PUEBLO, Colo. – The ninth-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo football team will look to extend its win streak to six straight games on Saturday, Oct. 18 as the nationally-ranked ThunderWolves travel to Spearfish, S.D., for a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest against Black Hills State University. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. at Lyle Hare Stadium on the BHSU campus.

CSU Pueblo, who is playing its first of three straight road games on Saturday, comes into action sporting a 6-1 overall record and a 5-0 mark in the RMAC following its 49-13 Homecoming win last Saturday against Fort Lewis College, while Black Hills State comes into the contest having lost three straight games and is 1-6 overall and 1-4 in the RMAC following its 56-17 loss last Saturday at fifth-ranked Western Colorado.

Along with winning five straight games since a 36-35 home loss on Sept. 4 to Fort Hays State, the Pack has also won 21 consecutive RMAC games and 12 straight road games dating back to the 2023 season. Those two streaks are the currently the longest active conference and road win streaks in Division II football.

In last Saturday's Homecoming win over Fort Lewis, the Pack scored 21 unanswered points in both the second and fourth quarters as they racked up a season-high 556 yards of offense and gained a single-game school record 36 first downs in improving to 17-0 in Homecoming games since the football program was rebooted in 2008.

"The game meant a lot of us for a couple of reasons, with homecoming and breast cancer awareness and being able to dedicate that game to their loved ones and family members that have gone through cancer of any kind," CSU Pueblo third-year head coach Philip Vigil said. "I thought for the last four weeks in a row, these guys have focused on each week of learning from the previous game and going out in the next game and implementing it, and I thought we did that last weekend. I think it goes unseen sometimes that every week in college football, there are teams that are highly favored to win games that lose games because teams take those opponents lightly, but this team has shown that they don't do that. They focus and continue to improve each week and had another dominant performance last week."

Against the Skyhawks, the Pack rushed for 194 yards on 37 carries and tied a season-high with four rushing scores, including two from redshirt senior running back Kiahn Martinez (Denver, Colo./University of Idaho), and was 28-for-41 passing for 362 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception.

Senior quarterback Roman Fuller (Decatur, Texas/University of Tulsa) continued his strong play this season as he was 26-for-38 passing for 348 yards and had three touchdown passes and marked his ninth 200-plus yard passing game in his last 10 games.

On the season, Fuller leads the league in passing yards (1,806), passing yards per game (258.0), and passing touchdowns (19), along with being second in the league in points responsible for (126 points), and passing yards per completion (12.37) and is third in both passing efficiency (149.5 efficiency) and total offense (255.0). He is 146-for-237 passing for 1,806 yards and has had 19 touchdown passes and three interceptions, and has had a hand in 21 of the Pack's 40 touchdowns this season.

Redshirt senior receiver Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College) was the Pack's primary target in the passing game as he caught seven passes for 96 yards and had two touchdown receptions in the fourth quarter. Retzlaff made history in Saturday's game as he became the school's all-time leader in receiving yards (2,534) and tied the school's career record for receptions (152). Current Pack receivers coach Paul Browning, who played for the Pack from 2011-14, held both the school's career receiving yards mark (2,507) and receptions (152).

With his two touchdown receptions, Retzlaff pushed his career total to 34, which is tied for tops among active Division II players and tied for fifth among all active NCAA football players. Retzlaff has now caught a pass in all 28 career games with the Pack and has had two or more touchdown receptions in four of six games this season and 12 times in his Pack career.

Meanwhile, on defense, the Pack held Fort Lewis to a total of 233 yards of offense as the Skyhawks gained 105 yards rushing and 123 yards passing. In addition, the Pack forced two turnovers, recorded five sacks, and had 10 tackles for a loss. The Pack has now forced 22 turnovers this season, including leading Division II with 14 interceptions.

"I really thought that our defense played well for much of the game, except for maybe an eight minute stretch in the third quarter," added Vigil, who is now 24-6 as the Pack's head coach. "Our defense continues to fly around, force turnovers, and make things uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks."

Junior linebacker Byson Torrie (Denver, Colo./Vista Peak) paced the Pack defense with eight tackles and an interception, while senior defensive tackle Kaleb Manning (Clute, Texas/Midwestern State) and senior defensive end Stephen Nagbe, Jr. (Willingboro, N.J./Western New Mexico) each had two sacks, while sophomore defensive lineman A.J. Jordan (Colorado Springs, Colo./Vista Ridge) and junior safety Kahden Rullo (Denver, Colo./Grandview) each had a forced fumble.

On the season, the Pack defense ranks third in the RMAC in total defense (327.3 yards per game) and is second in both scoring defense (16.7 points per game) and rushing defense (109.9 yards per game). In addition, they are 11th nationally in sacks as they are averaging 3.43 per game and are tied for second nationally in defensive touchdowns with two.

One of the biggest issues for the Pack last Saturday was their ability to take care of the football, as they had four fumbles (lost two of those fumbles) and had an interception. The Pack lost the turnover battle for the first time this season as they had three turnovers to Fort Lewis' two. Despite losing the turnover battle for the first time last week, the Pack enters this week's action leading Division II football in turnovers gained (22) and is second in turnover margin (+11).

"A lot of credit goes to Fort Lewis. They did a good job defensively of rallying to the football. Most of our fumbles on Saturday were outside of the front seven. It was when we got to the second level and the defenders were coming in from behind and popping the ball out," said Vigil about his team's turnovers against Fort Lewis. "We've been really good at protecting the football all year long, so it was eye-opening on Saturday that we had those issues, but it gave us an opportunity this week to really work on protecting the football."

During the current five-game winning streak, the Pack is averaging 48.5 points per game and is averaging 461.3 yards of offense (809 rushing, 1,036 passing) per game, while on defense, the Pack is allowing 14.3 points and 292.8 yards of offense (494 rushing, 677 passing) per game. In addition, the Pack has recorded 14 sacks and has forced 14 turnovers, while they have allowed two sacks and have committed seven turnovers on offense.

Two of the keys to Saturday's game for the Pack are to be able to protect the football and start fast on offense.

"Offensively, we've got to protect the football. We didn't win the turnover battle last weekend, and that's the first time this season we have not won the turnover battle. We have to win the turnover battle and find a way to protect the football and go get the ball on defense," added Vigil. "I also think starting fast will be a big key for us this weekend."

Last Saturday's game with Fort Lewis marked the halfway point of RMAC play for the Pack, and Vigil likes his team's progress so far this season.

"I do think our team is getting better every week, and that is the most encouraging thing to me, is that we're continuing to find ways to improve and grow as a team," the Pack coach stated.

Saturday's game will be the fourth of six regular-season road games for the Pack and the first of three straight road contests. The Pack is 3-0 away from home this season, but Saturday's game will be the first for the Pack in Spearfish since the 2022 season, when the Pack earned a 38-0 win over the Yellow Jackets.

The match-up on Saturday with Black Hills State will mark the 13th all-time meeting between the two schools in a series that began in 2012. The Pack is a perfect 12-0 against the Yellow Jackets, including 7-0 at home and 5-0 in Spearfish, S.D. Last season, the Pack collected a 24-21 home win over the Yellow Jackets. Additionally, the Pack is 22-0 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. 1, with a 1:05 p.m. RMAC game in Gunnison, Colo., against fifth-ranked Western Colorado (6-0 overall, 4-0 RMAC).

ABOUT BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State comes into this weekend's action having dropped six of its first seven games this season as the Yellow Jackets are sporting a 1-6 overall record and a 1-4 mark in the RMAC after falling 56-17 last Saturday at fifth-ranked Western Colorado. The loss at Western Colorado was the third straight for Black Hills State since collecting its only win of the season at Fort Lewis (25-19) on Sept. 20.

Three of BHSU's six losses have been by single digits, including a three-point loss in its RMAC opener at Chadron State (31-28), and two of its other losses came by 12 points at then third-ranked Grand Valley State (48-36) and 14 points at home to South Dakota Mines (27-13). 

Before this season, the Yellow Jackets, who were picked to finish tied for fifth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, had posted back-to-back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in the school's Division II era as they posted a 7-4 record in 2022, and 6-5 records in both 2023 and 2024.

"Black Hills State and Coach (Josh) Breske have done a really good job against us, and the last two years that we've played them, both have come down to one-score games. Two years ago, it was a five-point game, and last year, we kicked a game-winning field goal with seven seconds left to win a game where our offense was on the field for less than 14 minutes," said Vigil when asked about Black Hills State. "We know going into this game that Black Hills State is a very good and well-coached team, and in the past, they've played us as good, if not better, than most teams we've played. We're going to have a battle on our hands in Spearfish on Saturday."

In last year's 24-21 win over the Yellow Jackets in the ThunderBowl, the Pack was outgained, 502 yards to 209 yards offensively, and held for the ball for a total of 13:18, while BHSU possessed the ball for nearly 47 minutes. Two of the three Pack's touchdowns came on blocked field goal returns for touchdowns by senior defensive back Ben Wilson (Pearland, Texas/Midwestern State) and Eli Pittman, while Jacob Willig drilled a 40-yard field goal to seal the win with seven seconds left in the contest.

Meanwhile, in the 2023 game, the Pack collected a 42-37 win in the ThunderBowl after outscoring the Yellow Jackets 28-20 in the second half. In that game, the BHSU outgained the Pack, 471 yards to 357 yards, but the Pack sealed the win with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Chance Fuller to redshirt senior receiver Andrew Cook (Tucson, Ariz./Ironwood Ridge) with 3:31 left in the game to give the Pack a 42-30 lead.

Over the past two games in the series, the Pack has outscored BHSU, 33 to 29, but BHSU has outgained the Pack, 973 yards to 566 yards, including holding a 597-345 edge in passing yards.

On offense, Black Hills State comes into the game as one of the top passing teams in the league, as they are third in the RMAC in passing offense (244.4 yards per game) and eighth in total offense, as they are averaging 309.3 yards per game and are scoring 23.9 points per game.

BHSU's offense is led by redshirt junior TJ Chukwurah, who leads the RMAC in receiving yards (716), receiving yards per game (102.3), receptions (43), and touchdown receptions (12). Chukwurah has recorded four games with 100 or more receiving yards and three games with two or more touchdown receptions on the season. In last week's loss at Western Colorado, Chukwurah caught six passes for 137 yards and had two touchdown catches, and earlier this season against Grand Valley State caught 12 passes for 182 yards and had three touchdown catches. His 12 receiving touchdowns are tops in Division II football.

In addition to Chukwurah, senior quarterback Luke Duby is 150-for-230 passing for 1,511 yards and has tossed 13 touchdowns and thrown eight interceptions. He is averaging 215.9 passing yards and 209.3 yards of total offense per game this season.

The Yellow Jackets' running game is paced by senior running back Cam Goods (58 carries, 265 yards) and junior running back Danny Davis (59 carries, 216 yards) as those two have combined for 481 yards and three touchdowns.

"Offensively, they've got some playmakers on the edge that are pretty special. TJ Chukwurah is a really good football player. Their quarterback is athletic and can make plays with his legs and arm," Vigil added about BHSU's offense.

One of the biggest strengths of the Yellow Jackets' defense this season is their ability to stop the ball, as they are fourth in the league in rushing defense as they are allowing 140.3 yards per game. In addition, they are second in the league in red zone defense, as their opponents are 17-for-27 (63 percent) in the red zone this season, and are second in the league in third-down conversion percentage defense (30.7 percent).

"Defensively, they're a bend, but don't break kind of defense. They are going to make you earn it all the way down the field. Coach (JB) Brown, their defensive coordinator, has done a really good job scheming us up the last two years and has helped keep us in check," Vigil said about BHSU's defense. "I know they're probably going to have some type of wrinkle or something different they're going to give us this week, and we're going to have to adjust and prepare for on the fly."

Leading the way defensively for the Yellow Jackets is redshirt sophomore linebacker Rune Tepolt, who leads the team in tackles with 44 and has had 4.5 tackles for a loss and three quarterback hurries. In addition to Tepolt, redshirt senior defensive tackle Kellen Collier leads the team in tackles for a loss with 6.5 and has added 39 tackles, while redshirt sophomore defensive end Isaiah Morales (5.5 TFL, 4 sacks) and redshirt senior defensive end Cooper Brown (6 TFL, 3 sacks) have combined for 11.5 tackles for a loss and seven sacks. Brown has also had six quarterback hurries.

On special teams, freshman return specialist Bryce Coulson is third in the league in kickoff returns (21.9 yards per return) and second in punt returns (8.5 yards per return). Coulson has also added a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Grand Valley State.

Freshman punter Mason Crosby is fifth in the league in punting as he is averaging 39.1 yards per punt and has had five 50-plus yard punts and has downed four punts inside the 20-yard line, while senior Ryan Ewing is 4-for-6 on field goals this season and is fifth in the league in field goals made per game (0.57).

PACK FOOTBALL NOTES

• The Pack Football Show will once again be held this season to the ThunderZone, which is located across the street from the ThunderBowl. The eighth show of the 2025 season aired on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m., with the next show scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. 
• In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, the Pack was tabbed to finish tied for first with Western Colorado, as the Pack and the Mountaineers each earned 76 points, including each team earning five first-place votes, four second-place votes, and one third-place vote.  
• The Pack's football game on Saturday at Black Hills State will be broadcast on Fox Sports Pueblo (1350 AM) with CSU Pueblo Class of 2025 Hall of Famer Jim Brooks and CSU Pueblo Assistant SID Tyler McDonough on the call. The broadcast will begin with a pregame show 30 minutes before the opening kickoff. Saturday's pregame show with Black Hills State will begin at 12:30 p.m. MT. 
• The Pack is the winningest football program in the state of Colorado, boasting a winning percentage of nearly 65.5 percent since its inception in 1963. The Pack has posted a 271-142-4 record in football since 1963. Colorado is the second-winningest team in the state, as Colorado has won 56.9 percent of its games all-time, as the Buffs have posted a 736-552-36 record. 
• The Pack's 21-game RMAC win streak is the longest active conference win streak in Division II and the second-longest RMAC win streak in school history behind its league-record 33-game RMAC win streak that spanned from 2010 to 2014. 
• Since rebooting the football program in 2008, the Pack has posted a 15-2 record following its homecoming games and has won its last seven games following homecoming since falling 35-24 at Fort Lewis in 2017.