led by junior running back Howard Russell (Phoenix, Ariz./Eastern New Mexico), who ran the ball eight times for 81 yards and scored a touchdown, while junior running back Kiahn Martinez (Denver, Colo./University of Idaho) added 64 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown. Martinez enters Saturday's action as the RMAC's leading rusher with 540 yards and 77.1 rushing yards per game, while Russell is seventh in the league in rushing with 408 yards and averages 58.3 yards per game.
 
Since the Colorado School of Mines game four weeks ago, the Pack running game as gained a total of 1,021 yards on 133 carries and is averaging 7.7 yards per carry and 255.3 yards per game.
 
"When you're able to physically impose your will and run the football, I don't know of a better feeling as a football coach. For us to be able to run the football the way we have over the last four weeks has been pleasing," the Pack coach said. "I've been very pleased with our growth up front, plus I've been pleased with our running backs and their ability to get downhill and when they've been given their opportunity to make someone miss, they've made someone miss."
 
Perhaps one of the biggest strengths for the Pack offense over the last three games has been their ability to start fast and score on the first possession of the game. The Pack are 4-0 this season when scoring on its first offensive possession of the game, including scoring on its first drive of the game the past three games.
 
"We've preached to the players the importance of starting fast and over the last three games, we've been able to start fast on offense and that just seems to get us going," the coach added. "I think our players have continued to grow in our system and develop an identity offensively."
 
One of the big keys in this Saturday's game against Chadron State according to Vigil is to be physical on both sides of the ball.
 
"I think the most physical team is going to win Saturday. A big thing for us this week is physicality and being able to impose our will," Vigil said about his team's key this weekend. "It's going to be a battle and we'll have to rely on what's got us to this point of the season. Offensively, that's being able to run the football and defensively, being able to stop the run and make their offense one-dimensional."
 
Vigil said some other keys to success this weekend against Chadron State is being able to protect the football, create turnovers on defense and get off the field on third down and on offense, be great on third downs.
 
The Pack's opponent on Saturday, Chadron State, comes into the contest with one of the top rushing defenses in the RMAC as they are allowing 117.9 rushing yards per game and have forced 10 fumbles and have recovered seven of those fumbles, which is 15th nationally in the latest Division II statistics.
 
"Chadron State is a very well coached team. If you look at their results against common opponents, they've probably played those guys better than we have. They scored more points against Adams State last week and played Mines closer than we did and played Western Colorado closer, so we've got to make sure we go in there with our best foot forward, because if we don't, it will be a long trip," said Vigil about Chadron State. "It is hard to play there. We'll have our hands full Saturday."
 
One of the Pack's strengths on defense this season has been their ability to stop teams on third down as they enter Saturday's game ranked 20th in NCAA Division II in third-down conversion percentage defense as their opponents are converting just 30 percent (30-for-100) of their third down conversion attempts. The Pack is also 15th in Division II in fourth down conversion percentage defense as their opponents are converting just 27 percent (4-for-15) of their opportunities.
 
"We call third down our money down and when we get to third down our guys up front are going to pin their ears back and going to try to get after the quarterback and I feel like we've got the defensive backs in the back in to be able to cover and lock people down," added Vigil.
 
Saturday's game will mark the 15th all-time meeting in the series that began in 2008. The Pack holds a commanding 13-1 edge in the series and has won 13 straight games in the series since Chadron State picked up a 32-0 win in the first-ever meeting between the teams in 2008. Ironically, that shutout is the lone one for the Pack since the program rebooted in 2008.
 
"We are excited to get back on the road this weekend and go to Chadron. It's going to be a hostile environment and we've got to be at our best on Saturday," Vigil said.
 
ABOUT CHADRON STATE
Chadron State comes into Saturday's game having won two straight games since opening the season with a 1-4 record. The Eagles win streak began with a 57-20 win two weeks ago at home against Fort Lewis, before making it two consecutive wins with a 53-14 victory last weekend at Adams State. Chadron's other win this season was a 35-34 win in the season opener at Quincy (Ill.) University. The Eagles are 3-4 overall and 2-3 in the RMAC this season.
 
The Eagles' three wins this season are the same amount of wins the team won the entire season in 2022 when they posted a 3-8 overall record and a 3-6 mark in the RMAC.
 
As a team, Chadron State, who is coached by Jay Long, is scoring 27.3 points per game and is averaging 354.3 yards of offense per game as they are rushing for 148.6 yards per game and are passing for 205.7 yards per game. The Eagles have scored 10 rushing touchdowns and have thrown 14 touchdown passes. Over its last two games, though, CSC has averaged 540 yards and 55 points and have allowed just 260 yards per game.
 
The Eagles offense is led by the play of sophomore quarterback Preston Pearson. On the season, Pearson is 59-for-113 passing for 872 yards and has tossed 10 touchdowns and has thrown two interceptions. He is averaging 124.6 passing yards per game and 158.3 yard of total offense per game as he has gained 236 yards rushing.
 
CSC's top target in the passing game is sophomore receiver Tommy Thomas, who is tied with Retzlaff for league lead in touchdown receptions with eight. Thomas has caught 38 passes for 686 yards and is averaging 18.1 yards per catch and 98.0 receiving yards per game, which is third-best in the league. Thomas also has added a rushing touchdown as his nine touchdowns are fourth-best in the league.
 
The ground game for the Eagles is led by redshirt freshman running back Jake Marschall, who has gained 283 yards rushing and has scored two touchdowns.
 
"They've got a good quarterback. He's only a sophomore. He is a big, strong lefty that can throw it and run it. He reminds me of (former Florida Gator and Denver Bronco quarterback) Tim Tebow with the way he plays the game and what they like to do with him," Vigil said about Chadron's offense. "They've multiple on what they do offensively as they use a lot of formations and run different plays off those formations. We are going to have to play very sound football all the way around."
 
One of the biggest strengths of the Eagles this season has been its defense as the Eagles are allowing 31.4 points and 396.7 yards per game, including allowing just 117.9 rushing yards per game, which is third-best in the league. The Eagles have also picked off seven passes with sophomore safety Dax Yeradi having collected three of those interceptions.
 
The leader of the Eagle defense is Preseason Division II All-American junior defensive lineman Hunter O'Connor. O'Connor has recorded a total of 31 tackles and leads the league in tackles for loss with 9.5 and is tied for fifth in the league with 3.5 sacks. He has also recorded five quarterback hurries and has picked off one pass and has had both a forced and recovered fumble. Last season, O'Connor recorded a single-season school record 16 sacks.
 
"Their defensive line is very talented. They do a good job of playing with their hands and at being able to shed off blocks. They hold their gaps and allow their linebackers to fill and make plays," added Vigil. "They are very physical, and we'll need to match that physicality."
 
On special teams, junior kicker Wilson Yee is 6-for-9 on field goals, including hitting a 61-yarder against 12th-ranked Western Colorado and is 17-for-19 on extra points and has tallied 35 points. Sophomore punter Brodie Eisenbraun is averaging 44.4 yards per punt, which is second-best in the RMAC, and he had 11 punts of 50-plus yards and has downed seven of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
 
PACK FOOTBALL NOTES

• The seventh Philip Vigil Show of the 2023 football season is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19 at the Thunder Zone, which is located across the street from the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.
• On Monday, redshirt sophomore kicker Jacob Willig (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) was named the RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week after making all eight of his extra points in last week's win at New Mexico Highlands. It marked the second straight week that the Pack earned the league's Special Teams Player of the Week accolade as sophomore receiver/return specialist Dorion McGarity (Fort Collins, Colo./Fort Collins) was recognized on Oct. 9 following his 205 all-purpose yard performance against Adams State.
• The Pack's Homecoming win over Adams State two weeks ago marked the program's 250th all-time victory in football as they improved its record to 250-139-4 overall. In addition, the Pack improved to 15-0 overall on homecoming since restarting the football program in 2008.
• The Pack remains the winningest football program in the state of Colorado in terms of winning percentage as the Pack has won 64 percent of its all-time games since beginning its four-year school tenure in 1963. The Pack have posted a 251-139-4 record in football since 1963. Colorado is the second winningest team in the state as they Buffs have won 57 percent of its games all-time as they have posted a 723-539-36 record.
• Saturday's game will mark the 178th game played since the restart of the Pack football program in 2008. Since 2008, the Pack have posted a 137-40 record.
• Saturday's game with Chadron State marks the fourth road game this season for the Pack and its third RMAC road game. The Pack are 2-1 on the road this season and have gone 8-3 on the road in league play over the last two-plus seasons.
• All Pack football games will be broadcast once again this season on Fox Sports Pueblo (1350 AM) with Jim Brooks and Joe Cervi on the call. Saturday's broadcast at Chadron State will begin with the pregame show starting at 11:30 a.m. MT.