DURANGO, Colo — Seven offensive possessions in the first half, seven touchdowns. Add a first-half special-teams score, and the Colorado Mesa football team enjoyed a 62-14 runaway victory Saturday over RMAC rival Fort Lewis College, spoiling the Skyhawks' homecoming game.
The Mavericks snapped a three-game losing skid, and less than five minutes into the game ended a streak of eight consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown when Marvin Jones broke off a 48-yard touchdown run to cap a run-heavy opening series.
Seven of the first eight plays were runs, the first six between the tackles before Jones took the ball and angled to the right side before racing down the sideline for his first touchdown of the season. CMU rushed for 82 yards in the first series, more than its season average of 63.3 rushing yards per game.
For the game, the Mavericks ran the ball 30 times for a season-high 273 yards (9.1 per carry) and added another 248 yards in the air.
Quarterback Gavin Herberg found David O'Connell for a 53-yard TD on the first play of CMU's second possession after Fort Lewis turned the ball over on downs. Herberg completed 8 of 12 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half.
Gianni Hurd capped a 5-play, 69-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run for a 20-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. It was Hurd's first rushing touchdown of the season — six different backs ran for touchdowns, with Markel Quinney also catching a first-half TD from Herberg, who turned the game over to Kia'i Keone in the third quarter, with freshman Brock Bider quarterbacking the fourth.
Myles Newble scored on a 59-yard run in the second quarter for a 34-0 lead before the Skyhawks finally got on the board. After Calvin Raab caught an 84-yard touchdown pass from Braden Wingle with 11:42 to play in the first half, the Skyhawks attempted an onside kick.
The ball was bobbled by a Fort Lewis defender at the 44 and scooped up by Charlie Smith, who returned it for a CMU touchdown and a 34-7 lead after Henry Katleman's PAT kick.
A 32-yard run by running back Keyshawn Ashford, making his first appearance of the season, set up the Mavericks' seventh touchdown of the game. Herberg scored on an 11-yard keeper, and Ashford capped a 5-play, 35-yard drive with a 1-yard run with 28 seconds remaining in the first half. That short drive was set up when Smith blocked a punt and Cam Nathan recovered the ball on the Fort Lewis 35.
That made it 55-7 at the half and sent the majority of starters to the bench for the rest of the game. Keone scored from 3 yards out late in the third quarter after the defense forced a fumble, scooped up by Edmond Nkwain at the CMU 39. The redshirt junior defensive back was dragged down at the 3 after a 58-yard return. Keone scored on the first play of the ensuing drive for a 62-7 advantage.
The backup defense allowed a touchdown with 5:55 remaining, but the unit had its best game of the season along with the offense, allowing only 21 rushing yards. Wingle completed 26 of 32 passes for 298 yards and was sacked four times — CMU hadn't had a game with four or more sacks since 2011, when the Mavs recorded six against Dixie State.
Nkwain and Kade Street had six tackles each, Nkwain also broke up two passes and had the long fumble return. Street had two sacks and forced a fumble and Jason Thome broke up four passes, nearly picking off back-to-back passes in the first half.
The Mavericks' defense had eight tackles for 47 yards in lost yardage, recovered three fumbles and broke up 10 passes.
Newble rushed for 79 yards on only five carries, Jones had 77 yards on seven carries and Herberg carried the ball five times for 57 yards. O'Connell had his best receiving game of the season with three catches for 96 yards and Logan DeArment had three catches for 61 yards.
CMU won its eighth straight against the Skyhawks, whose overall losing streak hit 35 games.
The 55 first-half points are the most since the Mavs put up 53 against New Mexico Highlands in 2017, and it was CMU's highest-scoring game since its 70-10 victory against the Skyhawks last season. The six rushing touchdowns were just shy of the seven against Adams State in 2017.
The Mavericks play their homecoming game Oct. 21 against Adams State at Stocker Stadium. Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m.
