The Maverick’s pulled out their second win of the season in a game that had 93 combined points scored.
The score was 28-30 at the end of the first half as either offense could do no wrong. Colorado Mesa University (CMU) went on to win the game 56-37 win over the Cowboys.
The Maverick’s offense dominated through both the air and ground attacks. They compiled 586 total offensive yards, and 272 of those came from the Maverick’s ground game.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Karst Hunter finished the game with five total touchdowns and 314 passing yards. Three of his touchdowns came in the first half all through the air, then he scored his next two touchdowns on the ground in the second half.
Freshman running back Avian Thomas led the Mavericks in rushing with 130 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 11.8 yards per carry in the contest.
New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) received the ball first in the game, but the drive resulted in a punt.
Thomas made the first move to get CMU on the third play of their opening possession. On 3rd and 6, Thomas broke into the second level, the third level and blazed past them all for a 72-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys stuck to the ground game on their second possession as they recorded eight rushes and three passes. The third and final pass of their drive ended in pay dirt as Ramone Atkins found Kamari Mosby for a 14-yard touchdown to tie the game up at seven.
NMHU’s offense-built momentum as they got the ball back after a missed CMU field goal. With that possession, they put together a 7-play, 80-yard drive for a touchdown. This was when we saw our second long touchdown of the game as Atkins found CJ Sims for a 50-yard touchdown through the air.
The Cowboy’s didn’t convert on the PAT which left them down by one point.
This is where the back-and-forth nature of the first half kicked in as there were six consecutive touchdowns scored by either team.
Hunter put the Mavericks back on top as he found redshirt junior wide receiver Darick Holmes for a 12-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys answered with yet another long 75-yard touchdown to Sims on a drive that lasted just 55 seconds.
Each team put together a long drive that took five minutes off the clock which ended in a goal-line touchdown.
The Maverick’s final touchdown of the half came from redshirt senior wide receiver Lionell McConnell. Hunter found McConnell over the top for a 75-yard touchdown to put CMU up 28-27.
The Cowboys weren’t done just yet though as they got the ball with 1:03 left in the first half. Atkins connected with Sims on a 47-yard pass to put them in the red zone. They couldn’t convert it into a touchdown, but the Cowboys kicked a field goal to give them a 28-30 lead going into halftime.
Graduate student wide receiver Elijah Lilly gave the Mavericks great field position as he returned the kickoff 68-yards. Lilly’s return brought CMU into the NMHU 28-yard line.
The Maverick’s continued to roll in the second half, while their defense shut down the Cowboy’s offense as they allowed one touchdown in the second half.
Then on 2nd and 7, Hunter stepped up in the pocket, saw daylight and took off as he rushed for a 34-yard touchdown. This put CMU up 35-30 just 47 seconds into the second half.
The Mavericks got the Cowboys off the field in their first possession of the second half in seven plays.
CMU took over on their own 7-yard line and put together a 10-play, 93-yard drive that ended in a touchdown. The play that got CMU’s offense moving was a 61-yard pitch and catch from Hunter to McConnell.
Hunter then completed passes to redshirt junior wide receiver KJ Sapp and redshirt junior tight end Dagan Reinks to get CMU in the red zone. Thomas’s five-yard rush put the Mavericks on the one-yard line and Hunter took a QB sneak up to gut to score his second rushing touchdown of the game.
NMHU then put together the longest drive of the game in an attempt to keep the game close. The Cowboys put together a 17-play, 82-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown. They picked up four first downs and two of those came off of fourth-down conversions.
Atkins and Sims connected for their third touchdown of the game which was the final NMHU touchdown of the game.
The Maverick’s scored their final two touchdowns on the ground as redshirt junior running back Isaac Maestas and senior running back Morian Walker were the beneficiaries.
Junior linebacker Brooklyn Hardiman led the Maverick’s defense in total tackles as he compiled nine. He recorded one sack and forced a fumble in the game as well.
Junior linebacker Siaosi Finau and senior linebacker Remington Green each recorded half of a sack, and they combined for 13 total tackles.
McConnell led CMU in receiving with 165 yards and one touchdown. Of his 165 receiving yards, he picked up 119 of those yards, after the catch.
CMU’s next game is Saturday, Sept. 25 at 1:00 p.m. against Chadron State College at Stocker Stadium.
