THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Cole Hansen threw three touchdown passes and Colorado Mesa answered every Colorado School of Mines score, but the Orediggers held on for a 31-24 RMAC win Saturday afternoon in front of 4,872 fans at Stocker Stadium.

The Mavericks (3-4, 2-3 RMAC) opened with a 14 play, 56 yard drive that ate 7:28 off the clock. Bronco Hartson ripped off a 19 yard run on 3rd-and-1 and converted a fourth down before Kale Purvis hit a 36 yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Mines scored twice in the second quarter, but CMU responded with an 8 play, 75 yard drive in just 56 seconds, capped by Hansen's 17-yard strike to Trek Keyworth to make it 14-10. The Orediggers answered with a 60 yard field goal as the half expired.

After a fumble set up a Mines touchdown early in the third, the Mavericks went right back to work. Hansen hit Noah Greer for 20 yards and Keyworth for 30, then found Greer for a 19 yard touchdown on third and 4 to pull within 24 to 17. Andreas Distel followed with a sack, and a successful CMU challenge wiped out a 37-yard completion to force a punt.

Trailing 31-17 in the fourth, CMU marched 80 yards in 11 plays. Hansen converted fourth and 10 with a 12 yard pass to Ky Oday Jr. and then hit Keyworth from 10 yards out with 5:37 left. Mines ran out the clock from there.

Hansen finished 16-of-30 for 202 yards with no interceptions. Keyworth caught five passes for 77 yards and two scores, and Greer added 57 yards. Noah Williams and Gibson Leafgreen each made eight tackles, and the Mavericks went 4-for-4 in the red zone.

KNOW YOUR FOE
Adams State has had a tough season and are still in search of their first win which they would love to get on Saturday in Alamosa. They have played a pair of close games with one coming in week zero against Western New Mexico where they fell 62-45 at home. The next closest being a 45-15 setback to South Dakota Mines which also came at home.

Head coach Levi Gallas is in his second season as the leader of the Grizzlies. Gallas is a Adams State alum who starred for the Grizzlies in the late 2000s and earned All-RMAC honors in 2009. Gallas spent time on coaching staffs at Nebraska-Kearney and Eastern New Mexico prior to returning to Alamosa. He worked the defensive side of the ball in both stops along the way including serving as defensive coordinator at Nebraska-Kearney where the Lopers ranked in the top-3 of the MIAA in several categories. 

Andre Branch is the second leading rusher in the RMAC this season with 580 rushing yards. Branch ranks No. 34 in NCAA Division II in rush yards and went for 282 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener against Western New Mexico on August 27. Since that game, his highest output has been 78 yards which came a week later at Sul Ross State. The Phoenix, Ariz. native ran the ball 17 times for 70 yards against Chadron State last week. 

Sophomore linebacker Blake George is one of the defensive leaders for the Grizzlies. The Brighton, Colo. native has 30 total tackles on the season and three forced fumbles on the season. George had two forced fumbles last week against Chadron State and had a blocked kick earlier in the season against Sul Ross State.

Something to keep in mind with Adams State is they have historically played better at home and this season is no different. They have scored 67 points in their three games at Rex Stadium while only scoring 55 points in their four road games. 

Following the matchup with Colorado Mesa, The Grizzlies will take on Colorado School of Mines in Alamosa next week before they travel to Las Vegas, N.M. for a matchup with New Mexico Highlands. They round out the schedule with a home matchup with Fort Lewis. 

Last Five Matchups
Oct. 11, 2025 Grand Junction, Colo. W, 54-17
Oct. 12, 2024 Alamosa, Colo. W, 52-10
Oct. 21, 2023 Grand Junction, Colo. W, 42-7
Oct. 22, 2022 Alamosa, Colo. L, 45-31
Oct. 9, 2021 Grand Junction, Colo. W, 49-14

KEYS TO THE GAME
Colorado Mesa (3-4, 2-3 RMAC) travels to Alamosa for a noon kickoff Saturday at Rex Stadium, where Adams State will hold its Hall of Fame Game. The Mavericks are coming off a 31-24 Homecoming loss to Colorado School of Mines that sent the Nyikos Cup back to Golden. Adams State (0-7, 0-5 RMAC) is still looking for its first win under head coach Levi Gallas after a 69-0 loss at Chadron State. The Grizzlies have been outscored 415-122 this season. CMU leads the all-time series 32-18 and has won the last three meetings by a combined 148-34, including a 52-10 win in Alamosa in 2024. Alamosa has been a tougher place to play, though. The Mavericks are just 12-11 all-time on the road against the Grizzlies, and their only loss to Adams State in the last 10 meetings came in Alamosa, 45-31 in 2022.

1. Get the run game going again. 
Mines held CMU to 95 rushing yards, and the Mavericks had the ball for only 24:02, their lowest time of possession this season. This is the right week to bounce back. Adams State allows 286.9 rushing yards per game at 7.1 yards per carry and has given up 30 rushing touchdowns in seven games. Before the Mines game, CMU ran for 248 yards at Pueblo and 208 against Chadron, with Bronco Hartson, Jalen Hankins and Amari Brown sharing the work and Bryson Brown adding big plays on jet sweeps. A strong ground game would let CMU control the clock and keep the Adams offense off the field.

2. Build on Cole Hansen's best game. 
Hansen had his best performance of the season against Mines, completing 16 of 30 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Trek Keyworth caught two of those touchdowns, and Noah Greer had the other. Adams State's pass defense gives up 285.0 yards per game, 10.73 yards per attempt and a 62.9% completion rate. The Grizzlies have allowed 20 touchdown passes and made only two interceptions all season. If CMU establishes the run, Hansen should have chances for big plays downfield.

3. Win the turnover battle. 
Adams State has turned the ball over 13 times this season (8 interceptions and 5 lost fumbles), including four giveaways at Chadron, and is -6 in turnover margin. The Grizzlies have used three quarterbacks: Khalil Abdul-Aziz, Frank Arcuri and Jett Lewis. As a group, they are completing 47.6% of their passes with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. CMU's defense forced three turnovers against Chadron but none against Mines. The Mavs also need to protect the ball against linebacker Blake George, who has three forced fumbles and 5.5 tackles for loss, including two forced fumbles last week.

4. Win on third down and slow down Andre Branch. 
Adams State converts just 18.6% of its third downs (18 of 97), so CMU's defense should have plenty of chances to get off the field. That was a problem against Mines, which converted 8 of 15 third downs and held the ball for nearly 36 minutes. Branch is the Grizzlies' main threat, with 580 rushing yards at 5.9 yards per carry and five touchdowns. Most of that production came in a 282-yard opener against Western New Mexico and Adams State has averaged under 100 rushing yards per game in league play. The RMAC's leading tackling trio of La'Markus Reed, Dante Vigil and Gibson Leafgreen will have to keep Branch from breaking long runs.

5. Win the special teams battle and play a full 60 minutes. 
Adams State has struggled on special teams. The Grizzlies have had three punts blocked, allowed two 100-yard kickoff return touchdowns and a punt return touchdown, and given up an average of 32.5 yards per kickoff return. That gives CMU returners a chance to set up short fields. Adams State's defense has also allowed scores on 41 of 43 red-zone trips, 35 of them touchdowns, so CMU should come away with points whenever it gets inside the 20. With four games left, the Mavericks can't afford a slow start against a winless team at altitude.

FINISH WHAT WE START
When Colorado Mesa gets close to the end zone, it almost always comes away with points. The Mavericks have scored on 22 of 24 red-zone trips this season (91.7%), including 16 touchdowns and six field goals.

CMU has been even sharper lately. Since a turnover on downs against Western Colorado on Sept. 19, the Mavericks have scored on 12 straight red-zone trips over three games. They went 5-for-5 at No. 5 CSU Pueblo, 3-for-3 against Chadron State and 4-for-4 against Colorado School of Mines. The only red-zone trips that have come up empty all season were an interception in the opener against Minnesota State and that fourth-down stop against Western.

The Mavericks have also been aggressive on fourth down. They have converted 12 of 15 attempts this season (80.0%), including all five in their last three games. The 80 percent success rate on fourth down is No. 8 in all of NCAA Division II. 

CMU can score inside the 20 both ways, with nine passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns in the red zone. Against Mines, Cole Hansen threw three touchdown passes on red-zone trips, two to Trek Keyworth and one to Noah Greer.

That efficiency matters this week. Adams State's defense has allowed scores on 41 of 43 red-zone trips, 35 of them touchdowns. If the Mavericks keep finishing drives the way they have all month, they should put up plenty of points in Alamosa.

BOOMING PUNTS
Junior Kale Purvis has been one of Colorado Mesa's most reliable weapons this season. He leads the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and ranks ninth in NCAA Division II at 43.6 yards per punt.

Purvis had one of his best days of the season against Colorado School of Mines. He averaged a season-high 49.3 yards on three punts, totaling 148 yards, with a long of 51 and one punt downed inside the 20. His late third-quarter line drive skipped to the Mines 19 and bounced off the returner's hands, nearly giving CMU a turnover before the Orediggers recovered. He was also perfect on placekicks, opening the scoring with a 36-yard field goal and making all three extra points.

For the season, Purvis has punted 37 times for 1,610 yards. He has pinned 12 punts inside the 20 and booted nine of 50 yards or longer, with just four touchbacks and none blocked. Opponents are averaging just 7.3 yards on 19 punt returns. His longest punt, an 87-yarder, flipped the field in the overtime win at South Dakota Mines.

Purvis also leads the Mavericks with 42 points. He is 7-of-9 on field goals and 21-of-22 on extra points, and he went 3-for-3 on field goals at No. 5 CSU Pueblo.

HANSEN HEATING UP
Fifth-year quarterback Cole Hansen is coming off his best game of the season. Against Colorado School of Mines, he completed 16 of 30 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. That gave CMU its highest passing total of the year and tied the team's season high for touchdown passes. Hansen also adds a threat with his legs, with 184 rushing yards and two scores this season. He'll face an Adams State defense that has allowed 20 touchdown passes and intercepted just two.

PRESEASON POLLS & ALL-RMAC
Colorado Mesa was picked to finish fifth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing in a tie for fourth-place during the 2025 season. The Mavericks finished 6-5 last season and 5-4 in the conference, tied with Colorado School of Mines whom they defeated on October 24. 

Colorado Mesa earned a total of 52 votes that came with a second place vote and a third place vote as voted on by the league's 10 sponsoring schools.

CSU Pueblo was picked to repeat as the RMAC Champion with 80 points including eight first place votes and one second place vote. Western Colorado was picked second with 69 total points with one first place votes, five second place votes and two third place votes. Colorado School of Mines was picked third with 62 points on two second place votes and four third place votes.

2025 NCAA Playoff team Chadron State was picked fourth with 60 points on one first place vote, one second place vote, and three third place votes. 

The Mavericks had four players named to the Preseason All-RMAC team. Three of the four selections came on the offensive side of the ball with Alex Turpin earning a spot at tight end and seniors Calem Grimble and Cooper Mumford earning spots across the offensive line. Turpin played in all 11 games in 2025 and caught 22 passes for 180 yards and four touchdowns while Grimble and Mumford played in and started all 11 games on the left side of the offensive line.

Senior defensive back Gibson Leafgreen was named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team on the defensive side of the ball. In 2025, he played in 11 games and finished with 56 total tackles, four passes defended and two interceptions. 

EYES ON THE SCHEDULE
• Season opener at home on a Thursday night Colorado Mesa will host NSIC power Minnesota State on Thursday August 27 at 6:00 PM to open the season. It will be the first meeting between the two schools and will be the first time the Mavericks have opened the season on a Thursday at home since the 2021 season when they defeated William Jewell 40-3.
• Back-to-back road trips to open conference play The following two weeks the Mavericks will have their longest two game road trip of the season — first at Eastern New Mexico on September 5, then at South Dakota Mines to open RMAC play on September 12.
• Gauntlet of 2025 playoff teams
The Mavericks will take on three straight 2025 NCAA Playoff teams — Western Colorado (home, Sept. 19), CSU Pueblo (road, Sept. 26), and then Chadron State (home, Oct. 3). That's a brutal three-week stretch right in the heart of the schedule.
• Six home games 
The schedule features six home games and five road games for the upcoming season, with three of the final five games at home and the two final road games being the shortest trips of the season. cmumavericks
• Halloween Matinee 
A Halloween afternoon kickoff will feature the Mavericks taking on New Mexico Highlands at Stocker Stadium on Saturday October 31, with many different spooky promotions expected and the possibility of a special surprise.
• Bye week placement
The bye falls on October 10, right after that brutal playoff-team gauntlet — a fortunate breather before the back half of the conference schedule. The entire Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference will observe a bye during that week with practice and meeting times varying throughout the week.
• Beyond 2026
Colorado Mesa and West Texas A&M announced a four-year football schedule agreement beginning in 2028, with games scheduled for August 24, 2028 (at Canyon, TX), August 23, 2029 (at Grand Junction), August 29, 2030 (at Canyon), and August 28, 2031 (at Grand Junction). Coach Kochevar has a personal connection there — he served as West Texas A&M's defensive coordinator from 2016–18. 

WHAT'S NEW THIS YEAR 
• Coach to player communication
Beginning this year in Division II, coach to player communication is legal and will be available in all games the Mavericks play in. The technology uses encrypted radio and in-helmet speakers that allow coaches to communicate to players on the field. The individuals will be allowed open communication until there are 15 seconds left on the play clock each play.

Colorado Mesa utilizes CoachComm communications systems with the coach's communications and has their solution for the Coach to Player system.

• Tailgate Time
Colorado Mesa will introduce premium tailgating this year with different level options. The premium package includes a 10x20 space that includes tent, tables, chairs, bottled water, two coolers and 40lbs. of ice while the select package comes with a 10x10 space that includes tent, tables, chairs, bottled water, cooler and 20lbs. of ice. The final option is the traditional tailgate where you get one reserved parking spot used to tailgate at your own will.

All of this is brought to us by our friends at FCI Constructors.

• Five-for-5
On August 5, the NCAA approved a new age-based or clock eligibility model that allows student-athletes a streamlined five-year period to compete, starting upon full-time enrollment or after turning 19. 

This new rule replaces complex redshirt tracking and waivers and takes full effect for incoming cohorts starting in the fall of 2027. This rule also eliminates most traditional extension waivers outside of the major exceptions of military service, religious missions or pregnancy.