ALAMOSA, Colo. (October 3, 2026) – Fourth-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo continued its unbeaten start to the 2026 season here Saturday afternoon as the ThunderWolves rolled up a school record 827 yards of total offense and scored on 12 possessions en route to a dominating 72-7 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over Adams State at Rex Field.
With the victory, CSU Pueblo improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the RMAC, while Adams State fell to 0-6 overall and 0-4 in league play. The Pack scored 17 points in each of the first three quarters before adding 21 in the fourth. The 827 yards of offense bettered the old school record of 764 against Fort Lewis in 2023, while the 73 points are tied for the third-most in a game in school history.
Saturday's victory extended the Pack's NCAA Division II-best conference win streak to 29 consecutive games, while also extending its NCAA Division II-best road win streak to 18 straight games. In addition it was also the Pack's 15th straight regular season victory dating to last season.
"I thought we went out there today and did our job in all three phases of the game," CSU Pueblo head coach Philip Vigil said following the game. "We took care of a business today and that was nice to see."
The ThunderWolves' offense was nearly unstoppable throughout the afternoon as the Pack finished with 827 yards of total offense, including a season-high 470 yards rushing and 357 yards through the air. CSU Pueblo averaged 10.0 yards per play, recorded a season-high 37 first downs and possessed the ball for 35:58. Meanwhile, the Pack defense limited Adams State to just 147 yards of total offense, including 77 rushing and 70 passing, and held the Grizzlies to 1-of-14 on third down.
CSU Pueblo wasted little time taking control as sophomore quarterback Navi Bruzon (Peoria, Ariz./Highland CC) capped a 98-yard scoring drive with a 12-yard touchdown run with 8:18 remaining in the opening quarter. Less than four minutes later, Bruzon connected with sophomore receiver Nyir Jones (Camden, N.J./St. Thomas Aquinas) for a 50-yard touchdown to give the Pack a 14-0 advantage just 10 minutes into the game.
Senior kicker Jackson Smith (Centennial, Colo../Santa Barbara City College) pushed the lead to 17-0 when he drilled a 50-yard field goal with 2:09 left in the opening quarter. Smith finished the game with a single-game school record 17 kicking points as he made all three of his field goals and was a perfect 7-for-7 on his extra points.
The Pack continued to pull away in the second quarter as sophomore quarterback Evan Powell (San Bernardinc, Calif./Chaffey College) scored on an eight-yard run to cap a seven-play, 73-yard drive and extend the lead to 24-0 with 11:14 left in the second quarter.
Smith added his second long field goal of the afternoon, this time from 48 yards, with 1:55 remaining in the first half before the Pack defense created another scoring opportunity junior defensive tackle. Ian Ortiz (Deming, N.M./Deming) forced an Andre Branch fumble that sophomore linebacker Johnathan Gonzales (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo County) recovered at the Adams State 32-yard line. Four plays later, Bruzon found junior tight end Colton Rose (Castle Rock, Colo./Valor Christian) for an 18-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining to send the Pack into halftime holding a commanding 34-0 lead. The touchdown was the first of Rose's Pack career.
Bruzon finished his afternoon completing 13-of-23 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 18 yards rushing and a touchdown as he finished with 263 yards of total offense. The Pack quarterbacks combined to complete 19-of-34 passes for 357 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, as Powell was 6-for-11 for 112 yards and two touchdown passes and added 33 yards rushing and two scores in the win. Powell totaled 145 yards of total offense.
Adams State scored its only points of the game early in the third quarter after recovering a CSU Pueblo fumble at the Pack 35-yard line. Jett Lewis connected with Max Minor for a 35-yard touchdown to cut CSU Pueblo's lead to 34-7.
The ThunderWolves needed just 42 seconds to answer.
Sophomore running back Jaedon Matthews (Goodyear, Ariz./Cal Poly) broke loose for a 44-yard touchdown run on the second play of the ensuing possession to push the lead to 41-7.Smith then connected on his third field goal of the game, a 25-yarder, before Powell hit junior receiver Rashawn Jackson (Venice, Calif./UNLV) for a 47-yard touchdown to give the Pack a 51-7 advantage with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter.
Powell, who took over at quarterback during the second half, accounted for four touchdowns in the victory. In addition to his eight-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, Powell opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a five-yard touchdown run before connecting with redshirt freshman receiver Cedric Mills (Dallas, Texas/Cedar Hill) on a 25-yard scoring strike that extended the Pack's lead to 65-7 with 7:19 left in the game.
Sophomore running back AJ Merrida (Houston, Texas/Adams State) completed the scoring with a five-yard touchdown run with 2:11 remaining. The touchdown capped a seven-play, 76-yard drive and gave CSU Pueblo its final 72-7 margin.
The Pack's ground attack featured four players with at least 50 rushing yards and two 100-yard rushers. Matthews led the way with a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries, averaging 17.8 yards per attempt, while Merrida added 100 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Redshirt freshman running back Caleb Llamas (Centennial, Colo./Grandview) rushed eight times for 86 yards and senior running back Moosah Alsaffar (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) added 52 yards on five carries. CSU Pueblo finished with five rushing touchdowns and averaged 9.6 yards per carry.
It marked the first time since 2018 that the Pack had two players rushed for 100 or more yards. In 2018 against Black Hills State, Austin Mucci (120 yards) and Marcus Lindsey (102 yards) each ran for over 100 yarfs.
Senior receiver Dedrek Taylor-Akins (Fontana, Calif./Northeastern State) paced the receiving corps with five receptions for 109 yards, while Jones, Jackson, Mills and Rose each caught touchdown passes. Nine different ThunderWolves caught at least one pass in the victory.
Defensively, CSU Pueblo held Adams State without an offensive first down on 13 of its first 14 possessions and forced the Grizzlies to punt 12 times. Senior defensive end Jaylen Booth (Merced, Calif./Merced College) recorded four tackles and both of the Pack's sacks, while Ortiz forced a fumble and Gonzales recovered it. Sophomore defensive back Donald Moore III (Chula Vista, Calif./Rock Academy) intercepted an Adams State pass in the closing seconds and returned it 23 yards.
The Pack will now take a week off before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 17 as they host New Mexico Highlands for a 2 p.m. Homecoming 2026 and Hall of Fame Day game in the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.
