PORTALES, N.M. – The No. 25 Colorado Mesa football team endured one of their longest trips of the year but came away with a 34-21 win over the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds on Saturday night in the Mavericks lone non-conference matchup of the year.
 
The Mavericks built a 31-0 halftime lead.
 
Senior running back Jonathon Beverly scampered into the endzone from 21-yards out to give the Mavericks the 7-0 lead. Beverly rushed four times for 28 yards on the drive that chewed up 84 yards and nearly four minutes off the clock.
 
Colorado Mesa wasn't done in the first quarter and continued to churn up yards on the ground. Pailate Makakona picked up his third touchdown of the season on a 15-yard run giving Colorado Mesa a 14-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
In the second quarter, the Mavericks went to the air. Eystin Salum found a speedy Peter Anderson for a 37-yard strike giving the Mavericks a 21-0 lead. Anderson was the game's leading receiver with three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
 
Salum finished the game 11-for-21 with 184 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed 13 times for 72 yards.
 
Lake Makakona got back in on the action before the end of the first half. Makakona scored from 4-yards out for his fourth touchdown of the season. That made the score 28-0 with 54 seconds left before the halftime break.
 
Makakona finished his second career game with 101 yards rushing on 22 carries and two touchdowns.
 
On Eastern New Mexico's ensuing drive, Damar'ren Mitchell intercepted a Wyatt Strand pass to setup a Lucas Ruiz-Diaz 25-yard field goal to close out the half.
 
The host Greyhounds cut into the lead in the second half scoring 21 points and allowing just three but the damage was done early in the first half.
 
Colorado Mesa finished with 437 yards of total offense with 253 yards coming on the ground. They attempted 53 rushes with six different ball carriers with Beverly finishing with 46 yards and fellow senior Daryl Hawkins with 31 yards.
 
Eastern New Mexico had 345 yards of total offense out of their wing-t, triple option attack. They finished with 327 yards rushing while Greyhound quarterback Wyatt Strand was 3-for-11 passing for just 18 yards.
 
Strand threw a pair of interceptions, one to Mitchell to end the first half and the other to Antonio Clark.
Colorado Mesa's defense improved from last week's effort. They allowed just 16 first downs and managed to force three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble).
 
Defensive end Mason Newton was the Mavericks leading tackler with eight total tackles while Mitchell and Tom Saager each had seven tackles.
 
Colorado Mesa improves to 2-0 on the season while Eastern New Mexico drops to 0-2. The Greyhounds head into Lone Star Conference play next week as they will play defending National Champion Texas A&M-Commerce.
 
The Mavericks will return to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action next week as they head up the road to Gunnison to take on the Western State Mountaineers. Western is 0-2 on the season after losses to Division I FCS Idaho State and South Dakota Mines.