PUEBLO, Colo. – The nationally fifth-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo football team will conclude its two-game homestand to open the 2025 season here in the ThunderBowl on Thursday, Sept. 4, as the ThunderWolves host Fort Hays State for a non-conference, Super Region Four contest. Kickoff for Thursday's Throw Back Night game is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. MT.
CSU Pueblo comes into Thursday's second straight home game of the season fresh off a 43-0 shutout victory over South Dakota Mines in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference match-up last Thursday in the ThunderBowl. The victory extended the Pack's RMAC win streak to 17 consecutive games, which is tied for the longest active conference win streak in Division II. In addition, the win was also the Pack's ninth straight regular season victory since suffering a 24-21 home loss to No. 3-ranked Grand Valley State on Sept. 14, 2024.
The shutout in the season opener against the Hardrockers was the first for the Pack since Nov. 12, 2022, when the Pack collected a 38-0 win at Black Hills State. Additionally, the shutout was the 29th in school history and the 16th since the football program resumed in 2008.
"I was pleased with the results. Anytime you can get a shutout in the first game of the game against a team like South Dakota Mines, obviously, you're doing something right defensively," CSU Pueblo third-year head coach
Philip Vigil said about his team's season-opening shutout win. "I thought on the defensive side, our guys were flying around and really attacking in every phase. It was a complete team effort on defense to pitch a shutout, especially when there were a couple of times they had short fields. We were able to block a field goal and get a couple of sacks in the red zone that pushed them out of field goal range."
Along with pitching a shutout, the Pack defense held South Dakota Mines to a total of 203 yards of offense as the Hardrockers rushed 27 times for 29 yards and were 22-for-45 passing for 174 yards. The Pack also forced four turnovers and recorded seven sacks in the win.
One of those turnovers was turned into points late in the second quarter as junior safety
Kahden Rullo (Denver, Colo./Grandview) recorded a strip sack fumble and that fumble was picked up by sophomore defensive lineman
A.J. Jordan (Colorado Springs, Colo./Vista Ridge) and returned 64 yards for a touchdown to give the Pack a 22-0 lead at the half. The fumble return for a score was the first for the Pack since Trevor Philio returned a fumble two yards for a score at South Dakota Mines on Sept. 25, 2021.
"We always talk about that we want to win the last two minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the third quarter, and I thought we did that last Thursday," Vigil said. "A.J. was running faster than I thought he could run, and Kahden (Rullo) did an excellent job getting off the edge and causing a strip sack. It was a lot of fun to watch."
Rullo, for his efforts defensively in Thursday's season opener, was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Against South Dakota Mines, he recorded five tackles, forced a fumble, had a pass break-up, and recorded both a sack and a tackle for a loss.
In addition to Rullo, the other Pack players to record a sack in the season opener were redshirt junior defensive lineman
Jaylen Booth (Merced, Calif./Merced College), junior defensive tackle
Micah Lutu (Kalihi, Hawai'i/Saguaro), junior defensive lineman
Samuel Odelami (Dallas, Texas/Cisco College), redshirt freshman linebacker
Nate Sandy (Elizabeth, Colo./Legend). In addition, sophomore defensive lineman
Davonte McCleveland (Dallas, Texas/Southern Nazarene), junior defensive lineman
Jusiah Sampleton (Giddings, Texas/Giddings), senior defensive lineman
Cameron Smith (Parker, Colo./Stephen F. Austin), and senior defensive back
Ben Wilson (Pearland, Texas/Midwestern State) each had a half-sack in the win.
While the defense was pitching a shutout, the Pack offense also played a significant role in the win, scoring five touchdowns and finishing with 397 yards of offense. The Pack offense rushed 38 times for 141 yards and was 26-for-38 passing for 256 yards.
"Offensively, we started fast and then kind of hit a little bit of a lull. I was really pleased with how we executed offensively in our opener, but we have some things we need to continue to learn and grow from," added Vigil. "In the past, games like that have been hard for us, when teams are just going to make sure that everything stays in front, and I think for the most part, that means offensively, you've got to go on eight, 10, and 12-play drives to score touchdowns, and we were able to do that against South Dakota Mines, which is a sign of a really good offense."
Senior quarterback
Roman Fuller (Decatur, Texas/University of Tulsa), who set a school record last season in completion percentage at 70 percent, finished the season opener 23-for-35 passing for 231 yards and had two touchdown passes. In addition to Fuller, redshirt freshman quarterback
Cam McGuire (Dallas, Texas/Woodrow Wilson) was 3-for-3 passing for 25 yards in his collegiate debut.
Redshirt senior receiver
Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College) and senior receiver Zach Rakowsky (Loveland, Colo./Loveland) combined to catch 12 passes for 150 yards as Retzlaff had six catches for 99 and hauled in both of Fuller's touchdown passes, while Rakowsky caught six passes for 51 yards.
With his two touchdown receptions, Retzlaff became CSU Pueblo's all-time leader in touchdown catches with 26. He entered the game tied with former Pack All-American and current Pack assistant coach
Paul Browning for first on the school's career touchdown reception chart with 24.
Retzlaff, who was the RMAC Offensive Player of the Year, a unanimous All-American, and a Harlon Hill Trophy finalist, enters this week's action as the Division II active leader in career touchdown receptions and is tied for third among active NCAA receivers in career touchdown receptions.
The Pack's offense was also effective in the red zone during the opener, going three-for-three in the win.
"I was pleased with the way we finished offensively as we were three-for-three in the red zone," added Vigil. "That is a huge goal of ours, to be 80 percent or more in the red zone, finishing with touchdowns."
In the win, nine different receivers caught a pass, and a total of 13 receivers were targeted in the passing game.
"We just have so many talented players at the receiver position. They've worked their butts off to be in a position where they have great chemistry with the quarterback," Vigil said when asked about his receiving corps. "Even the tight ends –
Tyler Dvorak and
Seth Bozzi – did a really good job on Thursday catching the football. I think everyone is on the same page offensively this year."
The Pack will be playing a school from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) for the first time since facing Nebraska-Kearney from 2008-11 when the Lopers were then members of the RMAC.
Thursday's game with Fort Hays State will be a contest with postseason implications for both teams, as the RMAC and MIAA are both in NCAA Super Region Four this season.
"This will be an exciting match-up for our team, and I think it's a game that has some playoff implications since we are both in the same region this season," the Pack coach added. "They (Fort Hays) were on the cusp of making the playoffs last year as they finished 8-3 and lost to Pitt State by one point, which kept them out of the playoffs. They are a very good team that returns a lot of guys from last year's team. They're going to be tough and we're going to have to be at our best on Thursday night."
Vigil said one of the biggest keys for his team on Thursday is how they come out and execute in a playoff-like game.
"I think one of the big keys for us is to execute at a high level in every facet of the game," added Vigil. "This game is like a playoff game for us. We are playing a playoff-caliber team, and from what we learned last year, it is an understanding that every point matters. We need to be good on offense, defense, on third down, and also in the red zone, and win the turnover battle. If we can do those things, I think we'll give ourselves a shot."
Thursday's game is the second of three straight Thursday games for the Pack to open the 2025 season and its second straight game at home.
"We're excited to play another Thursday night game in the ThunderBowl. I mean, it was awesome to see as many students as we had last Thursday. I've never seen so many students in the crowd and that was great to see," the Pack coach stated. "Our town also did a good job coming out, and I'm excited to see what the crowd is going to be like this Thursday against a very good team like Fort Hays."
Thursday's game with Fort Hays State will mark the 17th meeting between the two schools, but the first game on the gridiron since 1978 when the Pack earned a 29-6 win in Hays, Kan. The Pack holds a 9-7 all-time record in the series, including holding a 5-3 lead in the series at home. Along with being 9-7 all-time against Fort Hays State, the Pack is also 28-28 all-time against current members of the MIAA.
Following Thursday's game, the Pack will hit the road for the first time in 2025 as they travel next Thursday, Sept. 11, to Warrensburg, Mo., for a 7 p.m. CT game against the University of Central Missouri. UCM, which is on a bye week this weekend, is 0-1 on the season after suffering a 31-23 loss last Thursday in its season opener at Delta State.
ABOUT FORT HAYS STATE
Fort Hays State comes into Thursday's match-up with the Pack sporting an 0-1 record after opening the season last Thursday with a 28-7 home loss to then 13th-ranked Angelo State. The Tigers entered the season ranked No. 20 in the preseason D2Football.com Media Poll and earned votes in the preseason AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll.
In the season opener, the Tigers were outgained, 366 to 268, as FHSU rushed for 96 yards and passed for 172 yards and committed two turnovers. On defense, FHSU allowed Angelo State to rush for 148 yards and pass for 218 yards, but they recorded four sacks and collected an interception.
"We are going to see a Fort Hays team that is going to be well coached, very physical, and are going to be big and fast," Vigil said.
In the Preseason MIAA poll, the Tigers were tabbed to finish third in both the MIAA Coaches' Poll and MIAA Media Poll after finishing last season with an 8-3 record and a 6-3 mark in the MIAA and just missed an NCAA playoff berth.
The Tigers return seven starters on offense and four starters on defense from last season's team, which was ranked third in the MIAA in scoring and fourth in total offense and led the MIAA in scoring defense and was second in total defense.
"Fort Hays State is a really good football team. Defensively, they are very sound in what they do. They fly around the football and always have multiple defenders in on the tackle. They have four guys up front that can get after the quarterback, and those guys up front make it easy for the rest of the defense to play in coverage, because they can pressure the quarterback with only four players. They are stout defensively," Vigil said. "On offense, they are going to be really efficient and will be able to put up points. They will be similar to last week's opponent as they will shift and motion. Their quarterback is a veteran guy who played a lot for them last year. He can run it and can throw it as he's done a good job making plays with his legs, and when the play breaks down, he's shown he can get out there and make plays with his arms."
Vigil has a lot of familiarity with Fort Hays State and head coach Chris Brown, who is in his 14th season directing the Tigers' program. Vigil spent four seasons (2015-2018) as the passing game coordinator, recruiting coordinator, and quarterbacks coach at Fort Hays State. Brown has compiled an 89-59 record with the Tigers and has led the program to MIAA titles and back-to-back NCAA Playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018. In addition, he is a two-time MIAA Coach of the Year and was the Super Region 3 Coach of the Year in 2017.
One of the quarterbacks that Vigil coached at Fort Hays State was
Chance Fuller, who played his senior season in 2023 with the Pack and currently serves as the Pack's quarterbacks' coach.
"I know a lot about Fort Hays State, because I was on Coach Brown's staff for four years. I learned a lot from Coach Brown, and I have a lot of respect for him and the way he runs his program," said Vigil, who is 19-5 as the Pack's head coach.
Among the key players on offense for Fort Hays is junior quarterback Caleb Heavner, who was named an All-MIAA selection last season after setting a new single-season school record for completion percentage (70.2 percent), which was second in Division II. On the season, he was 141-for-201 passing for 1,649 yards with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. He was second in the MIAA in passing efficiency at 158.4, which was 17th in Division II.
In its opener against Angelo State, Heavner was 20-for-35 passing for 172 yards and had a touchdown pass and an interception and added 32 yards rushing on 12 carries and finished with 204 yards of total offense.
Other key offensive players are sophomore receiver Jabari Lewis, senior receiver Ryan Allen, and senior tight end Cale Cormaney. Lewis, who caught five passes for 44 yards in the season opener, caught 29 passes for 469 yards and had three touchdown receptions last season. He led the Tigers in yards per reception (16.2), while Allen caught 28 passes for 323 yards and Cormaney caught 32 passes for 310 yards last season en route to earning Second-Team All-MIAA honors.
The Tigers' lone touchdown against Angelo State came on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Heavner to senior Ethan Hilliman, who is a transfer from Sacred Heart University, with 1:54 left in the second quarter to cut ASU's lead to 14-7 at the half.
On defense, two of the key returners are senior linebacker John Johnson and junior defensive end Gavin Haselhorst, who were both All-MIAA selections last season. Last season, Johnson was second on the team in tackles per game (8.0) and entered the season with 230 career tackles, while Haselhorst recorded 31 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and six tackles for a loss last season. In the opener against Angelo State, Haselhorst had two sacks, six total tackles, and one forced fumble.
The special team's unit is led by redshirt freshman kicker David Arriaga and redshirt freshman punter Logan Russell. In the opener, Arriaga missed his only field goal attempt from 52 yards, and Russell averaged 45.9 yards on seven punts and put three punts inside the 20-yard line.
"They (Fort Lewis) are very talented on both sides of the ball, and we are going to need to be able to make sure that we're at our best on Thursday night against them," Vigil added.
PACK FOOTBALL NOTES
- The Pack Football Show will once again return this season to the ThunderZone, which is located across the street from the ThunderBowl. The second show of the 2025 season aired on Tuesday, Sept. 2, with the next show scheduled for Monday, Sept. 8 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.
- All of the Pack's football games, including Thursday's game with Fort Hays State, 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 opening kickoff. Thursday's pregame show with Fort Hays State will begin at 5:30 p.m. MT.
- Rocky Mountain Turf Solutions and Keg One are the sponsors for Thursday's Throw Back game.
- 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 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.
- 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 provide the food at this Thursday's tailgate.
- As a reminder to fans attending Thursday's home game with Fort Hays State, no outside food or drinks will be allowed inside the ThunderBowl.
- During the break between the third and fourth quarter, Pack Athletics will honor former women's track and field athlete Katherine Higgins, who was a national champion during the 2025 outdoor track and field season in the women's shot put, along with being the NCAA Elite 90 Award winner, the RMAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the RMAC Woman of the Year and the RMAC nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
- The Pack is the winningest football program in the state of Colorado, boasting a winning percentage of nearly 65.2 percent since its inception in 1963. The Pack has posted a 266-141-4 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 733-549-36 record.
- With the NFL season beginning this week, there are no former Pack players listed on active NFL rosters for the 2025 season. Former Pack player Mike Pennel, who has played with five NFL organizations over an 11-year career since being undrafted in 2014, was recently signed to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad after being one of the final cuts in the 2025 preseason by the Kansas City Chiefs, while Morgan Fox, who signed a two-year, 8.5 million dollar contract in the offseason with the Atlanta Falcons and is an eight-year NFL veteran defensive lineman, was cut by the Falcons after the end of training camp and is currently a free agent.
