FIRST AND TEN
Colorado Mesa will head out on the road for the second straight week, this time heading to the Front Range for a battle with Colorado School of Mines in Golden. 

The Mavericks and Orediggers will be playing for the Nyikos Cup on Saturday named after the longtime supporter of both institutions. More information on this in the 'Matchup' section of this week's notes. 

Colorado Mesa will look to gain win No. 500 in the program's history that began in 1925. A win over Colorado School of Mines would give the Mavericks back-to-back wins over the Orediggers something that hasnt happened since 2017 when the Mavericks won three in a row against them.

The Orediggers will be celebrating homecoming so a rather large crowd, even for Marv Kay Stadium standards, is expected for the matchup on Saturday.

THE ROUNDUP
Colorado Mesa went on the road for the first of a back-to-back road swing last Saturday. The Mavericks comeback attempt fell short in a 34-27 loss to the Chadron State Eagles at Elliott Field. The Mavericks trailed 31-13 entering the fourth quarter and outscored the Eagles 14-3 in the quarter but came up just short on the final score.

Freshman Bryson Brown paced the offense as the leading rusher and leading receiver in the game. Brown had 193 scrimmage yards (92ru, 101re)and two touchdowns. The Amarillo native scored on a rush of 75 yards and a catch-and-run of 59 yards.

Senior defensive back Andre Lopez-Green led the Mavericks with 14 total tackles with a forced fumble and a pass break-up. George Soppe finished the game with 12 tackles while Kash Bradley and Gibson Leafgreen each had interceptions during the Maverick comeback attempt.

Senior Sullivan Moon averaged 42.4 yards per punt in the game and was able to pin the Eagles inside the 20 on three different occasions. Late in the third quarter, Moon was able to pin Chadron State at the 1-yard line. His long in the game was 62 yards which came in the second quarter.

THE MATCHUP
Colorado Mesa and Colorado School of Mines have met up 48 times in the two programs' history. The Mavericks have the all-time edge 32-16 dating back to their first matchup which came in 1975 in Grand Junction, a 21-7 Oredigger win. 

This weekend's matchup with Colorado School of Mines will be the battle for the Nyikos Cup, named after longtime faculty and supporter of both schools Dr. Michael Nyikos. Dr. Nyikos was the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Colorado Mesa and the Vice President of Student Affairs and External Relations at Colorado School of Mines. Colorado School of Mines leads the cup series 9-5.

The Mavericks claimed last season's matchup in Grand Junction as they defeated the No. 4 Orediggers 14-13 at Stocker Stadium. Colorado Mesa scored with 5:29 left then converted their version of the Philly special for the victory. 

Last five matchups with Mines
Oct. 5, 2024 in Grand Jct. (W, 14-13)
Oct. 7, 2023 in Grand Jct. (L, 52-0)
Oct. 8, 2022 in Golden (L, 48-21)
Oct. 23, 2021 in Grand Jct. (W, 26-21)
Oct. 5, 2019 in Grand Jct. (L, 56-20)

KNOW YOUR FOE
Colorado School of Mines is headed by head coach Bob Stitt in his second stint with the Orediggers. Stitt led Mines to greatness in his first tenure before leaving Mines for FCS powerhouse Montana where he went 21-11 in three seasons with the Grizzlies. This season he has the Orediggers in position to make another run at the NCAA Playoffs after going 2-0 in the non-conference and 1-1 in the first two weeks of the conference season with the lone loss coming to upstart Chadron State.

The Orediggers are continuing in their long line of outstanding quarterbacks with redshirt sophomore Joseph Capra. The reigning RMAC Offensive Player of the Week is coming off a performance where he threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns. He added 73 yards on the ground and an additional touchdown in the win over Black Hills State. For the season he has 814 yards and seven touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Christian Peluse is one of the leaders of the Mines front seven. He has one sack and a remarkable seven quarterback hurries through four games. Joel Diaz has an interception and three break-ups to lead the secondary.

THE SECONDARY
Defensive back coach JaCari WIlliams has had his hands full with juggling so many young players and developing them into what he was as a Maverick....a lock down defender. He has finally found a strong mix after welcoming back Kash Bradley two weeks ago and the secondary has turned the corner.

The starting group of Andre Lopez-Green and Gibson Leafgreen at the safety positions and Kash Bradley and Lane Branstetter at the corners has been the recipe the past two weeks. The group has combined for eight pass break-ups, four interceptions and 94 total tackles on the season.

Andre Lopez-Green led the Mavericks in tackles last weekend from his strong safety position. He finished the game with a career-high 14 tackles and added a forced fumble and a pass break-up.

WEAPONS
The Mavericks have a plethora of skill position players and sometimes the toughest concept is getting everyone touches. 

The secret is out on the Mavericks latest addition to the arsenal. Freshman Bryson Brown will be a problem for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference defenses moving forward. In three games played, the Amarillo, Texas product has seven catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns while adding 92 yards rushing and another score in three games. His breakaway speed was on display in the loss at Chadron State.

Trek Keyworth and Noah Greer will still factor into the Maverick offense as both have excellent hands and speed. The duo has combined for 17 catches for 320 yards and two touchdowns despite Greer missing last week's game at Chadron State.

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
Following the trip to Golden, the Mavericks will return home to host Adams State at Stocker Stadium. It will be the second night game of the season with kickoff set for 6pm. 

Colorado Mesa will head back out on the road when they travel to the Land of Enchantment for a matchup with New Mexico Highlands on Saturday October 18.