PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo football team will close out the 2023 regular season here Saturday as the ThunderWolves play host to Black Hills State in a 1 p.m. Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Senior Day match-up in the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.
 
Prior to Saturday's regular season finale, the Pack will honor its 10-member senior class in a pregame ceremony that is scheduled to begin at 12:38 p.m. This year's Pack football seniors are offensive lineman Cade Chapman (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Rock Canyon), quarterback Carter Closson (Longmont, Colo./Silver Creek), defensive back Donyai Dixon (Baltimore, Md./UNLV), defensive back Eric Donnell (Fountain, Colo./Fountain-Fort Carson), quarterback Chance Fuller (Arlington, Texas/Fort Hays State), defensive back Cory McLellan (Monument, Colo./Palmer Ridge), wide receiver CK Poulos (North Port, Fla./North Port), defensive back Alec Prince (Houston, Texas/Texas Southern), offensive lineman Tristan Rael (Chandler, Ariz./LA Harbor College) and running back Adrian Soto (Pueblo, Colo./Fort Hays State).
 
"Look at this group of seniors and some of them are new, some of them are guys that we brought in and had only one year left, but many of these guys have been here a very long time. When you get a new coach, you have the opportunity, especially now, to get in the portal and leave or you can buy in and all these seniors have bought in," CSU Pueblo head coach Philip Vigil said about this year's seniors. "I couldn't be more appreciative of them and their buying in and their effort to lead and bring the rest of the team with them. I'm going to miss them, but I'm excited to see them watch them strap it up one more time on Saturday."
 
CSU Pueblo comes into its sixth and final home game of the of the regular season having reeled off six consecutive victories to push its record to 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the RMAC following a hard-fought 35-28 win last Saturday at South Dakota Mines. In addition to the win over South Dakota Mines, the win streak began with an 85-7 win at Fort Lewis on Sept. 30, before a 43-10 Homecoming win over Adams State, a 56-7 win at New Mexico Highlands, a 28-3 win at Chadron State on Oct 21 and a 59-20 win two weeks ago at home against Colorado Mesa.
 
In the win over South Dakota Mines, the Pack offense scored five touchdowns, including four passing touchdowns by Fuller and an 11-yard scoring run by junior running back Kiahn Martinez (Denver, Colo./University of Idaho). The offense gained a total of 446 yards against the Hardrockers as they rushed for 86 yards and passed for 360 yards as Fuller was 24-for-35 passing with four touchdown passes and one interception. His four touchdown passes pushed his season total to 30, which is tied for second-most in a single season in school history. Additionally, it was Fuller's third straight game of passing for more than 300 yards.
 
"I was really proud of our team and our fight and what were able to accomplish last Saturday against a good team on the road," the coach stated. "It just goes back to these guys believing in our process and focusing on how we can get better every single day."
 
On defense, the Pack held South Dakota Mines to 405 yards of offense as the Hardrockers rushed for 162 yards and passed for 243 yards, but committed three turnovers and was sacked three times. The Hardrockers entered the game having allowed just six sacks on the season.
 
The Pack defense, though, made two huge defensive stops on South Dakota Mines' final two possessions of the game as the Pack were clinging to a 35-28 lead. On the second to last possession of the game for the Hardrockers, redshirt junior strong safety Daniel Bone III (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pine Creek) sacked SDSM quarterback Jayden Johannsen for a 12-yard loss on a third-and-seven from the SDSM 23-yard line. After the Pack were forced to punt on its ensuing possession, the Pack defense came up with another big play as junior defensive end Makeah Scippio (Colorado Springs, Colo./Harrison) sacked Johannsen for a 4-yard loss on a third-and-24 play from the SDSM 28-yard line.
 
On the next offensive drive for the Pack that began with 2:03 left in the game, Martinez would run for an 11-yard gain on a third-and-3 play to seal the victory for the Pack as the Hardrockers were out of timeouts.
 
"South Dakota Mines is a good football team, but when we needed to make a play, we found a way to do that, especially late in the game," Vigil added. "Our team found a way when we needed it the most to make plays to seal the deal defensively. They had two opportunities to go down and tie the game and we got back-to-back stops and then our offense got the ball back with just over two minutes left in the game and we've got to get a first down to seal the game. They knew we were going to run it, and we still found a way to pick up a first down by running the football and that's what good teams do."
 
It appeared early in the game that the Pack wouldn't need two late fourth quarter defensive stops as they scored two touchdowns in the opening three minutes of the game to take a 14-0 lead and led 28-14 at the half as the Pack scored 14 points in the first two quarters.
 
"We scored two touchdowns pretty quickly in the game as our defense created turnover after turnover and that put our offense in a really good position to go down and score and when you win by seven points, those early 14 points were the difference in the game," added Vigil.
 
One of the Pack's biggest keys to the Pack win was its defense recording three sacks against an South Dakota Mines' offensive line that had allowed just six sacks on the season.
 
"It is always our goal to get after the quarterback and if you can do that, you're going to have a lot of success. We got three sacks on them, and we didn't give up a sack," said Vigil.
 
Entering Saturday's game with Black Hills State, the Pack lead the RMAC and are sixth in Division II with 34 sacks as they are averaging 3.40 sacks per game. Leading the way for the Pack sack attack is Scippio, who has had seven on the season, while redshirt junior defensive end Cody Ramming (Littleton, Colo./Columbine) has had 5.5 sacks and redshirt sophomore defensive end Monty Hamrick (Denver, Colo./Vista Peak) has had four.
 
Another key to the win over South Dakota Mines was the Pack's ability to create turnovers and win the turnover battle as they had just one turnover in the game. The Pack forced two fumbles and Bone III collected his second interception of the season.
 
"In a close game against two good teams, winning the turnover battle is going to make the difference in the game," Vigil said. "But once again, our kids found ways to make plays and that was really encouraging. It was a great team win for us."
 
The Pack's success this season on offense can be attributed to the strong play of Fuller, who enters Saturday's game sitting fourth among active Division II quarterbacks in both passing yards (10,714) and passing touchdowns (97). On the season, Fuller is completing 61 percent of his passes as he is 213-for-351 padding for 2,626 yards and has tossed 30 touchdowns and has had seven interceptions. His passing efficiency is 147.7 and is averaging 262.6 passing yards per game, which is second-best in the RMAC.
 
"I can't say enough about Chance and his competitiveness and toughness. I think those are things that you don't really see, but on Saturday's, the kid is taking shots and never leaves the game and finds a way to stay in there and finds a way to keep leading. As our offense has gotten better every single week, so too has Chance," said the coach.
 
Another Pack player that has had a strong season offensively is junior receiver Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College). Retzlaff has caught 45 passes for a team-high 776 yards and has tied a single season school mark with 12 touchdown receptions. The 12 touchdown receptions are third-most in the RMAC and seventh-most in Division II. Against South Dakota Mines, Retzlaff caught five passes for 172 yards and averaged a single-game school record 34.4 yards per reception and added a 49-yard touchdown reception with 40 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Pack a 28-14 halftime lead.
 
"Reggie is really starting to come into his own. He's a guy that defenses must plan and account for. He does a great job with contested catches and finding a way to come down with the football, even when covered," Vigil said.
 
Saturday's opponent, Black Hills State, is another team that will present the Pack with challenges, according to Vigil.
 
"Black Hills is a good football team. They won seven games last year and they're at six wins right now. If you look at their scores against common opponents, there's a lot of teams that they've played, especially the upper echelon teams in the conference, that they've played closer than we did," added Vigil. "They are going to come in here and be ready to fight and be ready to go. It's a well-coached team and have done a good job in recruiting and bringing in some dynamic playmakers on offense and defense and we're going to have to be at our best on Saturday to be able to send our seniors out the right way."
 
Once again, this week, the keys to victory for the Pack will be the same as it has been most of the season – protect the football, be efficient on offense, create turnovers and pressure the quarterback.
 
"The keys to victory every week stay the same and if we can do those things and play to our standard, we're going to have a chance on Saturday," the coach stated.
 
Another strength for the Pack this season has been their ability to get their opponents off the field on third down as their opponents are converting on just 32 percent of their third downs, which is third in the league and converting on third downs on offense as they are fourth in the league in third down conversions at 42.5 percent. 
 
"Defensively, we've been one of the best in the country at getting teams off the field on third downs and offensively, we've got to continue to find ways to stay on the field on third downs and create opportunities to keep getting more downs," said the coach.
 
With Saturday more than likely being the final game of the season of the 2023 season for the Pack, Vigil has been proud of the growth of this team from the start of the season to now.
 
"I am so proud of this team and their growth and the way they love each other and the way they've bought in this year," Vigil said. "I'm looking forward to having this team be able to fight for one more week because that's all that's guaranteed. The playoffs and all that stuff are out of our control."
 
Saturday's game with Black Hills State will mark the 11th all-time meeting between the two schools in a series that began in 2012. The Pack are a perfect 11-0 against the Yellow Jackets, including being 5-0 at home and 5-0 in Spearfish, S.D. Last season, the Pack collected a 38-0 win at Black Hills State. Additionally, the Pack are 19-0 all-time against football playing schools from the state of South Dakota.
 
ABOUT BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State comes into Saturday's final game of the 2023 season sporting a 6-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the RMAC. The Yellow Jackets, though, have won two straight games, including a 35-28 win at home last Saturday against Adams State. Along with the home win over Adams State, the 'Jackets began the winning streak with a 34-20 win two weeks ago at Fort Lewis.
 
Two of Black Hills State's four losses came in league play at Western Colorado (35-20) and at home to Mines (42-17), while its other league loss came at home against South Dakota Mines (49-14). 

The win last Saturday over Adams State helped the Yellow Jackets secure back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in the program's Division II era and their first consecutive winning seasons since 2005-10. Black Hills State went 7-4 last season.
 
Black Hills State boasts one the top offenses in the RMAC as they are fourth in the league in total offense as they are averaging 406.5 yards per game and are fifth in the league in scoring as they are averaging 29.9 points per game. The Yellow Jackets are also fourth in the league in passing as they are averaging 248.1 yards per game and have thrown a league low five interceptions, which is 13th-best in NCAA Division II.
 
"Black Hills has a transfer quarterback, and he is a good player. He does a good job  as he can run and throw the ball and they have two receivers that are very dynamic, plus their running back runs hard and they do some good things up front," Vigil said about Black Hills State's offense.
 
On the offense, Black Hills State is led by senior quarterback Tanner Clarkson, who is completing 60 percent of his passes as he is 159-for-266 passing for 2,405 yards and has tossed 19 touchdowns and five interceptions and is averaging 275 yards of total offense per game.
 
The Yellow Jackets have two receivers that have caught over 600 yards on the season as senior Hasaan Williams has caught a team-best 48 passes for 674 yards and is averaging 14.0 yards per reception and has had six touchdowns, while sophomore TJ Chukwurah has caught 31 passes for 737 yards and has had seven touchdown receptions and is averaging 23.8 yards per reception and 73.7 yards per game.
 
The Black Hills State ground game, which is averaging 158.4 yards per game, is paced by senior running back Nolan Susel as he has gained 693 yards on 123 carries and is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has scored 12 rushing touchdowns, which is second-most in the RMAC. Susel has also caught 21 passes for 238 yards and has had three touchdown receptions. His 15 total touchdowns are tops in the RMAC and eighth-most nationally in Division II.
 
Defensively, Black Hills State is allowing 377.3 yards per game and 30.9 points per game. In addition, they have recorded 12 sacks and have forced just eight turnovers in 10 games.
 
Senior linebacker Ryder Blair paces the Yellow Jackets defense with 64 total tackles, including 43 solo stops and has had 2.5 tackles for loss. In addition to Blair, sophomore defensive tackle Kellen Collier leads the team in tackles for loss with 8.5 and has had three sacks and five quarterback hurries and sophomore defensive end Cooper Brown has had four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
 
On special teams, the Yellow Jackets are third in the league in kickoff returns as they are averaging 22.9 yards per return with junior Lovenski Simon leading the way as he is averaging 28.9 yards per return and has returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Junior Derek Webster is third in the league in punting as he is averaging 42.0 yards per punt and has had seven 50-plus yard punts and has put 14 punts inside the 20-yard line.
 
Sophomore Coleman Chapman is 10-for-14 on field goals and is 26-for-32 on extra points and has tallied 56 points, which is second on the team.
 
PACK FOOTBALL NOTES

• The final Philip Vigil Coaches Show of the 2023 season was held on Thursday, Nov. 9 at the ThunderZone, which is directly across the street from the ThunderBowl.
• In this week's latest AFCA Division II Coaches' Top 25 poll, the Pack earned four votes in the poll that was released on Monday.
• On Monday, Bone was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season as he was honored on Oct. 23.
• The Pack's Homecoming win over Adams State on Oct. 7 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.
• Saturday's Senior Day game marks the 15th Senior Day game for the Pack since rebooting the program in 2008. The Pack are 12-2 all-time in Senior Day games.
• The Pack remains the winningest football program in the state of Colorado in terms of winning percentage as the Pack has won 65 percent of its all-time games since beginning its four-year school tenure in 1963. The Pack have posted a 254-139-4 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 723-541-36 record.
• Redshirt sophomore receiver Zack Rakowsky (Loveland, Colo./Loveland) enters Saturday's game having caught 55 passes is five receptions shy of setting a new single season reception mark. The current school record is 59 set by Paul Browning in 2013.
• The Pack's three losses this season have come to teams with a combined record of 27-2 as top-ranked Mines is 10-0, while No. 2 ranked Grand Valley State is 8-1 and No. 13 ranked Western Colorado is 9-1 heading into this weekend's action.
• Saturday's game will mark the 181st game played since the restart of the Pack football program in 2008. Since 2008, the Pack have posted a 140-40 record.
• Saturday's game with Black Hills State marks the sixth and final home game this season for the Pack and its fifth RMAC home contest. The Pack are 3-2 at home this season and have won two straight home games since suffering back-to-back setbacks to Western Colorado and Mines in its first two RMAC home games of the season.
• 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 with Black Hills State will begin with the pregame show starting at 12:30 p.m. MT.