Colorado Mesa University (CMU) wins their first game in the Miles Kochevar era with an end to end win against William Jewell College (WJC) 37-14.
Redshirt sophomore Karst Hunter got the start for the Mavericks and played the first half. Hunter was dominant in his 2022 debut throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns in the game. The offensive live gave him a clean pocket and gave up just one sack on the game.
Hunter’s first touchdown came on the opening drive on a deep crossing route in the back of the endzone to Colorado State transfer Keenan Brown. The redshirt junior was able to beat his defender and made the tough toe tapping catch to score the first points of the game.
On the next series, Hunter made the most impressive play of the game. With the pocket collapsing, he rolled right, and fired a strike in between two WJC defenders, hitting Northern Colorado (UNC) transfer redshirt junior Noah Sarria to bring the CMU lead to 14-0.
Hunter’s third touchdown went to graduate student Jacob Whitmer. Witmer was the most consistent receiver, hauling in five catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Whitmer showed his strength on a wild play in the third quarter. The 6’7” wide receiver quite literally ripped the ball out of the WJC defensive back hands, after an interception was thrown and he retained possession for the Mavericks.
UNC transfer Jullen Ison got the start at running back and went for 66 yards on 15 carries in his Mavericks debut. The graduate student’s longest run came on a 16 yard run up the middle, after he spun around a defender. Redshirt senior Isaac Maestas added 27 yards from scrimmage and scored the game’s only rushing touchdown.
The Mavericks defense was suffocating end to end, allowing WJC to only 158 yards of total offense.
Scrappy Norman was everywhere for the Mavericks. The graduate student led the team with seven tackles and broke up two passes. Norman and the rest of the secondary kept WJC to 97 total passing yards.
The linebacking core of senior Siaosi Finau, redshirt junior Cameron Nathan, and sophomore Kaden Stewart looked to be the strength of the defense moving forward. The trio accounted for 2.5 sacks and seven tackles. The linebackers played in the WJC backfield all night and never let them get their offense going.
Backup quarterback Gavin Herberg got an opportunity to play in the second half. The sophomore immediately made an impact with a 52 yard strike to sophomore Zayden Davis. Herberg showcased his arm strength but was unable to find a groove, throwing two interceptions. Herberg did showcase his athleticism, rushing for 34 yards.
Freshman quarterback Trevin Edwards also completed a pass via a trick play. Edwards caught the ball backwards as a receiver, and then fired a strike while taking a massive hit. The freshman also played on special teams.
The Mavericks will play South Dakota Mines in their home opener at Stocker Stadium at 1:00 p.m. on September 17th.
