PUEBLO, Colo. – Fifth-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo and 22nd-ranked Chadron State will close out the football regular season here Saturday, Nov. 15, as the remaining two undefeated teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference do battle in the ThunderBowl for the right to claim the 2025 league title and earn the RMAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Playoffs. 
 
Before Saturday's nationally ranked Senior Day showdown in the ThunderBowl, the ThunderWolves will honor their 23-member senior class in a pregame ceremony that is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. The 2025 seniors are defensive lineman Sam Amponsah (Romeoville, Ill./McKendree), offensive lineman Arthur Braach (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East), tight end Seth Bozzi (Hawthorne, Nev./American River College), receiver Andrew Cook (Tucson, Ariz./Ironwood Ridge), running back Devin Cross (Pflugerville, Texas/Midwestern State), defensive back Kellen Curtis (Anchorage, Alaska/Southwest Baptist), tight end Tyler Dvorak (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek), quarterback Roman Fuller (Decatur, Texas/University of Tulsa), defensive tackle Rashard Jackson (Upper Marlboro, Md./Wheeling), offensive lineman Jaiden Jones (Dallas, Texas/Tyler JC), defensive tackle Kaleb Manning (Clute, Texas/Midwestern State), running back Kiahn Martinez (Denver, Colo./University of Idaho), cornerback Keith Mckaney, Jr. (Avondale, Ariz./Desert Edge), senior defensive end Stephen Nagbe, Jr. (Willingboro, N.J./Western New Mexico), offensive lineman Domingo Prince II (Aurora, Colo./Cherry Creek), receiver Zack Rakowsky (Loveland, Colo./Loveland), receiver Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College), receiver Reece Robinson (Los Angeles, Calif./Antelope Valley), cornerback Jaylen Shaw (McKinney, Texas/Midwestern State), safety Peyton Shaw, defensive lineman Cameron Smith (Parker, Colo./Stephen F. Austin), receiver Cedric Tillman (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo South), and defensive back Ben Wilson (Pearland, Texas/Midwestern State).
 
"It's hard to put into words what this group of seniors means to me. This group is really, really special to me. Their leadership throughout this entire year has been phenomenal and they have been drivers of our culture," CSU Pueblo third-year head coach Philip Vigil said about this year's seniors. "They take ownership every single day and want to improve and get better. It's just a real special group that I'm excited to be able to honor for one last time here in the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl and hopefully be able to send them out the right way."
 
One of the biggest honors for the Pack football seniors is to put their faces on the wall if they win a conference championship and that is something they can accomplish with a win Saturday afternoon.
 
"We have an opportunity this week to put our seniors' faces on the wall, which is a big deal. We've got photos of each senior class that has won a conference championship on the walls inside the Pack House. The tradition goes back to 2011, when they won their first championship," Vigil said. "It is a big deal for the seniors, and I told our staff that I want to do everything possible to make sure we can help put our guys in the right position to be able to do that."
 
Saturday's game for the RMAC Championship was set up thanks to overtime wins last weekend by both teams, as the Pack rallied from a 28-6 deficit with 4:07 left in the second quarter to post a 41-34 come-from-behind overtime win at Colorado School of Mines, while Chadron State trailed 14-0 after the first quarter in its home game against then 11th-ranked Western Colorado, before rallying to post a 27-24 overtime win on a walk-off field goal by the Eagles.
 
Both overtime wins helped improve each team to 8-0 in league play to set up a winner-take-all showdown for the RMAC title this weekend. The Pack, who is sporting a 9-1 overall record and is ranked fourth in the latest NCAA Division II Super Region Four rankings, is looking to repeat as the league champion and earn its 10th all-time RMAC title, while Chadron State, who is sporting an 8-2 overall record and is ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Division II Super Region Four rankings, is seeking its second league title since winning three straight RMAC titles from 2006 through 2008.
 
The Pack enters Saturday's regular season finale having won eight straight games and 24 straight RMAC games, which is currently the longest active conference win streak in Division II football. Additionally, the eight-game win streak is tied for the eighth-longest active streak in Division II. Meanwhile, Chadron State also comes into play, having won eight straight games since suffering a 41-21 loss in the second week of the season at Nebraska-Kearney.
 
"I expect the atmosphere to be electric on Saturday and this weekend's game to have a lot of energy on both sidelines. I expect it will feel much like a playoff game, like we've experienced the past two weeks in games at both Western Colorado and Mines," added Vigil, who is 27-6 as the Pack's head coach.
 
The win last Saturday at Mines marked the second straight week that the Pack rallied from a 20-plus point deficit to post a comeback win. After rallying from a 21-0 deficit just seven minutes into the second quarter two weeks ago to post a 24-21 win at Western Colorado, the Pack rallied from a 22-point deficit with 4:07 left in the second quarter to claim a 41-34 overtime win at Mines. The 22-point comeback win at Mines is the largest come-from-behind win in school history.
 
"I am just really proud of this group of players and proud of their ability to stay resilient and not allow the scoreboard to affect the way they play," Vigil said. "This group believed the whole way through. We made enough plays in the second quarter and second half to really turn the tide and allowed our guys to be able to go out and make plays, and ultimately that was the difference in the game."
 
The comeback win was keyed by both a strong effort on defense after halftime and an offense that outscored the Orediggers, 28-6, in the second half and overtime, including capping the comeback with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Retzlaff in overtime. The Pack sent the game into overtime thanks to a 32-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to junior receiver Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr. (Denver, Colo./Eastern Washington) with 56 seconds left in regulation.
 
Meanwhile, on defense, the Pack held Mines to just two field goals and a total of 96 yards of offense after halftime, after allowing four touchdowns and 266 yards of offense, including rushing for 178 yards, in the first half, which helped stake Mines to a 28-13 halftime lead.
 
"They (Mines) were doing some different things offensively in the run game that we hadn't seen and it caught us off guard a little bit, but Coach (Caid) Faske and the defensive staff did a really good job at halftime correcting those things and we were able to limit them offensively in the second half which was huge for us because offensively, we needed all the time we could to get some points on the scoreboard," Vigil said.
 
One of the biggest issues for the Pack in Saturday's game against Mines was turnovers, as the Pack lost the turnover battle (4-2) for the first time since the Fort Lewis game on Oct. 11, as the Pack had two fumbles and Fuller tossed two first-half interceptions. He entered the game having thrown just three interceptions on the season.
       
"Turnovers were a key for both teams on Saturday. We struggled with turnovers in the first half as Fuller threw some uncharacteristic interceptions, but did a much better job in the second half taking care of the ball offensively," added Vigil.
 
Both of Mines' turnovers came after halftime as they muffed a punt with 10:11 in the fourth quarter and the muffed punt led to a 14-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Retzlaff that brought the Pack within 34-27 with 9:23 remaining in regulation, while its second turnover came in overtime as Mines quarterback Joseph Capra tossed an interception that was picked off by Peyton Shaw to seal the victory. The interception was Shaw's team-leading fourth of the year.
 
"When you look at the statistics of winning and losing games, and if you're plus two in the turnover battle, 85 percent of the time you win those games, and Mines was plus two. It's been a strength of ours all season long, winning the turnover battle, but it did not help us on Saturday. We've got to do a better job offensively of taking care of the ball," Vigil stressed. "That interception by Peyton (Shaw) was huge and sealed the game for us."
 
The Pack enters this week's action sitting 12th in Division II in turnover margin (+10), is third in Division II in turnovers gained (25) and leads the RMAC and is fourth nationally in interceptions with 16.
 
While the Pack defense had a strong second half, so too did the Pack offense, as they finished the game with 429 yards, as they rushed for 161 yards rushing on 32 carries and Fuller was 28-for-48 passing for 268 yards, and along with the two interceptions, he also tossed four touchdown passes, including three to Retzlaff. In the first half, the Pack offense gained 190 yards on 25 plays, but in the second half, they gained 239 yards on 55 plays.
 
"Our offense was really efficient in the second half and were able to move the ball downfield and get some big plays in both the passing and run game," the Pack coach said.
 
One area Vigil was pleased with in Saturday's game was his team's two-minute offense in both halves. At the end of the first half, the Pack took over the ball with 1:36 left in the second quarter and drove 80 yards in eight plays, and capped the drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Retzlaff with 12 second left in the quarter to cut Mines' lead to 28-13 at the half, and then at the end of the fourth quarter, the Pack took over the ball with 2:58 left in the quarter and drove 73 yards in eight plays and capped the drive with Honeycutt's 32-yard touchdown catch with 56 seconds left to tie the game at 34.
 
"Twice in the game, we had two-minute situations. One at the end of the first half and the other at the end of the fourth quarter, where we were able to go down and put touchdowns on the board. We also didn't have any sacks on those two drives, and the offense did a good job of taking what the defense gave us," added Vigil. "Ultimately, those two drives were the difference in the game. In those pressure situations when we needed it most, the offense took the ball and went down and scored."
 
Retzlaff, who was named this week's RMAC Offensive Player of the Week and the NFF Colorado Chapter Player of the Week, caught eight passes for 82 yards in the win, and his three touchdown catches pushed his season total to 13, which set a new single-season school record for touchdown receptions. Retzlaff has now caught 37 career touchdown passes, which is tied for the fourth most in the state of Colorado history and second among active Division II players.
 
In addition to Retzlaff, Honeycutt, Jr. caught three passes for 73 yards and added 75 yards on two kickoff returns to finish with 148 all-purpose yards.
 
Martinez and redshirt freshman running back Russell Patton (Denver, Colo./MLK Jr. Early College) played a big role in Saturday's game on the ground as Martinez rushed for a season-high 112 yards and pushed his career total to 1,602 yards, which is 15th on the school's career rushing chart, while Patton gained 57 yards rushing on nine carries and scored a touchdown on a one-yard run in the third quarter. Martinez is one of 15 players in school history to rush for 1,600 or more yards.
 
Entering Saturday's regular season finale, Fuller continues to lead the RMAC in passing yards (2,779), passing yards per game (277.9), and touchdown passes (27), and is second in total offense (274.5), passing yards per completion (12.81), and completions per game (21.70). On the season, Fuller is 217-for-353 passing for 2,779 yards and has had a hand in 29 of the Pack's 52 touchdowns. He currently is fourth on the school's single-season charts for pass attempts (353), fifth in single-season pass completions (217) and passing yards (2,779), tied for fourth in single-season touchdowns (27), and fifth in single-season total offense (2,746).
 
Meanwhile, Retzlaff comes into Saturday's game second in the RMAC in receiving yards per game (84.0), and receptions (6.0), and is third in both receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (13), and is fourth in total touchdowns (13). The 13 receiving touchdowns are third in the league and fourth in Division II.
 
Saturday's game will feature the RMAC's top offense against the league's top defense. The Pack comes into the game leading the league in scoring (40.6 ppg), total offense (446.4), passing offense (290.6), red zone offense (95.5 percent), while Chadron State comes into the game leading the league in total defense (284.8), passing efficiency defense (98.25), first down defense (153), third-down percentage defense (29.3 percent), passing defense (157.5) and fumbles recovered (9).
 
"Chadron State is a very good football team. They're doing a lot of things right. Defensively, they are one of the top teams in the league. They've done a good job in recruiting and shoring up their back end, as they have some guys that can really cover. Their front seven has always been phenomenal and is that way again this season," Vigil said. "Offensively, they're going to hang their hat on running the ball, and they have an athletic quarterback and one of the most explosive receivers in the league in Tommy Thomas."
 
Vigil says that for his team to be successful against a good Chadron State team on Saturday, the Pack needs to win the turnover battle on both sides of the ball, create some explosive plays on offense and limit them on defense.
 
"First and foremost, we have to win the turnover battle. We have to find ways to protect the ball offensively, and we have to find ways to get it on the defensive side," added Vigil. "Next to that is going to be explosive plays. If we can create some explosives on offense and limit their explosives, that will go a long way toward creating opportunities for us to be in the red zone. As we've proven all year long, our red zone offense has been one of our strengths throughout the year."
 
Another key to the game, according to Vigil, is for the Pack offense to be efficient on offense.
 
"We need to be efficient offensively on Saturday. Chadron State plays complementary football. They're really good on defense, but they also hold the ball a long time on offense. They lead the RMAC in time of possession, so I imagine they're going to try to hold on to the ball and shorten the game to keep it away from our offense," said Vigil. "We need to be efficient with the possessions we have on offense, and that goes back to third-down efficiency."
 
Saturday's game will mark the third straight playoff-like game for the Pack in November and its second game this month against a nationally ranked team.
 
"Our team has played and performed well in big games this season, especially the past few weeks against Western Colorado and Mines. We gained a lot of confidence this season playing in big games and big moments," said Vigil. "We've had two back-to-back really hard games that seemed very much like a playoff game, and I expect this one on Saturday to feel the same way."
 
Saturday's game will mark the 17th all-time meeting in the series that began in 2008. The Pack holds a commanding 15-1 edge in the series and have won 15 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. Last season, the Pack trailed 21-7 at the half, before rallying to post a 38-21 win in Chadron, Neb., to earn its first outright RMAC title in 2013 and its ninth all-time league title in football.
Following Saturday's game, the Pack will then turn its attention to the postseason as the NCAA will announce the 32-team NCAA Division II Playoff field at 4 p.m. MT on Sunday online at www.NCAA.com. The NCAA Division II Playoffs will consist of 32 teams (16 automatic conference champion qualifiers and 16 at-large teams - four per region) across four regions, with the top four teams in the region being seeded. The first round of the playoffs is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22. The national semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13 with the championship game scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 20 in McKinney, Texas. The semifinals and finals will be broadcast on one of the ESPN broadcast networks.

ABOUT CHADRON STATE
Chadron State, much like the Pack, comes into Saturday's game having won eight straight games and is sporting an 8-2 overall record and an unblemished 8-0 record in RMAC play. The Eagles have won eight games in a season for the first time since going 8-3 during the 2014 season and enter the game looking to win their second RMAC title since the 2008 season.

After opening the season losing its first two games at Northern Colorado (17-3) and at Nebraska-Kearney (41-21), the Eagles opened RMAC play with a 31-28 win at home against Black Hills State. In fact, four of CSC's eight wins this season have come by one score as they won 34-28 at Mines, 34-27 at home against Colorado Mesa, and 27-24 in overtime at home to then 11th-ranked Western Colorado.

"Chadron State has had a tremendous season. They have done a good job of recruiting and putting together a team that can not only compete for RMAC Championships, but also compete nationally," Vigil said when asked about Chadron State. "They do a really good job on both sides of the ball."

Perhaps the biggest strength for Chadron State, which former Eagles player Jay Long coaches, is their defense as they enter Saturday's game leading the RMAC in total defense and passing defense, and is third in scoring defense. The Eagles are allowing just 284.8 yards per game and 157.5 passing yards per game, and their opponents are scoring 19.7 points per game.

On the season, the Eagles have held seven of its first 10 opponents to less than 325 yards of offense and have allowed only one team, Black Hills State, to gain more than 375 yards of offense this season. In addition, the Eagles have held five opponents to less than 20 points, including posting a 41-0 shutout win at Fort Lewis and earning a 45-2 win at Adams State.

"Chadron is going to create chaos on defense. They blitz quite a bit, and they're really high up there in sacks and tackles for a loss in our conference," Vigil said about Chadron's defense. "They might be one of the best defenses we've seen all season."

Chadron comes into Saturday's game having recorded 24 sacks and 66 tackles for a loss and have forced 11 fumbles, picked off nine passes, and have recovered a league-best nine fumbles.

Among the top performers for Chadron State's defense is senior linebacker Logan O'Brien. O'Brien, who has earned a league-best four RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, leads the team in tackles with 72, including 44 solo stops, and has had 14 tackles for a loss, five sacks, has picked off two passes, which have been returned for touchdowns, broken up five passes, and has forced two fumbles. O'Brien leads the league in tackles for a loss and is third in sacks.

In addition to O'Brien, junior linebacker Cooper Walton has tallied 56 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks, while redshirt junior defensive end William Stemler has recorded 44 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, five pass break-ups, and has forced two fumbles and redshirt senior safety Dax Yeradi has tallied 46 tackles, four pass break-ups and has picked off two passes.

"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 are averaging 30.8 points and 382.0 yards per game. In addition, they lead the league in time of possession and are fourth in the league in rushing, as they are averaging 185.6 yards per game.

The Eagles have played three different quarterbacks this season because of injuries. The starter most of the season has been redshirt junior Aidan Thompson. Thompson, who sat out last Saturday's game with Western Colorado, is a dual-threat quarterback as he is averaging 140.0 passing yards and 27.8 rushing yards per game and is sixth in the RMAC in total offense as he is averaging 188.8 yards per game.
On the season, Thompson, who was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week following the Mines game on Sept. 22, is 104-for-167 passing for 1,260 yards and has had 18 touchdown passes and four interceptions.

Along with Thompson, graduate student DJ Ralph is the back-up quarterback as he is 61-for-107 passing for 659 yards and has had five touchdown passes and five interceptions. Ralph started at quarterback in last Saturday's win over Western Colorado.

Other key offensive players include redshirt senior receiver Tommy Thomas, redshirt freshman running back Quincey Ryker, and junior running back Daytuawn Pearson.

Much like Retzlaff, Thomas is one of the top receivers in the RMAC and Division II as he has caught 65 passes for 812 yards and he has caught 14 touchdown passes, which is second in both the RMAC and Division II. He is averaging 12.5 yards per reception and 81.2 yards per game and enters Saturday's game sitting fourth among active Division II players with 30 career receiving touchdowns. In last week's win over Western Colorado, Thomas caught four passes for 66 yards and hauled in two touchdown receptions.

"Offensively, they've got an athletic quarterback that runs and throws. He's making great decisions with the ball and is not turning the ball over too much," Vigil said. "They've got one of the most explosive receivers on their team in (Tommy) Thomas. He is a phenomenal football player, and they do a good job of finding ways to get him the football, whether it's on jet sweeps or throwing the ball vertically down the field as he creates issues with his speed."

The Eagles' ground attack is paced by Ryker and Pearson. Ryker has rushed for 650 yards and has scored five touchdowns, and is averaging 72.2 yards per game and 6.0 yards per rush, while Pearson has gained 510 yards and has scored one touchdown and is averaging 56.7 yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. Ryker and Pearson and fourth and sixth in the league in rushing.

The Eagles are also strong on special teams as they have one of the top kickers in the league in senior kicker Wilson Yee. Yee, who kicked a 47-yard game-winning field goal in overtime to give the Eagles a 27-24 win over Western Colorado, is 13-for-18 on field goals and is 33-for-34 on extra points. Yee has scored 72 points, which is seventh in the league. His 1.3 field goals per game are third in the league, while his 72.2 field goal percentage is also third in the RMAC.

"They have a very talented kicker who has a really big leg. His career-long field goal is a 61-yarder," added Vigil.

Along with Yee, redshirt senior punter Brodie Eisenbaum is second in the RMAC in punting as he is averaging 43.7 yards per punt and has put 16 punts inside the 20-yard line and has recorded 10 punts of 50 or more yards.

In the return game, redshirt sophomore Chase Nelson is third in the league in punt returns as he is averaging 20.5 yards per return, while Nelson is also third in the league in punt returns as he is averaging 8.6 yards per return. As a team, CSC leads the RMAC and is seventh nationally in Division II in kickoff return defense (14.6) and is third in the league in punt return defense (5.1).

PACK FOOTBALL NOTES

• The Pack Football Show will once again be held this season at the ThunderZone, which is located across the street from the ThunderBowl. The 11th show of the 2025 season aired on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m., with the next show scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. 
• In the third edition of the 2025 NCAA Division II Super Region 4 rankings that was released on Monday, the Pack was one of three RMAC schools ranked as the Pack was ranked fourth, while Chadron State was ranked No. 6 and Western Colorado is ranked No. 9.
• Saturday's game with Chadron State will be broadcast on Fox Sports Pueblo (1350 AM) with Jim Brooks and Joe Cervi on the call. Saturday's broadcast will begin with a pregame show 30 minutes before the opening kickoff. Saturday's pregame show with Fort Lewis will begin at 12:30 p.m. MT.
• Saturday's game day sponsors are Pepsi, Farmers Insurance and Sun West Credit Union.
• Along with celebrating Senior Day on Saturday, the Pack is also scheduled to have Military Appreciation Day to celebrate Veterans' Day.
• The Hospitality Tailgate (formally 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 each of this season's home games. This space is reserved for Pack Club members, corporate sponsors, and special guests. Dickey's Bar-B-Que will again provide the food at this Saturday's tailgate. 
• At the end of the first quarter during the quarter break of Saturday's game, the Pack will recognize the 2024 Pack football team as the seniors from the 2024 team will receive their RMAC Championship rings.
• The RMAC has announced that the RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view model for both the regular season and postseason. Viewers of the RMAC Network will be able to purchase access to the network via a single-game pass, as well as monthly and yearly passes. A monthly subscription costs $25, while an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes for the network are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
• The Pack's home football games this season that will air on the RMAC Network will also be broadcast live on KRDO Plus 13.3 over-the-air channel.
• As a reminder to fans attending all Pack home football games this season, no outside food or drinks will be allowed inside the ThunderBowl.
• The Pack is the winningest football program in the state of Colorado, boasting a winning percentage of nearly 65.7 percent since its inception in 1963. The Pack has posted a 274-142-4 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 the Buffs have posted a 736-555-36 record. 
• Saturday's game will mark the 204th game played since the restart of the Pack football program in 2008. Since 2008, the Pack have posted a 160-43 record.
• Saturday's game marks the Pack's third of three regular-season games in November as the Pack has posted a 67-41-1 record in the month since 1963, including being 39-11 in the month since 2008.