PUEBLO, Colo. (Oct. 1, 2026) – Fourth-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo football looks to continue its unbeaten start Saturday, Oct. 3, as the ThunderWolves travel to Alamosa, Colorado, to face Adams State in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. at Rex Stadium.

The Pack enters Saturday's contest sporting a 5-0 overall record and a 3-0 mark in the RMAC following last Saturday's 35-23 Band Day victory over Colorado Mesa at the ThunderBowl. Adams State comes into the game with a 0-5 overall record and a 0-3 conference mark after falling 70-21 at then eighth-ranked Western Colorado last Saturday.

Against Colorado Mesa, the Pack overcame a 3-0 first-quarter deficit by scoring all 35 of its points during the second and third quarters. CSU Pueblo led 14-6 at halftime before scoring three third-quarter touchdowns to build a 35-9 advantage heading into the final period. The Mavericks scored their final two touchdowns in the last three minutes of the game.

The victory was the Pack's 14th consecutive regular-season win and extended its NCAA Division II-leading conference winning streak to 28 games. In addition, the Pack's current five-game win streak is tied for the fourth longest active win streak in Division II.

"For us to be up 35 to 9 going into the fourth quarter, I think, is just a testament to our team," said CSU Pueblo head coach Philip Vigil, who won his 40th career collegiate game and 33rd with the Pack last Saturday. "I think it's a testament to our defense and being able to hold them to field goals. I think it's a testament to our offense being able to be efficient and put touchdowns on the board rather than settle for field goals."

Sophomore quarterback Navi Bruzon (Peoria, Ariz./Highland CC) accounted for four of the Pack's five touchdowns against the Mavericks, completing 16-of-21 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns while rushing nine times for a team-high 47 yards and another score. His performance earned him his second RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honor of the season on Monday afternoon.

Bruzon threw touchdown passes of 28 yards to redshirt freshman receiver Cedric Mills (Dallas, Texas/Cedar Hill), two yards to senior receiver Bryce Boyd (Shakopee, Minn./St. Thomas University) and 36 yards to junior receiver Rashawn Jackson (Venice, Calif./UNLV). Sophomore running back Jaedon Matthews (Goodyear, Ariz./Cal Poly) added a four-yard touchdown run, while Bruzon capped the Pack's scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Mills, Boyd, Jackson and Matthews each scored their first touchdown in a CSU Pueblo uniform, showcasing the depth of the Pack's offense.

"That's a testament to our coaches and their ability to go and find and recruit talent to this place," Vigil said. "We've got a lot of guys that realistically are all-conference type players that are working as hard as they possibly can to get on the field."

Junior receiver Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr. (Aurora, Colo./Eastern Washington) led the Pack's receivers with four catches for 97 yards, while sophomore running back AJ Merrida (Houston, Texas/Adams State) added three receptions for 32 yards. CSU Pueblo finished with 418 yards of total offense, including 287 passing yards and 131 rushing yards.

Defensively, the Pack limited Mesa to three field goals through the first three quarters and held the Mavericks to 4-of-15 on third downs. Mesa finished with 387 yards on 81 offensive plays, including just 139 passing yards.

Sophomore linebacker Carter Daniels (Centennial, Colo./Mountain Vista) paced the defense with nine tackles and a tackle for loss, while sophomore safety Nathan Spivey, Jr. (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic) and senior safety Jason Thome (Arvada, Colo./South Dakota State) each recorded seven tackles. The Pack collected two sacks, six pass break-ups and five quarterback hurries in the victory.

Senior safety David Houston III (Austin, Texas/South Alabama) provided a key takeaway late in the third quarter, intercepting Mesa quarterback Cole Hansen and returning the ball nine yards to the Mavericks' 11-yard line. Bruzon scored on the next play to extend the Pack's lead to 35-9.

Through five games, Vigil has been pleased with his team's preparation and its ability to perform consistently in all three phases.

"You're seeing a team that week in and week out, regardless of who we're playing, is a physical football team on offense and defense and special teams," Vigil said. "I think you're seeing a team that can execute at a high level in every phase. I think you're seeing a team that plays with great effort."

Saturday will mark the Pack's third road game of the season. CSU Pueblo has won 17 consecutive road games, the longest active streak in NCAA Division II, following victories at Fort Hays State and Chadron State earlier this season.

The ThunderWolves also carry a 16-game winning streak against Adams State into Saturday's matchup. CSU Pueblo holds a 28-9 advantage in the all-time series, including a 12-4 record in Alamosa. The Pack won last season's meeting 55-7 at the ThunderBowl and earned a 66-10 victory in its last visit to Rex Stadium in 2024.

As the Pack prepares for the Grizzlies, Vigil said the emphasis remains on improving its own execution.

"For us, we concentrate on a faceless opponent," Vigil said. "We focus on trying to always find ways to improve and get better."

CSU Pueblo enters the weekend leading the RMAC in total offense at 498.0 yards per game, passing offense at 311.2 yards per game and third-down conversions at 52.5 percent. The Pack is averaging 38.4 points and 186.8 rushing yards per contest.

Bruzon has completed 93-of-141 passes for 1,533 yards and 16 touchdowns, with three interceptions. He is completing 66 percent of his passes and has added 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He ranks second nationally in Division II in passing touchdowns, points responsible for (114), and passing yards and is third nationally in Division II in passing yards per game (306.6) and total offense per game (330.2).

Honeycutt and Dedrek Taylor-Akins have combined for 50 receptions, 944 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Honeycutt has 26 catches for 491 yards and five scores, while Taylor-Akins has caught 24 passes for 453 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore running back Russell Patton (Denver, Colo./MLK Jr. Early College) leads the rushing attack with 321 yards and two touchdowns, while Matthews has added 231 yards and a score.

On defense, CSU Pueblo leads the conference in scoring defense, allowing 17.6 points per game. The Pack has recorded 16 sacks and six interceptions while limiting opponents to a 52.9 percent completion rate.

Daniels leads the team with 48 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, while senior safety Kahden Rullo (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) is second in tackles with 26 and has had four pass break-ups and an interception. Houston has a team-high two interceptions, while senior defensive end Jaylen Booth (Merced, Calif./Merced College) leads the team in sacks (3.5) and is tied for the team lead in tackles for a loss (6.5).

Against Adams State's option-oriented offense, Vigil said stopping the run and making the most of offensive possessions will be important.

"Defensively, we have to find ways to get turnovers, and I think our defense has done a good job of that all year long," Vigil said. "We have to find a way defensively to stop the run. I think this is going to be another game where they're going to try to keep the offense off the field and possess the football."

Protecting the ball also remains a priority for the Pack, which enters Saturday with a plus-two turnover margin.

"We've got to do a better job of protecting the football," Vigil said. "Offensively, we have to be able to be efficient and find ways to move the football and keep our defense off the field."

Following Saturday's contest, the Pack will have an open date on Oct. 10 before returning to the ThunderBowl to host New Mexico Highlands for Homecoming 2026 and Hall of Fame Day on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m., in the ThunderBowl.

ABOUT ADAMS STATE
Adams State is led by second-year head coach Levi Gallas, a former Grizzlies player who returned to his alma mater after serving as defensive coordinator at West Texas A&M. The Grizzlies are seeking their first victory of the season and looking to snap a 33-game losing streak.

ASU is averaging 23.0 points and 335.2 yards of total offense per game, including 186.4 rushing yards and 148.8 passing yards. The Grizzlies displayed their rushing potential in their season opener against Western New Mexico, gaining 476 yards on the ground and finishing with 627 yards of total offense.

Senior running back Andre Branch leads the Grizzlies with 464 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 74 carries. Branch is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and 92.8 rushing yards per game and is third in the RMAC in all-purpose yards per game (118.0) and has caught nine passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Gabe McFarland has added 141 rushing yards and two scores.

Branch is tied for second in the league in touchdowns with six and averages 7.2 points per game, which is tied for seventh-best in the RMAC.

Freshman Khalil Abdul-Aziz is listed as the starting quarterback on this week's depth chart. In three appearances, he has completed 36-of-70 passes for 363 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Senior Frank Arcuri has also seen action, throwing for 265 yards and a touchdown.

Senior tight end Kayden LaFramboise leads ASU with 15 receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown. Freshman receiver Traven Vigenser has six catches for 154 yards, while fifth-year senior receiver Max Minor has caught five passes for 78 yards and a team-high two receiving touchdowns.

Defensively, the Grizzlies are allowing 54.8 points and 527.4 yards per game, including 267.6 rushing yards and 259.8 passing yards. Junior safety Thomas Perea leads the team with 25 tackles and has one interception, while senior linebacker Zachary Ray has recorded 24 tackles and three tackles for loss. Senior outside linebacker Benjamin Rodriguez has added 23 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception.

On special teams, freshman kicker Anthony Arnusch is 4-for-5 on field goals and a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points, while freshman Landon Bobo is 1-for-1 on field goals, which was a 44-yarder and is 6-for-6 on extra points. The Grizzlies have also used two punters this season as Bobo has punted nine times and is averaging 48.8 yards per punt and has had five 50-plus yard punts and freshman Jacob McGarvey has punted 19 times and is averaging 33.7 yards per punt. The Grizzlies have had three punts blocked this season.

In the return game, sophomore receiver Garrett O'Brien is eighth in the RMAC in kickoff returns as he is averaging 17.5 yards per return and is averaging 2.3 punt return yards per game. O'Brien is averaging 60 all-purpose yards per game.

PACK FOOTBALL NOTES