PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo Football marked the conclusion of spring practice here Friday evening by splitting into two teams – Red and Blue and played its annual Spring Game in front of nearly 400 fans at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.

"It was an amazing way to conclude spring tonight. We completed the draft yesterday, and it was great to come out today and compete. What an exciting game it was," CSU Pueblo head football coach Philip Vigil said following Friday night's spring game. "I wasn't sad at the end of it because I was winning either way tonight. We had a great time tonight and the guys competed. We saw some good things and, some things we need to correct, but the most important thing is we got out healthy, which is huge for us moving into the off-season and the summer."

Vigil, who is entering his third season as the Pack's head coach this coming fall, was pleased with the work his team put in during the spring.

"Our guys put in a lot of work this spring. They've gotten better from practice one to practice 15 and we've got to keep getting better as the off-season progresses," added Vigil.

The Red Team secured the win 27-20 win thanks to a 20-yard fumble return on a backward pass for a touchdown by redshirt freshman linebacker Carter Thorp (Falcon, Colo./Falcon).

Thorp's defensive score was the second of the game for the Red Team as junior linebacker Gary Seidenberger (Fredericksburg, Texas/Fredericksburg) picked off a pass from Blue Team senior quarterback Roman Fuller (Decatur, Texas/University of Tulsa) on the third offensive play of the game and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown just a little over two minutes into the contest.

In Friday's spring game, the teams played two 15-minute quarters in the first half and played two eight-minute quarters in the second half.

For the game, the offenses combined for 120 plays and gained 555 yards as the Blue Team ran 70 plays for 385 yards as they rushed 32 times for 85 yards and were 19-for-38 passing for 300 yards. Meanwhile, the Red Team gained 127 yards on 50 plays as they rushed 28 times for 5 yards and were 14-for-22 passing for 122 yards. Both teams threw an interception, and the Blue Team also had a fumble that led to the game-winning touchdown drive.

Along with Seidenberger's 25-yard interception return for a score on the game's first drive, the Red Team also added another score late in the first quarter as redshirt freshman quarterback Cam McGuire (Dallas, Texas/Woodrow Wilson) hooked up with sophomore receiver Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr. (Aurora, Colo./Eastern Washington) for a 9-yard touchdown drive to cap a 12-play, 53 yards drive.

The only score in the second quarter came on an 18-yard pass from Fuller to junior receiver Verlis Smith (Modesto, Calif./Ceres) with 36 seconds left in the quarter to pull the Blue Team within 13-6. The two-point conversion try failed to give the Red Team a 13-6 halftime lead.

Smith caught a 20-yard pass from Fuller with 2:38 left in the third quarter and junior kicker Evan Lyons (Superior, Colo./Monarch) added the extra point to tie the game at 13-all. The drive started after senior defensive back Kellen Curtis (Anchorage, Alaska/Southwest Baptist) picked off a McGuire pass on the Red Team's second offensive possession of the second half.

After a three-and-out by the Blue Team on the Red Team's next possession, the Blue Team took a 20-13 lead on a 74-yard pass from Fuller to sophomore receiver Layton Duncan (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy Prep). Duncan's 74-yard pass reception was the longest play of the spring game.

The Red Team tied the game at 20 about midway through the fourth quarter as sophomore quarterback Brayden Dorman (Colorado Springs, Colo./University of Arizona) hooked up with senior receiver Reece Robinson (Los Angeles, Calif./Antelope Valley) for a 39-yard touchdown reception.

Following Thorp's score on the fumble recovery, the Blue Team had a chance to tie the game as they took the ball at their 25-yard line with 1:41 left in the game. The Blue Team ran 12 plays and got to the Red Team's 10-yard line with six seconds left, but one a fourth-and-goal play, Fuller's pass to Smith in the end zone was complete, but Smith caught the ball out-of-bounds as the clock hit all zeroes.

"There were a lot of exciting plays and a lot of hitting tonight on the field. The players were energetic and competitive, and they don't like to lose," the coach added.

Fuller finished the night 14-for-28 passing for 252 yards and had three touchdown passes and an interception, while junior quarterback Chase Nelson (Monmouth, Ore./Adams State) was 5-for-10 passing for 48 yards.

Senior running back Emanuel Fincher (McKinney, Texas/McKinney North) paced the Blue Team's ground attack with 56 yards and 14 carries, while junior running back Moosah Alsaffar (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) added 42 yards on 13 carries.

Smith caught eight passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore Darian Martin (Fountain, Colo./Fountain-Fort Carson) caught four passes for 74 yards. The Blue Team had eight players catch a pass for the game.

For the Red Team, McGuire was 8-for-14 passing for 44 yards and had a touchdown pass and an interception, while Dorman was 6-for-8 for 78 yards and a touchdown pass.

Redshirt freshman running back Russell Patton (Denver, Colo./Dr. MLK Jr. Early College) had 30 yards rushing on seven carries. Redshirt senior receiver Andrew Cook (Tucson, Ariz./Ironwood Ridge), who missed the 2024 season due to injury, caught four passes for 46 yards to lead the Red Team.

The Blue Team defense finished with six sacks and 11 tackles for loss in the game, while the Red Team had two sacks, including 1.5 from redshirt junior defensive lineman Jaylen Booth (Merced, Calif./Merced College) and six tackles for a loss. The Red Team also broke up 10 passes, including four break-ups by sophomore defensive back Matteus Bugg (Gilbert, Ariz./Williams Field).

Fifth-year senior defensive lineman Sam Amponsah (Romeoville, Ill./McKendree) paced the Blue Team defense with five tackles, a sack, and 2.5 tackles for a loss. Redshirt freshman linebacker Nate Sandy (Elizabeth, Colo./Legend) paced the Red Team with nine tackles, while redshirt freshman defensive back Jonathan Gonzales (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo County) had 5.5 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

The Pack will kick off its 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 28 as they host South Dakota Mines for a 6 p.m. game in the ThunderBowl. Season tickets for the 2025 season will go on sale on May 1.