FIRST AND TEN
Colorado Mesa will host the Adams State Grizzlies this week at Stocker Stadium for the Mavericks third home game of the season. This week's kickoff is scheduled for 6pm marking it the second night game of the season. It is the first time since 2022 that Colorado Mesa has had multiple night games.

The Grizzlies come into the contest with a 0-5 mark and are coming off a 45-2 loss while Colorado Mesa enters after defeating Colorado School of Mines 28-24 in Golden.

Adams State head coach Levi Gallas will try to replicate the success he had in Grand Junction as a player for the Grizzlies. Gallas was 1-1 in his two trips to Grand Junction in 2007 and 2009.

The Mavericks feature two of the top-11 running backs in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in Aiden Taylor and Brandon Belgrave.

THE ROUNDUP
Colorado Mesa captured its 500th program win in grand fashion as they defeated Colorado School of Mines 28-24 to retain the Nyikos Cup for the second straight year for the first time since 2017. It was just the eighth time an opponent has defeated Mines in Golden since 2015 when the Orediggers opened Marv Kay Stadium.

Colorado Mesa racked up a season-high 456 total yards that included 369 yards on the ground. It was their largest rushing yardage total since October 12, 2024 when they churned up 396 yards rushing against this week's opponent Adams State. 

Linebacker Jake Sinz finished with a game-high 13 tackles in the win. Gibson Leafgreen forced a fumble while Perry Bailey had the recovery in one of the bigger momentum shifting plays in the win. Senior defensive back Kash Bradley had eight tackles and the lone pass break-up for the Mavericks in the game. 

Senior Sullivan Moon averaged 43.3 yards per punt with a long of 58 yards for the special teams unit against Mines. He added both extra points and was 2-for-2 on his field goal attempts with a long of 25-yards. He also kicked a 19-yard field goal that came on the first drive of the game.

THE MATCHUP
Colorado Mesa and Adams State are meeting up for the 50th time in the two storied programs' history. The Mavericks lead the all-time series with a 31-18 edge including 18-4 record at home in Grand Junction. They have also been winners of eight of the last nine matchups with the lone loss coming in 2022 in head coach Miles Kochevar's first season.

The first matchup between the two teams occurred on November 15, 1975 when Adams State raced to a 78-8 win that set several program rushing records. But, the Mavericks got revenge on October 29, 1988 with a 71-21 victory over the Grizzlies in Alamosa. Both were the largest margins of victories for each program.

The Mavericks won last year's matchup 52-10 in Alamosa. Colorado Mesa scored three points in the first before going 21, 14, and 14 in the final three quarters. They finished with 585 total yards including 396 yards on the ground and averaged 9.1 yards per play.

Last five matchups with Adams St.
Oct. 12, 2024 in Alamosa (W, 52-10)
Oct. 21, 2023 in Grand Jct. (W, 42-7)
Oct. 22, 2022 in Alamosa (L, 45-31)
Oct. 9, 2021 in Grand Jct. (W, 49-14)
Nov. 9, 2019 in Alamosa (W, 35-13)

KNOW YOUR FOE
Adams State is led by alum Levi Gallas in his first season as a head coach. Gallas spent time with a pair of Lone Star Conference programs in Eastern New Mexico and most recently with West Texas A&M along with MIAA foe Nebraska-Kearney. He has yet to find the win column but is building the program back to prominence with large numbers on the roster including several transfers with three coming from Colorado Mesa.

The Grizzly offense is led by former Colorado Mesa Maverick Gavin Herberg who is now the starting quarterback for his second Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference program. Herberg has struggled at times this year as he has four interceptions against just one touchdown pass. His lone tocuhdown pass came against CSU Pueblo on September 27. One of his targets is also a former Maverick Kahekili Pahio who has six catches for 52 yards.

Mafileo Tupou leads the Grizzly defense with 39 tackles which includes a 16 tackle performance against Western New Mexico in the season opener. Liam Finney is a ball hawk as he has 17 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery to his credit. 

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.

RUNNING WILD
The Mavericks run game got going in a big way during the Nyikos Cup win over Mines. Five seperate rushers combined for 369 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. They averaged 7.5 yards per rush and helped to account for a season-high 456 total yards.

Brandon Belgrave rushed for a career-high 209 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns while catching the go-ahead touchdown pass from 13 yards out. The performance earned him RMAC Offensive Player of the Week and National Football Foundation Colorado Chapter Player of the Week. The Panama City, Panama native was the 14th player all-time to earn the National Football Foundation award.

Not to be outdone, Aiden Taylor rushed for 110 yards and was gaining 6.9 yards per carry in the win. Teammate and quarterback Cole Hansen gained 43 yards on six carries in his first start of the season.

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
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. 

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.