Colorado Mesa will make its first appearance in the NCAA Playoffs since 2007 when it plays at No. 8 Texas A&M - Commerce Saturday (Nov. 12). 

Series History
Saturday will be the first meeting between Colorado Mesa and Texas A&M - Commerce. 

Polls
Texas A&M - Commerce is ranked eighth and Colorado Mesa is tied for 24th in the latest American Football Coach's Association Poll. 

NCAA Playoffs
This year marks the fifth time that CMU has qualified for the NCAA Playoffs. The Mavericks are 1-3 all-time in the NCAA Playoffs. Complete history on page five. 

Conference Champs
Colorado Mesa won the 2016 RMAC Championship with a 48-38 win over South Dakota Mines. The Mavericks finished with an 8-2 RMAC record. The conference title is the 11th in program history. 

Blocks
For the second straight week Dustin Rivas blocked a field goal and for the second straight week Antonio Clark returned it for a touchdown last weekend against No. 13 Azusa Pacific. 

Scoring in the Red Zone
Colorado Mesa leads the RMAC and ranks seventh in Div. II in red zone offense at 90-percent (54-60). CMU has scored a touchdown 58-percent (35-60) of the time in the red zone. 

Players of the Week
Blake Nelson was named the defensive player of the week for his dominating play at defensive end against No. 13 Azusa Pacific. The Centennial, Colo., native recorded a game-high 13 tackles, including three for a loss of eight yards. He recorded one sack, five quarterback hurries and tipped one pass that was intercepted. Nelson blocked a 48-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Dustin Rivas was named the special teams player of the week. The Thornton, Colo., native blocked a 23-yard field goal attempt that was returned 80-yards by Antonio Clark. This was the second straight week that Rivas blocked a field goal that was returned for a touchdown by Antonio Clark. Rivas has blocked four kicks this season, third most in Div. II.

Scoring Offense
Colorado Mesa ranks eighth in Div. II in scoring offense averaging 42.9 points per game. 

Blocked Kicks
Colorado Mesa has blocked six kicks this season, best in the RMAC and 13th in NCAA Div. II. 

Special Teams Player of the Year
Kicker Ryan Sheehan was named the RMAC Special Teams Player of the Year and a frist-team All-RMAC selection. Ryan Sheehan ranks second in Div. II in field goals per game with 2.0, seventh in field goal percentage at 81.5-percent and 13th in scoring with 10.6 points per game. The Chandler, Ariz., native converted 22-of-27 field goals with a long of 45-yards. Sheehan was a perfect 51-for-51 on extra points.

First-Team All-Conference
Colorado Mesa had three players join Sheehan on the first-team; safety Dustin Rivas, defensive end Blake Nelson and offensive lineman Austin Fleer. 
Rivas ranks third in Div. II in blocked kicks (four) and 22nd in interceptions with 2.0 per game. The Thornton, Colo., native ranks fourth on the team with 59 tackles and averaged 13.3 yards on punt returns. This is the second straight season that he has earned first-team All-RMAC honors.
Nelson earns first-team honors for the first time after earning honorable mention honors the previous two seasons at defensive end. The Centennial, Colo., native leads the team and ranks fifth in the league with 99 tackles. He leads the conference with 14 tackles for loss and has a league-best 7.5 sacks. Nelson has one interception, one fumble recovery and one blocked field goal this season.
Austin Fleer earned first-team honors after leading the offensive line to the two-highest single game marks for total offense in RMAC and school history. Colorado Mesa tallied 933 total yards of offense against New Mexico Highlands and 826 yards against Adams State. 

Second-Team All-RMAC
CMU had two players earn second-team All-RMAC honors; running back David Tann and wide receiver Justin Brown. 
Tann, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, leads the nation in three categories, total touchdowns (25), rushing touchdowns (20) and total points scored (150). Tann has rushed for 1,014 yards on 177 attempts (5.7 ypc). He has 486 receiving yards this season.
Brown led the Mavericks in receiving yards (681), receiving yards per game (61.9) and yards per catch (17.5). He has four receiving touchdowns, tied for second on the team. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native returned two punts for touchdowns, second most in Div. II, and averaged 20.9 yards per punt return.

Total Offense
Mesa ranks ninth in total offense averaging 506.7 yards per game. CMU posted the two highest offensive game in RMAC history this season; 933 total yards of offense against New Mexico Highlands and 826 yards against Adams State.

Rushing Offense
The Mavericks are averaging 243.5 rushing yards per game this season, second best in the RMAC and 12th in NCAA Div. II. 

Looking Ahead
With a win, Colorado Mesa will advance to play the No. 1 seed Grand Valley State in Grand Rapids, Mich. Nov. 26th.