GUNNISON, Colo. – The No. 22 Colorado Mesa football team couldn't get the offense going enough in a 23-9 loss to the No. 20 Western Colorado Mountaineers in a key Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matchup here at the Mountaineer Bowl.
 
The Mountaineers built a 14-3 halftime lead and added a late touchdown and a safety on the day.
 
Despite the offensive struggles, the Mavericks still outgained the Mountaineers 307 to 273 but Western had 168 yards on the ground and controlled the ball for nearly 35 minutes of the game. The Mavericks made their way through the air with 231 yards off the arm of Karst Hunter.
 
Hunter finished the game 20-of-31 through the air and had one touchdown that came late in the game. He found Elijah Lilly for a 42-yard touchdown to cut into the Mountaineer lead late. Lilly finished the game with six catches for 101 yards and the score.
 
KJ Sapp also had a strong day with three catches for 80 yards and nearly setup a Maverick score with a 48-yard catch.
 
The offense just couldn't find the endzone as they were 1-for-2 on their red zone chances. The lone conversion was a 22-yard Lucas Ruiz Diaz field goal.
 
Remington Green led the defense with 10 tackles on the day while Kaden Stewart finished with the lone sack of the afternoon.
 
The defense held the Mountaineer offese below their season average for rushing yards, allowing just the 168 yards including 128 to the conference's leading rusher Josh Cummings. Cummings went over 1,000 yards on the season in the game.
 
The loss drops the Mavericks to 6-2 on the season and 5-2 in the conference.
 
The Mavericks will take on the Black Hills State Yellowjackets next Saturday in the final home game of the regular season. It will be First Responders / Military Appreciation Day at the game with tons of pregame festivities.