GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Craziness.
In one of the craziest Division II football games in recent history, Colorado Mesa and Adams State combined for 127 points, 188 total offensive plays, 1,323 yards of total offense, four 100-yard rushers, and two Colorado Mesa program records.
When the dust settled, the Mavericks came away with a 64-63 overtime win over the Grizzlies on a chilly night at Stocker Stadium in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action. The win secures a winning record for the Mavericks on the season as they improve to 6-4 overall and 5-4 in the conference.
It was the first overtime game for Colorado Mesa since a 41-40 win over Colorado School of Mines on September 17, 2016 in Golden.
The two teams finished regulation tied at 57-57 and headed to overtime. Colorado Mesa scored on a 1-yard plunge from
Eystin Salum on a five-play drive to give the Mavericks a 64-57 lead after a successful PAT. The lead was the first for CMU since the 7-0 mark of the first quarter.
Adams State scored on their possession on a halfback throwback to the quarterback or what most people these days call 'Philly Special.' Miles Fishback connected with Michael Morales on an 8-yard pass.
The Grizzlies lined up for the two-point conversion but fumbled the pitch and covered it up to end the game.
Salum finished the game 16-of-32 for 275 yards and two touchdowns and added 130 yards rushing on 30 carries with three touchdowns. He finished with 405 yards of total offense.
The Denver native hooked up with
Peter Anderson for a 51-yard completion to the Adams State 1-yard line midway through the third quarter. It was a special play for both as both broke school records on the play. Salum now has 5,507 passing yards in his career, passing Jake Logue who set his mark of 5,383 set from 1992-1994.
On the same play, Anderson became the single-season receiving yard record holder with 1,285 yards now, surpassing Drew Bohanan's mark of 1,236 yards set during the 2005 season. The junior also extended his 100-yard game streak to eight after catching six passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Late in the third quarter of action, Colorado Mesa's
Matt Sorenson blocked a John Bowers punt on the Adams State 15-yard line. Senior
Fredrick Nyamekye scooped up the ball and raced in 15-yards for the touchdown. It was the first blocked punt since the South Dakota Mines game last season on November 4, 2017.
The Grizzlies scored a touchdown with 13:20 remaining in the fourth quarter and decided to go for two after an earlier PAT hit off the upright. On the two-point conversion, Michael Morales fumbled with the ball being picked up by
Marco Garcia. As he was being tackled, he lateraled the ball to a streaking
Damar'ren Mitchell who took it the rest of the way for the defensive two-point conversion. It was the first such play for Colorado Mesa since DJ Hubbard took one back against New Mexico Highlands on September 29, 2012.
Senior
Jonathan Beverly finished with a career-high 153 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns came in the first quarter as he finished with a 5.9 yards per rush average.
The Grizzlies finished with 769 yards of total offense but their defense surrendered 554 yards of offense to the Mavericks. They were able to force three turnovers and were able to get to the quarterback for six sacks.
Redshirt freshman
Greyson Matalus had a team-high 12 tackles including two for a loss while senior
Antonio Clark defended three passes and picked off one pass. It was his third interception of the year and now has 16 passes defended on the season.
Colorado Mesa will close the season out on the road next weekend in Las Vegas, N.M. where they will take on the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys at Perkins Stadium. The Cowboys were 20-16 winners today over Western Colorado in Las Vegas.
