PUEBLO, Colo. – No. 18/19 Colorado State University Pueblo football returns home to the ThunderBowl this Saturday, Oct. 5 as the nationally-ranked ThunderWolves host New Mexico Highlands for its Homecoming 2024 game. Kickoff for Saturday's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest is set for 2:02 p.m.
In addition to this weekend's homecoming festivities, CSU Pueblo will honor its Class of 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees in an induction ceremony on Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. in the OSC Ballroom and will then recognize the 13 inductees during Saturday's New Mexico Highlands games. The members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 are former women's basketball player
Tuileisu Anderson (2014- 18), former women's golfer
Leina Kim (2012-15), former football player
Cameron McDondle (2012-15), former men's track and field runner
Thomas Staines (2017-19) and former men's basketball player
Damon Williams (1996-98), along with two women's sports pioneers from 1967-69 -
Francis P. Price (women's basketball, volleyball and softball) and
Ruth Shelton (women's basketball and volleyball). Additionally, former baseball coach
Stan Sanchez (1993-2020) joined the Hall of Fame as a coach, while the
Women's Recreation Association of 1950 and 1960 will join the Hall of Fame as a Legacy Contributor. In the team category - the
1982 football, the
2011-12 women's golf and
2013-14 women's golf will join the Hall of Fame in the team category, along with contributor
Max Salas.
CSU Pueblo comes into Saturday's Homecoming game riding a 10-game winning streak in RMAC play which dates to last season as the Pack are sporting a 4-1 overall record and a 3-0 in the league following its 66-10 win last Saturday at Adams State, while New Mexico Highlands comes into the contest having lost 12 straight games dating to last season and is sporting an 0-4 overall record and an 0-2 mark in the RMAC following its 53-12 home loss last Saturday to then 14th-ranked Western Colorado.
In the 66-10 win last weekend at Adams State, the Pack trailed 10-8 after the first quarter and then proceeded to score 58 consecutive points over the final three quarters to seal its 10th straight win in RMAC play, which is currently the fourth longest active conference win streak in Division II football and the longest for the Pack since winning 11 straight games from 2019-21. During the current 10-game RMAC win streak, the Pack is outscoring its league foes by 34.5 points (48.7-14.2) and is averaging 529.1 yards of offense and allowing 267.9 yards of offense per game. The Pack have also forced 20 turnovers and have a +9-turnover margin.
"We're very pleased with the outcome and the result last Saturday and I think that it goes back to our process. We had a great week of practice and preparation and that showed last Saturday," second-year CSU Pueblo head coach
Philip Vigil said. "We would've liked to come out and start a little faster on the offensive side, but we had two turnovers in the first quarter which is uncharacteristic of our offense. Once we stopped turning the ball over offensively, it was lights out from then on for the rest of the game. I was very proud of how we handled ourselves and came out and did we what we wanted to do in all phases of the game."
Against Adams State, the 56-point win was tied for the seventh-largest margin of victory in school history, while the 66 points scored were tied for the fourth most points in a game in program history and tied for the sixth-most points scored in a Division II game this season.
For the game, the Pack gained a season-high 718 yards of offense as they rushed for a season-high 301 yards and passed for 417 yards, and recorded a school record-tying seven touchdown passes. The Pack ran 69 plays against the Grizzlies and averaged 10.4 yards per play.
"We were very efficient at distributing the ball as we had 13 different players catch a pass and we had eight different ball carriers last Saturday. We averaged over 10 yards per play," said the Pack coach. "There were a lot of really good things to see on tape, but there were also some things we need to continue to get better at and correct."
Senior quarterback
Devin Larsen (Gilbert, Ariz./Western New Mexico) finished the game 16-for-24 passing for 268 yards and four touchdown passes, and an interception, which was returned for Adams State's only touchdown in the game. In addition to Larsen, junior
Roman Fuller (Decatur, Texas/University of Tulsa) was a perfect 7-for-7 passing for 149 yards and three touchdown passes. On the season, Fuller is a perfect 13-for-13 passing.
Senior running back
Howard Russell V (Phoenix, Ariz./Eastern New Mexico), who is now the leading rusher in the RMAC with 541 yards also leads the league with seven total touchdowns, including six rushing scores, finished the game with 168 yards rushing on 13 carries and averaged 12.9 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns.
In the passing, redshirt senior receiver
Nigel Mitchell (Red Bank, N.J./Red Bank Regional) caught three passes for a team-high 89 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to give the Pack a 50-10 lead with 7:15 left in the third quarter. Along with Mitchell, senior receiver
Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College) also caught three passes for 83 yard and had a 69-yard touchdown reception for the Pack's first touchdown of the game. Retzlaff leads the RMAC in receiving yards (641) and receiving touchdowns (6) and is second in receiving yards per game (128.2) on the season.
"Our offensive coaches did a great job putting our guys in a position to make plays and the quarterbacks did a great job at distributing the ball to who needed it and once the ball was distributed, those guys made plays," added Vigil. "It's been fun to watch those guys come together as a unit and prove that we are one the best offenses in the country. We know we can do it in the air or on the ground and we've proven that this season."
Entering Saturday's game with New Mexico Highlands, the Pack ranks in the Top 10 nationally in Division II in passing offense (343.4 passing yards per game), total offense (496.0 yards per game), offensive first downs (115) and scoring offense (40.0 points per game). The Pack has scored 35 or more points in four of its five games this season.
While the Pack offense gained a season-high 718 yards, the Pack defense was even more dominant against the Grizzlies as they held ASU to 141 yards of total offense which was an average of 2.0 yards per play. ASU rushed the ball 41 times for 59 yards and averaged 1.4 yards per carry and passed for 82 yards. The Pack also finished with two interceptions, four sacks, and 10 tackles for loss.
Senior defensive lineman
Dominick Fini (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mesa Ridge) paced the Pack with two sacks and four tackles for a loss, while senior linebacker
Noa Purcell (Kalihi, Hawai'i/Riverside City College) added six tackles, one sack and a tackle for a loss.
"The defense is smothering right now. We've got guys playing at a high level on all three phases of the defense – the defensive backs, linebackers, and defensive line," the coach said. "We're getting after the quarterback up front and then our guys are able to cover in the back end. It's been a lot of fun to watch them fly around."
Another strong suit for the Pack defense last Saturday as they were able to get their opponent off the field on third down as the Grizzlies were held to a 4-for-20 effort on third down. On the season, the Pack leads the RMAC and is 23rd nationally in third-down percentage defense as the Pack's five foes have converted just 26 percent (23-for-88) of its third downs.
"We did a really good job at getting off the field on third down last Saturday. ASU was 4-for-20 on third downs and that's attributed to our defense being able to win on first and second down," added Vigil. "Our defense has been doing a good job of keeping offenses on their heels and playing our brand of defense."
While the Pack defense was strong on third down last Saturday, the Pack offense was also strong in the red zone as they were 5-for-5 in the red zone against Adams State and are now 20-for-26 on the season in red zone scoring opportunities.
Entering the sixth week of the regular season this weekend, the Pack have yet to play a complete four quarter game this season, according to Vigil.
"I still think we have room to grow. There are areas that we have to improve on as the season progresses. We didn't get all the points in the kicking game. We had six penalties on special teams, which you cannot do. Those are some areas on teams where we have to continue to grow and get better," said Vigil. "We also have to protect the ball on offense and have to continue to limit missed tackles on defense. That's the beautiful thing about football, you can have a good day in all three phases and still look back and say here's where we can get better."
One of the big keys for the Pack on Saturday will be to limit distractions with it being homecoming week on campus.
"It's a special week with homecoming and being able to welcome back alumni. We've also got the Hall of Fame banquet as we're honoring some really special people to this program this weekend," the coach added. "A lot is going on this weekend and the challenge with that is always staying focused on what we can control."
Saturday's homecoming game will mark the 38th in school history and the Pack are 31-6 all-time in homecoming games, including being a perfect 15-0 on homecoming since the Pack football program restarted in 2008. Last season, the Pack collected 43-10 win in its homecoming game against Adams State. CSU Pueblo has faced Saturday's foe, New Mexico Highlands, three times previously on homecoming and is 3-0 in those games. The last time the Pack played New Mexico Highlands on homecoming came in 2008 as the Pack collected a 21-14 victory over the Cowboys.
"I think what makes CSU Pueblo special is the pride and the support of the alumni and because of the people. I am looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting some new ones and hopefully putting a great product on the field that they can be proud of," Vigil said about the CSU Pueblo football alumni.
Along with being the 38th all-time Homecoming game, Saturday's game will mark the 28th all-time meeting between the two schools and the 16th game since CSU Pueblo restarted football in 2008. The Pack leads the all-time series, 22-5 and have won two straight and 14 of the 15 games in the series since 2008. The Pack are 12-2 at home in the series and 11-3 on the road in the series with the Cowboys.
Following Saturday's game, the Pack will return to the road next Saturday, Oct. 12 as they will travel to Durango, Colo., for a 2 p.m. RMAC game against Fort Lewis College. Last season, the Pack posted an 85-7 win over the Skyhawks in Durango.
ABOUT NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
New Mexico Highlands comes in Saturday's action still looking for its first win of the 2024 season as the Cowboys, who were tabbed to finish ninth in the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, are 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the RMAC after suffering a 53-12 home loss last weekend to then 14th-ranked Western Colorado. The loss extended the Cowboys' losing streak to 12 straight games dating to its 31-17 road win last season at Fort Lewis on Sept. 16, 2023.
As a team, New Mexico Highlands, who is coached by first-year head coach Kurt Taufa'asau, is one of the top offensive teams in the league as they are second in rushing (179.8 yards per game), fifth in passing (222.8 yards per game) and fourth in total offense as they are averaging 402.5 yards per game. In addition, the Cowboys are fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 25.3 points per game, and first in time of possession (31:18).
"Highlands has a whole new staff this year. Their head coach is an outstanding coach. He won a national championship at the junior college level (New Mexico Military Institute) in 2021 and has proven to be an unbelievable recruiter," Vigil said about New Mexico Highlands new head coach. "Offensively, their offensive coordinator is one of the best offensive coordinators at this level, in my opinion. He does a really good job everywhere he's been at developing an offensive identity and culture that puts his guys in great position to be successful."
New Mexico Highlands offensive coordinator Drew Thatcher came to the Cowboys this season after spending the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator at the United States Military Academy. Prior to working at West Point, Thatcher spent four seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and before UNK, he spent seven seasons (2012-18) at New Mexico Military Institute.
Some of the key players for the Cowboys running game are freshman running back Tevita Valeti, who leads the team with 271 yards rushing and is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and 67.8 yards per game and sophomore running back Mason Peterson, who has gained 195 yards on the ground and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and 65.0 yards per game.
The Cowboys have played three quarterbacks this season as senior quarterback Joey Cave is 33-for-49 passing for 461 yards and has tossed four touchdown passes and one interception, while freshman Waika Crawford, who is one six transfers from New Mexico Military Institute, is 31-for-49 passing for 266 yards and has tossed two touchdowns and an interception and junior Juliun Carter is 12-for-21 passing for 164 yards and has had three touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Senior Teneil Nichols and junior Mike Jones lead the receiving corps as Nichols has caught 16 passes for 279 yards and is averaging 17.4 yards per reception and has caught two touchdown passes, while Jones has hauled in 15 passes for 203 yards and is averaging 13.5 yards per reception and has had a touchdown reception. Jones is also the Cowboys' leader in all-purpose yards as he is averaging 111.0 yards per game.
On defense, the Cowboys are allowing 501.5 yards per game and 48.0 points per game. NMHU's opponents are rushing for 309.3 yards per game and passing for 192.3 yards per game.
Leading the way defensively for the Cowboys are junior linebacker Fabiano Valdez, who has had 30 tackles and 2.5 tackles for a loss. Junior linebacker Jagger Mosqueda is second in tackles with 19, while junior linebacker Ben Watson has had 17 tackles, three tackles for a loss and a sack.
Along with its offense, another strength for the Cowboys is their kickoff return game as they are averaging an RMAC-leading 24.8 yards per kickoff return. Jones is second in the league in kickoff returns individually as he is averaging 24.9 yards per return.
Pack Football Notes