FIRST AND TEN
Colorado Mesa will head out on the road for two straight weeks beginning Saturday when they take on the Chadron State Eagles in Nebraska. 

Colorado Mesa will look to gain win No. 500 in the program's history that began in 1925. A win on Saturday in Nebraska would also make it seven straight wins over the Eagles. 

The Eagles upset Colorado School of Mines 34-28 last weekend in Golden. It was their first win over the Orediggers since 2012 and first win over a nationally ranked team since 2018 when they defeated then No. 14 Colorado Mesa 38-34.

Chadron State has a storied program with many great NFL players. The most recent, or memorable, was Danny Woodhead who starred for the Eagles in the late 00's. The two-time Harlon Hill winner was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last season.

THE ROUNDUP
Colorado Mesa hosted CSU Pueblo last week for Parents' Weekend and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener. After building a 17-7 lead, CSU Pueblo scored 24 unanswered points on their way to a 31-24 victory. The Mavericks had two possessions in the last 2:31 of the game and were unable to get into the endzone for a game-tying touchdown.

The Mavericks outgained CSU Pueblo on the ground 162-147. Aiden Taylor finished with a team-high 59 yards while Myles Newble had 52 yards on seven carries. Brandon Belgrave finished with 43 yards on 10 carries in his return from injury. 

Senior linebacker Lex Leany finished with a career-high 12 tackles against the Pack. Teammate George Soppe added 10 tackles and a pass break-up. Safety Gibson Leafgreen did something no one else has been able to do this season...intercept a pass off the hand of CSU Pueblo quarterback Roman Fuller. 

The Mavericks opened the game with an explosive play from their special teams as Jackson Hansen returned the opening kick 45 yards to give the Mavericks field position from their own 46-yard line to start the game. Seven plays later, they scored.

THE MATCHUP
Colorado Mesa and Chadron State are meeting up for the 25th time since the series started in 1991. The Eagles have the all-time edge in the series with 20 wins against only 14 wins for the Mavericks. Colorado Mesa has gotten the better of the Eagles in the last six meetings which includes two overtime wins in 2020 and 2022. 

The matchup will take place at Elliott Field at Don Beebe Stadium, named after the legendary Buffalo Bills player from the early 1990s that attended Chadron State. The Mavericks have a 7-9 record when they matchup takes place in the panhandle of the Cornhusker State. However, CMU has won their last four on the road in Chadron.

The Eagles owned the series in the 2000's as they won 11 straight matchups from 2004 through the 2011 season. They also picked up wins in 18 of the last 20 matchups that dates back to September 30, 1995.

Last five matchups with the Eagles
Sept. 28, 2024 in Grand Jct. (W, 18-3)
Nov. 4, 2023 in Grand Jct. (W, 38-22)
Nov. 5, 2022 in Chadron (W, 38-37 OT)
Sept. 25, 2021 in Grand Jct. (W, 24-27)
Oct. 10, 2020 in Grand Jct. (W, 10-7 OT)

KNOW YOUR FOE
Chadron State is headed by the longest tenured head coach in the RMAC in Jay Long. Coach Long is in his 14th season at Chadron State and 17th season as a college head coach having spent three seasons at Black Hills State. Long has the Eagles off to a 2-2 start having won their past two matchups which came against Black Hills State and Colorado School of Mines. Chadron State fell in their first game of the season to FCS opponent Northern Colorado and in-state rival Nebraska-Kearney.

The Eagles routinely play two quarterbacks with DJ Ralph leading the way with three touchdowns and four interceptions. The bread and butter of the offense comes from the running game where three backs have rushed for over 100 yards on the season. Quincey Ryker has 264 yards to lead the trio while Ralph has scored twice on the ground to lead in touchdowns.

Reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week Logan O'Brien leads the Chadron State defense. He had eight tackles, two sacks and two hurries against Mines and is up to 29 total tackles on the season. Jadon Bowan leads the secondary with 19 tackles and a team-high three pass break-ups.

THE FRONT LINE
Defensive line coaches Jon Arledge and Pat Howell have a wealth of riches across the defensive line with nearly eight players to rotate through their three man front. 

Kade Street and Hunter Hamilton get the starting nod at the two defensive end positions and are routinely backed up by David Ives and Brody Robinson while the nose position has been interesting this season. Omarius Dimry-Lockhart started the season in the spot while Perry Bailey has seen plenty of action also. Freshman Veni Tokelau has seen action at nose while fellow freshman Tavery Chappell surprised many with his play in the win over Eastern New Mexico.

Kade Street is one of the leaders of the front line. The Rifle product is fourth in the conference and No. 49 nationally in tackles for loss per game at 1.33. 

AIR ATTACK
The Maverick passing game showed promise against CSU Pueblo as the first two drives of the game the offense mixed the running game, passing game, and play action and had success. Liu Aumavae threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

Aumavae threw his touchdown passes to three different receivers that included Evan Morris, Noah Greer and Bryson Brown. He also connected with 11 different receivers with Trek Keyworth being his favorite with 11 targets.

The tough number to look at in the final numbers against CSU Pueblo is the interceptions. The Mavericks threw three interceptions (and had one fumble) that led to 14 points in the loss.

WELCOME BACK
Colorado Mesa welcomed back Brandon Belgrave to the backfield after missing the first two games of the season with an injury. Belgrave carried the ball 10 times and gained 43 yards while also catching three passes for 24 yards in his season debut.

The Mavericks also welcomed back the services of corner back and return specialist Kash Bradley. The senior started at corner and finished with five tackles. He did not return any kicks or punts in the game.

CAMPBELL TROPHY UPDATE
Senior Kash Bradley was recently named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell trophy that is presented by the National Football Foundation. The trophy is for football student-athletes that are in their final year of eligibility and show exemplary work in the classroom and on the football field. 

Bradley was one of just 15 nominees from NCAA Division II and one of just five from the state of Colorado. The CSC Academic All-American joined Air Force's Bruin Fleischmann, Colorado State's Rocky Beers, CSU Pueblo's Andrew Cook, and Northern Colorado's Zach Nowatzke.

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. 

COLORADO MESA TURNS 100
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

ON THE HORIZON
The Mavericks will head out on the road for the second straight week following the matchup with Chadron State. They will take the short drive over the mountains to Golden for a matchup with the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers on Saturday October 4.

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.