PUEBLO, Colo. – The No. 13/14th-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo football team will look to extend its win streak to five straight games here Saturday as the ThunderWolves play host to Black Hills State in a 1:02 p.m. Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference match-up in the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.
 
CSU Pueblo comes into Saturday's fifth home game of the 2024 season sporting a 6-1 overall record and a 5-0 mark in the RMAC following its 58-24 come-from-behind victory last Saturday at Fort Lewis, while Black Hills State comes into the game having split its first six games this season as they are 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the RMAC following its 35-14 home loss last Saturday to eighth-ranked Western Colorado.
 
Along with winning four straight games since a 24-21 home loss on Sept. 14 to then No. 3 ranked Grand Valley State, the Pack has also won 12 straight RMAC games dating to last season. The 12-game conference win streak is currently the third longest active streak in Division II football. Only Harding (21) and Kutztown (14) have won more consecutive conference games than the Pack.
 
In last Saturday's win at Fort Lewis, the Pack trailed 14-13 at the half but outscored the Skyhawks 45-10 in the second half as the Pack scored 17 points in the third quarter and then scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to post its win when trailing at the half since the beginning of last season.
 
"Credit to Fort Lewis. They came out ready to play and did some things that put us on our heels a little bit. Instead of finishing with touchdowns like we have most of the year in the red zone, we finished with field goals in the first half and that is how you're down going to halftime," CSU Pueblo second-year head coach Philip Vigil said. "At halftime, I just challenged our team to play our game and don't worry about the scoreboard and do what we do. I think they took it to heart in the second half and focused on their job instead of external factors and did what they needed to do to win the game."
 
For the game, the Pack offense finished with 614 yards of offense as they averaged 8.1 yards per play. The Pack rushed 35 times for 291 yards and averaged 8.3 yards per carry and passed for 323 yards as the Pack's quarterbacks were 23-for-41 passing with an interception and three touchdown passes. The 614 yards of offense were the ninth most in a game in school history.
 
"In the second half, we had a lot of guys doing their job, and when they did that, we had explosives on offense that ended with touchdowns and we also did a great job on special teams and caused some turnovers and sacks on defense," added Vigil. "The biggest difference was we didn't play to our standard in the first half."
 
Against Fort Lewis, junior quarterback Roman Fuller (Decatur, Texas/University of Tulsa) was 10-for-19 passing for 216 yards and had three touchdown passes, while senior quarterback Devin Larsen (Gilbert, Ariz./Western New Mexico) was 12-for-21 passing for 82 yards in the win.
 
Senior receiver Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College) caught 10 passes for 158 yards and had a touchdown reception to push his season total to seven, which is his eighth-best in Division II. It marked his fourth 100-plus-yard receiving game of the season. On the season, Retzlaff leads the RMAC in receiving yards (799), receiving yards per game (133.2), and receiving touchdowns (7) and is third in receptions per game (6.7).
 
The Pack ground game was paced by senior running back Howard Russell V (Phoenix, Ariz./Eastern New Mexico), who carried the ball 14 times for 135 yards and scored his ninth rushing touchdown of the season on a 68-yard run on the Pack's second offensive play of the second half. It was Russell's fourth straight game with 100 or more rushing yards. Along with Russell, junior running back Emanuel Fincher (McKinney, Texas/McKinney North) just missed a 100-yard rushing day as he finished with 99 yards on six carries and scored his first career touchdown on a 55-yard run in the fourth quarter.
 
Russell, who is now 17th on the school's career rushing chart with 1,369 yards, comes into Saturday's action as the leading rusher in the league as he has gained 784 yards and also leads the RMAC in rushing yards per game (112.0), rushing touchdowns (9), total touchdowns (10), points scored (60) and rushing yards per carry (8.8) and is second in the league in all-purpose yards per game (122.9).
 
"Howard has definitely come into his own this season. I think having a year under his belt has served him well. He has had a great year this season, but the thing I've been most proud of him in is we've always known what he could do on the football field because he is a very talented football player, but I'm most proud of his maturation and his growth off the field," said Vigil said when asked about Russell's play this season. "I've enjoyed watching how he leads his teammates and watching the intentionality that he comes to practice with each day. From a football standpoint, he has an elite ability to start and stop and has great vision and is very patient and has done a great job at what the defense gives him."
 
Meanwhile, on defense last Saturday, the Pack limited the Skyhawks to a total of 280 yards of offense, including just 127 yards of offense in the second half. Fort Lewis tallied 63 yards rushing and passed for 217 yards. In addition, the Pack tied a season-high with five sacks and also forced the Skyhawks into five turnovers, including picking off a season-high four passes.
 
On the season, the Pack defense is fourth in the RMAC in total defense as they are allowing 289.7 yards per game and are also fourth in scoring defense as they are allowing just 18.4 points per game. Additionally, the Pack defense is tied for fourth in Division II in sacks (22), tied for third in tackles for a loss (58), and third in Division II in interceptions with 11.
 
"In the first half, we had some big plays that we gave up and missed some tackles that led to big plays and long drives, but we were able to fix those mistakes in the second half and put some pressure on their quarterback and keep him in the rush lanes for the most part and allow our guys downfield to cover and do what they needed to do, which is why we had three of our four interceptions in the second half and was also able to force and recover a fumble on a strip sack," Vigil added.
 
Despite playing three quarterbacks quite regularly over the last three games, the Pack offensive line has been able to limit to protect the quarterbacks and allow them time to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers. Since allowing two sacks in the 38-14 home win over Colorado Mesa on Sept. 21, the Pack's offensive line has not allowed a sack over its last three games.
 
The Pack's five starting offensive linemen this season are sophomore left tackle Tyler Ethridge (Midlothian, Texas/Midlothian), senior left guard Arthur Braach (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East), sophomore center Senon Chapple (Fort Worth, Texas/Fossil Ridge), junior right guard Domingo Prince II (Aurora, Colo./Cherry Creek) and junior right tackle Jaiden Jones (Dallas, Texas/Tyler JC).
 
"Our offensive line is doing a really good job and is continuing to get better each week, which has been awesome to watch. They are playing at a very high level right now," Vigil said. "We averaged over eight yards per carry on Saturday and rushed for almost 300 yards and that doesn't happen if you're not playing well up front."
 
During the current four-game winning streak, the Pack is averaging 57.3 points per game and is averaging 568.5 yards of offense (1,000 rushing, 1,274 passing) per game, and is averaging 7.2 rushing yards per carry and 8.5 yards per play.
 
Last Saturday's game with Fort Lewis marked the halfway point of RMAC play for the Pack and Vigil has been happy with his team's progress so far this season.
 
"There are some areas that we're continuing to try to improve on and get better at, but I would say that our process has proven to work and that is the most important thing. I'm not too worried about the results if we get our process right," Vigil said. "There are still some areas that we can grow and get better at and that is something we're going to address those things moving forward. I think we've grown as a team throughout the year, and I think we've gotten our identity, both offensively and defensively and in special teams."
 
Saturday's game will be the fifth of six regular season home games for the Pack and Vigil says his team seems to play with a different swagger at home and he hopes that continues on Saturday.
 
"We have a great fan base here and it's important for us to play well in front of our fans, it is always nice to be able to have your routine and we have our routine on home games and the guys know what's expected and that provides a comfort for us," the Pack coach added.
 
Saturday's game with Black Hills State will mark the 12th all-time meeting between the two schools in a series that began in 2012. The Pack is a perfect 11-0 against the Yellow Jackets, including 6-0 at home and 5-0 in Spearfish, S.D. Last season, the Pack collected a 42-37 at home over the Yellow Jackets. Additionally, the Pack is 20-0 all-time against football-playing schools from the state of South Dakota.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Pack will have a bye week next weekend before returning to action on Saturday, Nov. 2 with a 1 p.m. RMAC game in Gunnison, Colo., against eighth-ranked Western Colorado (6-0 overall, 4-0 RMAC).
 
ABOUT BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State comes into this weekend's action having split its first four RMAC games this season as the Yellow Jackets have picked up league wins against Fort Lewis (33-7) and South Dakota Mines (22-20) and have lost to both Mines (52-24) and Western Colorado (35-14). The 'Jackets' three losses have come against opponents sporting a 14-4 overall record as BHSU's other loss came against NCAA FCS member St. Thomas (Minn.), 24-14, during non-conference play.
 
The Yellow Jackets, who were picked fifth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' poll, have posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in the school's Division II era as they have posted a 7-4 record in 2022 and a 6-5 record in 2023.
 
One of the biggest strengths of the Yellow Jackets this season is their ability to stop the run as they are allowing just 73.7 rushing yards per game, which is second-best in the RMAC and are fourth in the league in both sacks (16) and tackles for a loss (43).
 
"Black Hills is a well-coached team. They do a really good job in recruiting and developing those players. Their defensive line is really good, one of the best we've seen all year long, which is why they are tough against the run," Vigil said. "They do a good job with their four guys up front. They get after the quarterback and are disciplined in what they do defensively, and it makes you have to play well up front on the offensive line to be able to move the ball against their defensive line."
 
One of the big stars on their defensive line is redshirt senior defensive end Mylic Ritche, who leads the RMAC in tackles for a loss with 10.5 and is averaging nearly two tackles for loss per game and is sixth nationally in Division II in blocked kicks with two, including blocking a kick that led to a touchdown last weekend against Western Colorado. Ritche has also recorded 33 tackles, including 15 solo stops, and has had two sacks and has forced two fumbles this season.
 
Other key performers for the 'Jackets on defense include redshirt senior safety Nicc Quinones, who has tallied 41 tackles and is tied for second in the league in interceptions with three. In addition to Quinones, redshirt junior defensive tackle Kellen Collier is tied for the team lead in sacks with three and has had five tackles for a loss and four quarterback hurries, while redshirt junior defensive end Cooper Brown has had three sacks, 2.5 tackles for a loss and a team-high eight quarterback hurries.
 
Meanwhile, on offense, Black Hills State is scoring 21.8 points and averaging 315.2 yards per game. The 'Jackets have rushed for 471 yards and are averaging just 2.6 yards per rush and have passed for 1,420 yards and is averaging 236.7 passing yards per game, which is fifth-best in the league.
 
BHSU's offense is led by redshirt junior quarterback Luke Duby, who is 122-for-219 passing for 1,397 yards and has had nine touchdown passes and four interceptions and is averaging 232.8 passing yards per game and 237.7 yards of total offense per game.
 
The top rushers for the Yellow Jackets are junior running back Cam Goods and freshman running back Navarre Dixon III, who have combined for 382 yards and have scored a combined five touchdowns, while the top receiving target is redshirt senior receiver Kelby Olson, who has caught 18 passes for 206 yards and is averaging 11.4 yards per reception and has had one touchdown reception. On the season, seven different Yellow Jackets have caught 10 or more passes.
 
"On the offensive side, they've got some guys that are good playmakers. They've got a couple of receivers that are scary when they get the ball in their hands. They've got a new quarterback this year and he is athletic. He can run, he can throw, and has been shown to make good decisions with the football," the coach added. "They are playing well up front and are balanced in what they do offensively with their attack."
 
Vigil says his team is going to have to be ready for everything on the defensive side of the ball this weekend.
 
"We're going to have to create eye and gap discipline and we're going to have to find a way to keep their quarterback in the pocket and cover some receivers that are talented," stated Vigil.
 
On special teams, senior punter Derek Webster is fifth in the league in punting as he is averaging 40.3 yards per punt and has recorded seven punts of 50 or more yards and has put six punts inside the 20-yard line, while junior kicker Ryan Ewing is 4-for-6 on field goals and is 7-for-8 on extra points and junior Coleman Chapman is 1-for-3 on field goals and 7-for-8 on extra points.
 
PACK FOOTBALL NOTES

• The Pack Football Show is scheduled for 6 p.m. every Wednesday (except for Oct. 23) during the 2024 football season at the Thunder Zone, which is located across the street from the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.
• The fourth Pack Club Luncheon of the 2024 football season will be held on Friday, Oct. 18 from 12-1 p.m. in the ThunderBowl Pack House.
• The Hospitality Tailgate (formerly known as the Alumni Tailgate) will once again be held on the Leomiti Warrior Center Rooftop, starting two hours before kickoff and concluding at the start of all the home games this season. This space is reserved for Pack Club members, corporate sponsors and special guests.
• Saturday's game day sponsor is Sun West Credit Union, and the Pack will celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing something pink on their playing equipment on Saturday.
• In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, the Pack was tabbed to finish third as they received 66 points to sit 16 points in front of fourth-place Colorado Mesa (50 points) and eight points behind second-place Western Colorado, who earned 74 points and three first-place votes. Mines was tabbed as the preseason favorite as the Orediggers earned 79 points and seven first-place votes.
• Saturday's game marks the Pack's third of three games in October as the Pack has posted a 112-49 record in the month since 1963, including being 59-10 in the month since 2008.
• Saturday's game will mark the 188th game played since the restart of the Pack football program in 2008. Since 2008, the Pack have posted a 147-41 record.
• All 11 of the Pack's football games will be broadcast once again this season on Fox Sports Pueblo (1350 AM) with Jim Brooks and Joe Cervi on the call. The broadcasts will begin with a pregame show 30 minutes before the opening kickoff. Saturday's Black Hills State pregame show will start at 12:30 p.m. MT.
• The Pack is the winningest football program in the state of Colorado in terms of winning percentage as the Pack has won nearly 65 percent of its all-time games since beginning its four-year school tenure in 1963. The Pack has posted a 261-140-4 record in football since 1963. Colorado is the second-winningest team in the state as Colorado has won nearly 57 percent of its games all-time as they have posted a 726-547-36 record.