THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Colorado Mesa outgained eighth-ranked Western Colorado 312-283 and won the fourth quarter Saturday night, but three lost fumbles proved too costly in a 31-17 RMAC loss in front of 6,010 fans at Stocker Stadium.

The Mavericks (2-2, 1-1 RMAC) started fast. Kale Purvis capped a 13-play, 56-yard opening drive with a 42-yard field goal. After Western answered, Liu Aumavae hit Colton Mills-Younger for 22 yards to set up an 8-yard touchdown sweep by Ky Oday Jr., for a 10-7 lead after one quarter.

The second quarter turned on mistakes. Trailing 14-10, CMU was driving near midfield when Alex Turpin lost the ball at the end of an 8-yard catch. Conflicting calls on the field sent the play to review, which confirmed Western's recovery, and the Mountaineers (4-0, 2-0) kicked a field goal with 22 seconds left. A fumble on the ensuing kickoff return handed Western the ball at the CMU 3, and the Mountaineers scored one play later for a 24-10 halftime lead. Western finished with 17 points off turnovers.

Mesa's defense never stopped fighting. Noah Williams posted seven tackles, two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, while Gibson Leafgreen and Dante Vigil added nine stops apiece. The unit shut out Western in the fourth, and Sam Pollmann's interception set up an 11-play drive capped by Aumavae's 5-yard scoring toss to Bronco Hartson on fourth-and-goal.

Aumavae finished 18-of-34 for 178 yards, and Oday led all Mavericks with 71 all-purpose yards, including a 30-yard grab from Cole Hansen.

The loss was Colorado Mesa's seventh straight to Western, tying the longest streak in the series.

KNOW YOUR FOE
The ThunderWolves are off to another great start with a 4-0 record with wins over MIAA members Central Missouri and Fort Hays State, who is now knocking on the door of being ranked. They also have two wins over RMAC foes in Colorado School of Mines and Chadron State both of whom were predicted to finish in the top half of the conference. 

Head coach Phil Vigil is a Colorado Mesa alum and has built CSU Pueblo back into a power in NCAA Super Region IV. He 39-22 in his career and 32-7 in his tenure at CSU Pueblo. He has the offense ranking in the top-10 nationally in most categories with the defense showing signs of dominance. 

CSU Pueblo has a solid 1-2 punch on offense with Russell Patton on the ground and Navi Bruzon at quarterback. Patton has 321 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He has yet to go over 100-yards in a game but has reached 60  yards in every game. Bruzon has 1,248 yards passing and 13 touchdowns on the year. He threw for 421 yards and four touchdowns against Mines. His favorite targets are Marcellus Honeycutt and Dedrek Taylor-Akins who have caught 45 passes  for over 800 yards and nine touchdowns combined. 

The ThunderWolf defense is tough on pasing attacks as they have 14 sacks in the first four games of the season. That defense is led by Carter Daniels who has 39 total tackles and is tied for the team lead in sacks with three. Daniels had a season-high 16 tackles in the season opener against Central Missouri. In that game, he also had an interception and a sack and a half. 

Former Maverick Jason Thome is one of the team leaders in passes defended with three. Thome spent last season at Division I FCS South Dakota State.

Barring any unforeseen upsets or setbacks, all eyes will be on the final game of the season as the two top teams in the conference are on a collision course for the RMAC crown. The ThunderWolves and Western Colorado are set to meet up on Saturday November 14 in the Steel City.

Last Five Matchups
Sept. 20, 2025 Grand Junction, Colo. L, 31-24
Sept. 21, 2024 Pueblo, Colo. L, 38-14
Oct. 28, 2023 Pueblo, Colo. L, 59-20
Oct. 29, 2022 Grand Junction, Colo. L, 33-28
Oct. 2, 2021 Pueblo, Colo. L, 19-13 (2OT)

THE MAVERICK WAY
The CSU Pueblo coaching staff has a pair of ties to Colorado Mesa in it with head coach Philip Vigil and offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Jordan Dodge. 

Vigil is a Colorado Mesa graduate and a former Maverick quarterback. He played quarterback for the Mavericks from 2005 to 2008, when the school was Mesa State, and was the starting quarterback for two seasons while earning his undergraduate degree in sports management. He was an all-conference quarterback and went directly into coaching after his playing days. Vigil later returned to his alma mater and spent three seasons (2012-14) as the Mavericks' associate offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He also spent time at Colorado School of Mines and spent 2021-22 as head coach at Western New Mexico before arriving in Pueblo. Now in his fourth season leading the ThunderWolves, Vigil is 3-0 against his alma mater.

Dodge previously coached wide receivers at Colorado Mesa. He coached one All-American with the Mavericks, Peter Anderson, who holds several of CMU's career receiving records, along with two All-Conference selections. After leaving Grand Junction, Dodge spent a year and a half as special teams coordinator at Ottawa (Kan.) University and then two seasons (2021-22) as special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach at Eastern New Mexico. He joined Vigil's first Pueblo staff in 2023 as tight ends coach, and was promoted to offensive coordinator before the 2025 season. This year, his offense is averaging 39.3 points and 518.0 yards per game.

KEYS TO THE GAME
Pueblo's win at Chadron State gave the Pack an NCAA Division II-best 18 straight road wins and 27 straight RMAC wins. The Mavericks have lost eight straight in the series and are 5-18-1 all-time against the ThunderWolves. CMU's last win in the series was a 20-19 home win on Oct. 1, 2016, preserved by back-to-back goal-line stops. Last year, Pueblo won 31-24 at Stocker Stadium after Mesa led 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.

1. The turnover battle. 
Turnovers are the biggest story line. CMU has 7 giveaways this season (4 INT, 3 lost fumbles) and 4 takeaways, a margin of -3. Western Colorado turned three CMU giveaways (a muffed punt, a lost fumble and a fumbled kickoff) into 17 points, including 10 in the final 22 seconds of the first half. Mesa actually outgained the Mountaineers 312-283 and still lost by 14. Pueblo is +2 with seven takeaways and forced three more at Chadron, including interceptions by safeties Kahden Rullo and Tre Jordan. If the Mavs keep the ball clean, they take away one of the Pack's biggest advantages.

2. Pueblo's big plays vs. CMU's pass defense. 
Sophomore QB Navi Bruzon is completing 64.2% of his passes for 1,246 yards, 13 TDs and 3 INTs, with a 182.1 rating. The Pack averages 10.07 yards per pass attempt. Dedrek Taylor-Akins has 23 catches for 428 yards and 4 TDs (107.0 per game), and Marcellus Honeycutt Jr. has 22 catches for 394 yards and 5 TDs, including a 7-catch, 130-yard, 2-TD day at Chadron with a 78-yard score. CMU is allowing 7.91 yards per attempt and 64.2% completions. Noah Williams (4.0 sacks, 6.5 TFL) leads the Mesa pass rush, but Pueblo has allowed just 7 sacks in four games.

3. The run game on both sides. 
Pueblo's ground attack sets up everything. Russell Patton averages 6.8 yards per carry (321 yards), and Jaedon Matthews adds 208 yards. The Pack ran for 262 yards at Chadron, including Patton's 70-yard TD. Mesa's run game has struggled, averaging 3.6 yards per carry and managing just 81 yards on 28 carries against Western. Bronco Hartson (188 yards, 3 TD) and Jalen Hankins need to create manageable third-and-short situations.

4. Third downs and time of possession. 
Both teams like to control the clock. CMU averages 32:04 per game and has converted 7 of 10 fourth downs, while Pueblo averages 33:02. The difference is on third down. The Pack converts 55.8% and holds opponents to 31.7%, while Mesa converts 38.7% and allows 46.2%. Pueblo's defense also has 14 sacks and 29 TFL, led by LB Carter Daniels (39 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3 sacks) and DE Jaylen Booth (6.0 TFL, 3 sacks). Liu Aumavae threw 34 passes against Western, and long third downs would play right into that pass rush.

5. Red zone, special teams and penalties. 
CMU has scored on 10 of 12 red-zone trips, with 9 touchdowns. Pueblo's defense bends but tightens up close to the goal line, giving up touchdowns on only 5 of 14 red-zone trips. Field position will matter too. CMU's Kale Purvis averages 42.9 yards per punt with 7 inside the 20 and a long of 87. Pueblo's kicker, Jackson Smith, is 3-of-6 on field goals with two blocked. Discipline favors Mesa: Pueblo has committed 37 penalties for 286 yards (71.5 per game), including 14 for 131 at Chadron, while CMU was flagged only twice for 10 yards against Western. 

WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S WILLIAMS
Senior outside linebacker Noah Williams is having quite the season if you havent noticed. Williams, a Broomfield, Colo. native, is quietly becoming one of the premier defensive players in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference through four games this season.

Williams has 24 total tackles, four sacks, and six and a half tackles for loss. He also has a fumble recovery this season. The sacks and tackles for loss are some of the best numbers in the conference.

His four sacks (1.0 per game) are second best in the RMAC and rank No. 13 in all of NCAA Division II while the six and a half tackles for loss (1.63 per game) is best in the conference and rank No. 20 in NCAA Division II. 

For his career, he has six and a half sacks and 11 tackles for loss and 82 total tackles. 

THE RETURN GAME
While the kick return game hasnt taken off yet, the Mavericks have been the best in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at punt returns and in particular senior Noah Greer.

Colorado Mesa ranks No. 1 in the conference and No. 37 in NCAA Division II in punt returns averaging 12.2 yards per return. They have five returns for a total of 61 yards.

Greer has fielded all five of those returns and is the top runt return man in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and No. 15 in the nation in punt returns. He had a long return of 27 yards in the Mavericks win over South Dakota Mines and also finished that game with three returns for a total of 42 yards. 

BIG PLAY POSSIBILITIES
Despite the rushing numbers being down at this point in the year, the passing numbers are up and both dynamics of the offense have home run or big play abilities. 

Trek Keyworth leads the receivers with 15 catches for 233 yards (15.5 per catch) and 2 TDs, including a team-high 93 yards at ENMU. Fifth-year Ky Oday Jr. is a big-play threat, with 9 catches for 195 yards (21.7 per catch) and 2 TDs. His longest play of the year is a 54-yard catch against ENMU, and he led CMU with 63 receiving yards against Western. Oday also scored the Mavs' first TD against the Mountaineers on an 8-yard run. The tight ends are part of the passing game as well: senior Alex Turpin has 9 catches for 122 yards and a TD, and junior Colton Mills-Younger has 6 for 61. Sophomore Bryson Brown leads the team with 12 receptions.

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.

• 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.