FIRST AND TEN
Colorado Mesa will head out on the road for a matchup with upstart New Mexico Highlands on Saturday at 1pm at Sanchez Family Stadium. 

The Cowboys come into the contest with a 3-3 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They just went through the teeth of the schedule and are coming off a loss at Chadron State last weekend.

The top two rushing teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference are set to face off with Highlands coming in averaging 300.5 yards rushing and the Mavericks at 220.8 yards per game.

The Mavericks are currently scheduled to face three AFCA Top-10 Nationally Ranked programs this season. They have played two of them in No. 9 Central Washington and No. 10 CSU Pueblo with No. 5 Western Colorado scheduled for the last game of the season.

THE ROUNDUP
Colorado Mesa picked up their second win in a row last Saturday evening as they churned up 513 yards of total offense in a 54-17 win over the Adams State Grizzlies in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action. The win moved the Mavericks record to 3-3 on the season and 2-2 in the conference. 

A large chunk of that 513 yards came in the running game where the Mavericks racked up 357 yards on 50 carries for their second straight 300-plus yard rushing game. Aiden Taylor led the charge with 127 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Five total Mavericks rushed for over 30 yards in the win. 

Linebackers George Soppe and Jake Sinz tied for the game-high with nine tackles a side. Soppe added one and a half tackles for loss and two pass break-ups while Sinz had a 20-yard scoop and score in the third quarter. Freshman Dante Vigil finished with a career-high eight tackles. 

Senior Sullivan Moon had light work as the Mavericks punted just one time with that kick going for 53 yards. Kash Bradley finished with 84 yards worth of returns including taking the opening kickoff 64-yards that setup Colorado Mesa's first touchdown.

THE MATCHUP
Colorado Mesa and New Mexico Highlands are meeting up for the 48th time in the two programs' history. The Mavericks have the all-time advantage of 36-11 including a 17-6 record in Las Vegas, N.M. at Perkins Stadium. They have also won the past 11 games against the Cowboys including an 87-14 win in 2016.

During the 11-game winning streak against the Cowboys, Colorado Mesa has outscored New Mexico Highlands 522-214 that started back in 2013. The closest matchup during the streak was the one that started it, a 22-17 triumph in Las Vegas in 2013.

The Mavericks won last year's matchup 21-10 in Grand Junction behind 216 yards rushing by Aiden Taylor. Brandon Belgrave added another 93 yards on the ground which added to the team total of 313 rush yards. Kash Bradley finished the game with five tackles and an interception while current assistant coach JaCari Williams had six tackles and a pass break-up.

Last five matchups with Highlands
Oct. 19, 2024 in Grand Jct. (W, 21-10)
Nov. 11, 2023 in Las Vegas (W, 38-24)
Nov. 12, 2022 in Grand Jct. (W, 56-36)
Sept. 18, 2021 in Las Vegas (W, 56-37)
Nov. 16, 2019 in Grand Jct. (W, 51-13)

KNOW YOUR FOE
New Mexico Highlands is spearheaded by head coach Kurt Taufa'asau in his second season. He has led a revival of sorts for the Cowboy football program since his arrival and he has the Cowboys making a strong push for a top half finish in the RMAC this season. Highlands sits at 3-3 overall on the season after a pair of non-conference wins against in-state opponents in Western New Mexico and Eastern New Mexico whom they were swept by last season.

The Cowboy offense is led by a staunch running game that ranks No. 4 in the nation in rushing offense. Freshman running back Jeffery Jones is one of the top backs in the country and has been described as the next Danny Woodhead or Austin Ekeler. He is over 1,000 yards for the season and averages 210 yards per game including a 385 yard, four touchdown output against Western New Mexico.

While the Cowboys havent had great success on the defensive side of the ball this season, they do have some standout athletes on defense. Freshman Awsten Turnbow leads the team with 51 total tackles including a 12 tackle game against South Dakota Mines. Corey Martin has five sacks on the season to lead the Cowboys.

BIG PLAY OFFENSE
The Mavericks had ten plays on Saturday go for 20 yards or more in the win over Adams State. Both phases of the offense and special teams contributed to the top big play output of the season.

Returner Kash Bradley got the game started off on the right foot with a 64-yard kick return on the opening kickoff. It was the longest return of the season to date.

Five of the 10 big plays on Saturday came in the ground game from Marvin Jones, Aiden Taylor, and Brandon Belgrave. Jones had the longest run that being 30 yards in the fourth quarter of action.

Trek Keyworth had a 92-yard touchdown reception off the hand of Cole Hansen on the Mavericks second drive of the game. It was the longest play and longest scoring play of the season.

DEFENSE UP TO THE TASK
The Mavericks have a tall task on their hands this weekend taking on the vaunted New Mexico Highlands rushing attack which is tops in the conference at just over 300 yards per game. Conversly, the Mavericks rushing defense is ranked No. 8 in the conference allowing 189.8 yards per game.

The good news for Mavericks fans is that those numbers have improved as the season has progressed. After allowing 292 yards rushing to Central Washington in the opener, no team has rushed for 200 yards including run heavy teams in Eastern New Mexico and Chadron State.

The linebacking core will be called upon to slow the attack. Jake Sinz, George Soppe, Noah Williams, and Payton Wainwright are the normal starters for the group and each are in the Mavericks top-10 of tacklers on the season. Soppe leads everyone with 58 total tackles. 

The secondary has done a solid job in run support but will have the duty of not getting sucked in to the frey and getting hit for a long ball over the top. Andre Lopez-Green is second on the team in tackles at 32.

CENTURY CELEBRATION
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.

Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.

To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com

MAVS ON THE NETWORK
10 of the 11 Maverick Football games will be on the RMAC Network this season. In previous years, all Maverick athletic events were free to view but new this year those matchups will be behind a paywall with several different options available. Single games are $10, monthly subscription is $25 or a yearlong pass for $130. You can access all games through CMUMavericks.com/TV or RMACNetwork.com.

The monthly and yearlong subscriptions include access to all games on the RMAC Network including RMAC Championship events and games on-demand. 

ON THE HORIZON
The Mavericks will return home following their trip to New Mexico Highlands for the annual Homecoming Game. This year they will take on Fort Lewis at Stocker Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 2pm.

Colorado Mesa will hit the road following the homecoming matchup with Fort Lewis. They are set to travel to Spearfish, S.D. and a matchup with Black Hills State for their longest remaining road trip.