PUEBLO, Colo. – The seventh-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo football team will look to earn its first outright Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title since 2014 on Saturday when the ThunderWolves close the 2024 regular season slate with a noon game in Elliott Field at Don Beebe Stadium against Chadron State.
 
CSU Pueblo, who earned at least a share of its ninth all-time RMAC title with its 28-13 Senior Day home win last Saturday over then 14th-ranked Mines, enters Saturday's game having won seven consecutive games to push its record to 9-1 overall and 8-0 in the RMAC, while Chadron State enters the game sporting a 3-7 overall record and a 2-6 record in the RMAC.
 
Along with winning seven straight games, which is the eighth longest active win streak in Division II football, the Pack have also reeled off 15 consecutive RMAC victories dating to last season and has also won eight straight road games since suffering a 57-49 double overtime loss last season at Grand Valley State. The 15-game RMAC win streak is the second longest active conference win streak in Division II, while the eight-game road win streak is the second longest active road win streak in Division II.
 
"This is another meaningful game for our team on Saturday. The later in the season you get, the more meaningful these games become, we have a lot to play for this weekend and we're excited for the opportunity," CSU Pueblo head football coach Philip Vigil said. 
 
With a win against Chadron State, the Pack, who are ranked No. 1 in this week's latest NCAA Division II Super Region Four rankings, would solidify the No. 1 seed from the region in the NCAA Playoffs and have a first-round bye and then host both second and third round playoff games (should they advance) in the ThunderBowl.
 
In last Saturday's win over Mines, which snapped a five-game losing skid to the Orediggers, the Pack win was keyed by two second-half touchdown receptions from senior receiver Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College) and a defense that forced two key fourth down stops in the fourth quarter and sealed the win with an interception with 24 seconds left by sophomore defensive back Kahden Rullo (Denver, Colo./Grandview). The interception was the second of the game for the Pack as senior defensive back Eli Pittman (Peoria, Ariz./Liberty) picked off a pass in the first quarter that led to the Pack's first touchdown of the game, which was a 19-yard run by senior running back Howard Russell V (Phoenix, Ariz./Eastern New Mexico) to give the Pack a 7-3 lead just a little under two minutes into the second quarter.
 
"I am proud of our staff and our team with win last Saturday. When we needed to make plays, in every facet of the game, we made plays. Those are things you have to do to beat really good teams like Mines," Vigil said. "Mines is and has been the standard in the RMAC for some time, so it was awesome for our guys to go out and beat Mines and were able to earn at least a share of the RMAC Championship."
 
Retzlaff, who was named this week's RMAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season, finished the game with seven receptions for 139 yards and his two touchdown catches pushed his career total to 24, which is tied with Paul Browning for first on the school's career charts and also tied for seventh-most among active Division II players. Along with being tied for first in career touchdown catches, Retzlaff enters Saturday's Chadron State sitting tied for first on the school's single-season chart in pass receptions (59) and touchdown receptions (12) and is second in single-season pass receiving yards with 1,110. He is one of two receivers (Paul Browning is the other) in school history to record 1,000 or more receiving yards in a single season.
 
"Reggie has had an unbelievable year. He's not only produced on the football field, but he's been a great leader as well for us. He's a guy that elevates everyone at practice. He's a competitor, but what he does on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during the week is exactly what he does on Saturday," said the Pack coach about Retzlaff. "It's been a pleasure to be able to watch him go out there and play on Saturdays and the thing that has helped him tremendously this year is we've got a really good core of receivers around him that doesn't allow him to get double teamed."
 
Junior quarterback Roman Fuller (Decatur, Texas/University of Tulsa), who made his third straight start for the Pack last Saturday, was 25-for-34 passing for 270 yards and had three touchdown passes. On the season, Fuller is completing 71 percent of his passes as he is 93-for-132 passing for 1,324 yards and has had 16 touchdown passes and one interception. He is second in Division II in both completion percentage and passing efficiency (193.2).
 
Russell, who is now 13th on the school's all-time rushing charts with 1,700 career yards, comes into play Saturday leading the RMAC in rushing yards (1,115), rushing yards per game (111.5), rushing touchdowns (11), all-purpose yards per game (127.0) and total touchdowns (13). Russell has rushed for 100 or more yards in a game seven times on the season, including six times in his last seven games.
 
One of the biggest strengths for the Pack defense in the win against Mines was their ability to limit the Orediggers on both third and fourth down in the game. For the game, Mines went a combined 5-for-20 on third and fourth down as they were 4-for-16 on third down and 0-for-2 on the fourth down. In addition, the Pack recorded a season-high six sacks against the Orediggers.
 
"That was a huge key to victory for us on Saturday, being able to get off the field on third and fourth down," Vigil added. "Coming into the game, Mines was one of the top teams in the country on third down conversions, and credit to our defense, we did a phenomenal job on Saturday and had some huge stops on both third and fourth down, especially in the red zone. When we needed it the most in the fourth quarter, we had two fourth-down stops in the red zone that was huge and got us into position where we could close out the game."
 
Vigil said it was a fun atmosphere, especially for our seniors, in the locker room following the conclusion of the game.
 
"I was just really happy for our seniors. We talk about leaving the jersey better than you found it. None of our 21 seniors had ever beaten Mines and none of our seniors had ever won a conference championship," added Vigil. "For them to be able to do that and get their picture on the wall is special. I think a lot of guys in that room understand how unique and how special that opportunity was, and we were going to celebrate that."
 
Coming into play this weekend, the Pack continues to feature one of the top offenses in Division II football as they are among the national leaders in passing offense, total offense, and scoring offense. Through 10 games this season, the Pack is fifth nationally in passing offense as they are averaging 31.8 yards per game, sixth nationally in total offense as they are averaging 480.3 yards per game and are seventh nationally in scoring offense as they average 42.1 points per game. The Pack offense has gained 400 or more yards of offense in six of its 10 games, including three games with 600 or more yards of offense.
 
Meanwhile, on the defense, the Pack ranks in the Top 5 in the RMAC in scoring defense, passing defense, passing efficiency defense, and total defense, along with leading the league in both sacks and interceptions. On the season, the Pack is fourth in the RMAC in scoring defense as they are allowing 19.7 points per game, are third in passing defense as they are allowing 198.4 yards per game and are fifth in total defense as they are allowing 333.8 yards per game. The Pack defense has also recorded 34 sacks and 14 interceptions as they are tied for sixth nationally in sacks and tied for 10th nationally in interceptions.
 
Among the keys to victory for the Pack on Saturday against Chadron State according to Vigil are being able to create turnovers on defense and being efficient on offense.
 
"I think defensively, it's about us being sound in our run fits and we've got to be able to find ways to create turnovers to give our offense extra possessions because of how they (Chadron State) play defense," the Pack coach said. "On offense, it's about being efficient. We need to finish every drive with a kick, hopefully with a PAT and not field goals. We also need to play hard on special teams, because they're sound in what they do on teams."
 
Saturday's game will mark the 16th all-time meeting in the series that began in 2008. The Pack holds a commanding 14-1 edge in the series and have won 14 straight games in the series since the Eagles picked up a 32-0 shutout win in the first-ever meeting between the two teams in 2008. Ironically, that shutout is the lone one for the Pack since the program was rebooted in 2008.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Pack will then turn its attention to the postseason as the NCAA will announce the 28-team NCAA Division II Playoff field at 4 p.m. MT on Sunday online at www.NCAA.com. The playoff field will feature seven teams from each of the four super regions with the No. 1 seed in each region earning a first-round bye on Nov. 23. The second-round playoff games are scheduled for Nov. 30, while the quarterfinals will be played on Dec. 7. The national semifinals are scheduled for Dec. 14 and the national championship game is scheduled for Dec. 21 in McKinney, Texas.
 
ABOUT CHADRON STATE
Chadron State, who is celebrating its Senior Day before the kickoff of Saturday's game, comes into action this weekend having lost three straight and four of its last five games overall with the lone win being a 55-13 home win on Oct. 19 against Fort Lewis. Five of Chadron's seven losses have been by a total of 18 points, including suffering a 14-13 loss at home to Mines and falling last Saturday 21-17 at then 11th-ranked Western Colorado. The Eagles have lost one game by a point, two by three points, one by four points, and another by seven points.
 
All three of Chadron's wins this season have come at home as they are 3-3 at home and went 0-4 on the road. The Eagles haven't given up more than 24 points in a game but one time on the season as they allowed 33 points in a 33-30 loss at New Mexico Highlands on Oct. 12. While they have allowed just one opponent to score more than 24 points this season, the Eagles offense has scored less than 20 points in a game seven times and has scored over 50 points in two games as they tallied 52 points in a 52-3 home win over Adams State and 55 points in its 55-13 home win over Fort Lewis.
 
"They've had five games this season that they've lost that were one-score games. There are a couple of games that were three points or less. Mines was a one-point game, South Dakota Mines was a three-point game," added Vigil. "You cannot look at their record and think that you're going to go into Chadron and walk all over these guys, because if we do, we're going to have another thing coming to us."
 
Perhaps the biggest strength for Chadron State, who is coached by former Eagle player Jay Long, is their defense as they enter Saturday's game second in the RMAC in both total defense and scoring defense. The Eagles are allowing just 278 yards per game and 17.4 points per game. In addition, they are second nationally in Division II with five defensive touchdowns and are 10th nationally in blocked kicks with six.
 
"Statistically, Chadron's defense is one of the best in the country. They might be the best defense we've seen since the Grand Valley State game," added Vigil. "They're good at every position. Their defensive line is stout. No. 56 (Hunter O'Connor) is an All-American and an outstanding football player. They've got corners, safeties, and linebackers. They've got guys at every position, which is why you've seen them in so many defensive battles this season."
 
Among some of the top performers for Chadron State's defense are sophomore linebacker Reed Henkel, senior linebacker Xavier Harrell, junior linebacker Logan O'Brien, senior defensive lineman Hunter O'Connor, and junior safety Dax Yeradi.
 
Henkel is the team's leading tackler as he has tallied 68 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two pass break-ups, and three quarterback hurries, while Harrell is second in tackles with 62 and has had 5.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, and an interception and O'Brien has had 51 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks, three quarterback hurries, and an interception. O'Connor, who is a two-time All-American, has tallied 44 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, and four quarterback hurries, while Yeradi has had 46 tackles, four tackles for a loss and an RMAC-best four interceptions, which he has returned for 120 yards and has had one interception returned for a touchdown.
 
"This will be a very good defense we'll be up against on Saturday," Vigil stressed. "Offensively, we're going to have to find a way to move the football and ultimately put points on the board."
 
On offense, the Eagles have played four different quarterbacks this season because of injuries. The projected starter for Saturday's game is expected to be junior Preston Pearson. On the season, Pearson has played in nine games and is 8-for-28 passing for 129 yards and has tossed one touchdown and thrown one interception. He has also carried the ball 25 times for 75 yards.
 
The Eagles have three big-play receivers on offense as junior Tommy Thomas has caught 34 passes for 396 yards and has had four touchdown receptions, while senior Grant Swenson has caught 25 passes for 300 yards and has caught two touchdown passes and senior Jamahd Monroe has caught 23 passes for 386 yards and is averaging 16.8 yards per reception and has had two touchdown receptions.
 
CSC's rushing attack is paced by sophomore running back Jake Marschall, who has carried the ball 154 times for 617 yards is averaging 61.7 yards per game and has scored three touchdowns.
 
"Defensively, their offense creates challenges for us as well. They've had a little bit of a quarterback issue throughout the year. Their starting quarterback (DJ Ralph) got hurt, came back, and got hurt again. He hasn't played in the last two weeks and not sure if he'll play this weekend," said Vigil. "They've got some talented receivers. Tommy Thomas is a good receiver. They've got some guys up front that can hold their own and block. I think who's back there at quarterback kind of changes who they are offensively. Some of the guys are a bit more athletic and they'll do a lot more quarterback run game. We have to be sound in what we do defensively and be prepared for every style of offense essentially."
 
The Eagles are also strong on special teams as they have one of the top kickers in the league in senior Wilson Yee. On the season, Yee is 13-for-20 on field goals and is 24-for-25 on field goals and has scored 63 points. His 1.3 field goals per game average is tops in the league. He is 3-for-4 on field goals of 50 or more yards, including hitting a 57-yard field goal against Colorado Mesa.
 
Along with Yee, sophomore punter Brodie Eisenbraun is fourth in the league in net punting average at 42.0 yards per punt. He has put 16 of his 47 punts inside the 20-yard line and has had 11 punts of 50 or more yards.
 
In the return game, Yeradi is second in the RMAC in punt returns as he is averaging 11.5 yards per punt return and has returned one punt for a touchdown, while sophomore Tucker Peterson is averaging 18.5 yards on kickoff returns.
 
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.
• In the third iteration of the 2024 NCAA Division II Super Region 4 rankings that was released on Monday, the Pack was one of four RMAC schools ranked in the Top 10. In addition to the Pack, who was ranked No. 1, Western Colorado was ranked No. 5, Colorado Mesa was at No. 9 and Mines was ranked No. 10.
• The Pack is seeking to record its seventh 10-win season in program history and first since 2019 when the Pack went 11-2. All of the 10-win seasons have occurred since 2011.
• The Pack is looking to claim its fifth all-time outright RMAC title in football with a win on Saturday. The last time the Pack won the outright RMAC title was in 2014. The Pack's nine all-time RMAC titles in football are the fourth most in league history.
• 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 regular season games in November as the Pack has posted a 64-40-1 record in the month since 1963, including being 36-10 record in the month since 2008.
• Saturday's game will mark the 191st game played since the restart of the Pack football program in 2008. Since 2008, the Pack have posted a 150-41 record.
• All 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 Chadron State pregame show will start at 11:30 a.m. MT.
• The Pack is the winningest football program in the state of Colorado in terms of winning percentage as the Pack has won 65.2 percent of its all-time games since beginning its four-year school tenure in 1963. The Pack has posted a 264-140-4 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 731-546-36 record.