Two teams that opened their seasons with a victory, then fell to some elite teams, but have been on a rampage against struggling teams recently will collide Saturday when Colorado State-Pueblo visits the Chadron State Eagles at Elliott Field. Kickoff will be at noon.
After squeezing out a 35-34 win over Quincy University in its opener, then losing four straight games by sizable margins, Chadron State is coming off badly-needed wins over Fort Lewis (57-20) and Adams State (53-14). Thus the Eagles are 3-4 for the season and 2-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
CSU-Pueblo knocked off Midwestern State of Texas 37-8 in its first game, then lost three in row before smacking Fort Lewis (85-7), Adams State (43-10) and New Mexico Highlands (56-7). That makes the ThunderWolves 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the RMAC.
Some comparisons can be made by looking at the scores of the games both teams played in September following their first-game wins.
Chadron State initially fell to Augustana 27-3. The Vikings are now 7-0. Next the Eagles were toppled by Black Hills State 55-19, then lost to Western Colorado 35-17 and Colorado Mines 35-7. The latter two teams also are 7-0.
Mines moved into the top spot in the NCAA Division II rankings this weekend after the team that defeated the Orediggers in the national championship game last fall, Ferris State of Michigan, was beaten 49-28 by Grand Valley State, also of Michigan, last Saturday. Mines beat Grand Valley 31-28 in both teams season opener. Western Colorado is 12th in the latest poll.
Pueblo also lost to Grand Valley in its second game—57-49—on the road. Next up, the Pack, as it likes to be known, was defeated by Western Colorado 30-14 and Colorado Mines 55-14.
Mark your calendars. Western Colorado will play Mines in Golden on Oct. 28 to decide the RMAC championship.
The question Chadron State fans have to be asking is: “Will the promise the Eagles displayed the last two weeks carry over when they take on a perennial power like Pueblo? During their first five games, the Eagles averaged 279 total net yards while yielding 455. In the last two, they have averaged 540 and given up only 260 per game.
CSC Coach Jay Long knows nothing will come easily Saturday, but he believes the Eagles are on the right track. Here’s his statement:
“There has been a lot of things that have helped us turn things around since the Black Hills game. With the challenges that we have faced this fall, our leadership has been the difference with us continuing to play hard. The team leaders and our coaches continue to work hard and hold the team to a standard.
“With four games remaining, it is important to finish the season strong, as every opponent that we will face is in a similar position as we are. The team with the most confidence is going to have best success. Confidence is built by great practices and work ethic.”
The ThunderWolves have some weapons. While there doesn’t appear to be any potential All-American running backs in the RMAC this season, Pueblo’s Kiahn Martinez, a 5-8, 181-pound junior, leads the conference in rushing with 92 carries for 540 yards and five touchdowns.
Pueblo has a new quarterback this fall. He is Chance Fuller, a 6-3, 195-pounder who already had been on the roster at Fort Hays State five years before he joined the Pack. He was the Tigers’ starter two seasons and set some school records two years ago when he completed 40 of 63 passes for 474 yards against Missouri Western.
Through seven games this fall, Fuller has completed 139 of 244 passes for 1,538 yards and 18 touchdowns while throwing just five interceptions. He doesn’t run much. In fact, he’s been sacked enough times to be minus 59 yards rushing this season.
His favorite passing target is Zack Rakowsky, who is just 5-8, 141 pounds, but has 34 catches for 461 yards. Another obvious weapon is Reggie Retzlaff, who is 6-3, 212, and has caught 30 tosses for 381 yards and eight touchdowns to match the Eagles’ Tommy Thomas for most TD receptions in the conference.
Kick returns appear to be another plus for Pueblo. Dorion McGarity is averaging 40 yards on six kickoff returns and Andrew Cook is averaging 17 yards on 10 punt returns.
Cook had a huge day against the Eagles last year. He caught five passes that were thrown by senior Hunter Raquet for 159 yards and four touchdowns, including a 63-yarder. Pueblo won 34-12.
The ThunderWolves have been a tough customer for the Eagles almost since the Pueblo football program was revived in 2008. CSC won the first game 32-0, but the ThunderWolves have won all 13 since then. Two of the early games went into overtime.
Chadron State is not the only team that has struggled against Pueblo. During the last 15 years when John Wristen was the head coach, the ThunderWolves had a 133-27 record and won the RMAC championship and advanced to the NCAA II Playoffs seven times.
Wristen retired at the end of last year and is now Pueblo’s athletic development and external relations officer. His replacement is Phil Vigil, who was the head coach at Western New Mexico the previous two years