GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa football team let another tight contest slip through their hands in a 33-28 loss to the visiting CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves on Saturday (Oct. 29) afternoon at Stocker Stadium in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.
The two teams traded scoring drives in the first half with neither team gaining a real advantage as they went into the halftime break with CSU Pueblo leading 24-21.
The Pack opened the scoring in the first quarter on their first drive that was capped by a Austin Bacher 9-yard touchdown run.
Colorado Mesa answered back with a 12 play, 75-yard drive that was finished off by a 14-yard
Karst Hunter scamper. The biggest play on the drive was another
Karst Hunter run that went for 18-yards on first down that got the Mavericks down to the CSU Pueblo 21-yard line.
The Maverick defense clamped down and was able to hold the ThunderWolves to just a field goal to make it 10-7 in favor of the Pack with 3:58 to play in the first quarter.
Colorado Mesa scored on their next drive on another
Karst Hunter touchdown plunge, this time from just a yard out to cap an 11-play, 78-yard drive that chewed up 4:07 of clock to make it 14-10 Mavericks with 14:51 left in the second quarter.
David O'Connell extended the Maverick lead to 21-10 after hauling in a
Karst Hunter touchdown pass from 21-yards out to cap an 8-play drive with 7:05 to play in the half.
The ThunderWolves scored twice in the final two minutes of the half to regain the lead heading into the break.
With 10:37 left in the third, Hunter scored his third rushing touchdown to help the Mavericks regain the lead at 28-24.
CSU Pueblo scored twice in the fourth quarter to take control 33-28 with 4:54 to play in the game.
Controversy always seems to creep up in the series between these two teams and today was no different. On CSU Pueblo's fourth quarter touchdown that went 54-yards from Hunter Raquet to CK Poulos, Raquet appeared to be two to three yards beyond the line of scrimmage but the referees did not throw a flag and deemed the play legal.
In the game, the Mavericks outgained the ThunderWolves (443-438), had more first downs (26-19), and was better on third down (50%-33%) but came up short on the scoreboard and in one major category…turnovers (3-0).
Hunter finished the game 30-of-49 for 300 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions through the air. He added 19 carries for 48 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He found 13 different receivers in the game with back-up quarterback and tight end
Trevin Edwards leading the way with six catches for 41 yards.
Jacob Whitmer finished with four catches and a team-high 56 yards.
Scrappy Norman finished with a team-high 10 tackles and had two pass break-ups. One of those pass break-ups he nearly intercepted and had nothing but green turf in front of him.
The Maverick pass rush finished with four sacks for 21 yards.
Siaosi Finau,
Jaxson Fullwood, and
Ryan Randall all finished with a full sack while
Kaden Stewart and
Troy McDonald split a sack.
The Mavericks will be on the road for the final time in 2022 as they travel to Chadron, Neb. for a battle with Chadron State on Saturday at Noon. The Eagles were 17-3 winners today against New Mexico Highlands in Chadron.
Other RMAC Scores
South Dakota Mines 23, Adams State 20
Chadron State 17, New Mexico Highlands 3
Black Hills State 75, Fort Lewis 0
Colorado School of Mines 30, Western Colorado 20
