A familiar yet still relatively new face will be sharing the field under center this season. Senior quarterback Rope Ruel is finally getting his chance in his final season as a Maverick.
Ruel is one of three quarterbacks currently competing for the primary quarterback role on the Colorado Mesa University football team.
The Castle Rock native started throwing a football when he was eight years old. Ruel got his start in the sport by growing up in a football household as well as playing with friends that have and continue to support his career throughout the years.
“I was kind of more a running back, quarterback and safety, but they kind of just put me at quarterback because I was the only one that could really throw on my team so that is how it started,” Ruel said.
He then went on to play at Douglas County High School where he played for the Huskies and became a full-time quarterback. Now, entering his fifth and final season at CMU, Rope’s journey has not been the smoothest. Coming out of high school Ruel saw playing time almost every weekend but college has been a different story.
“That transition was hard and kind of switched my role of a starter in high school and now being more of a backup position so that transition was hard but I also feel like it was good and I think I have learned a lot from it,” Ruel said.
This season, it has been a three-way quarterback battle between Ruel and two redshirt sophomores in Aaron Howard and Hayden Bollinger. Ruel got the start in Week 1 against South Dakota School of Mines but only saw the field until the second quarter where Bollinger stepped in.
Even though Ruel has spent time on the sidelines, he has spent his past four years making memories and learning from his peers. Studying the players who came before him has been an important part of the last four years, and Ruel was able to observe what made their time here successful to be a great on-field leader.
“I’ve been behind two great quarterbacks, Sean Rubalcaba when I first got here and Eystin Salum the last two years, so just being able to learn from them and pick their brains on things and to see what was successful for them and what they did day in and day out has helped me grow as a QB,” Ruel said.
Ruel saw the most playing time last season as he played in six games. Throughout those games, he threw two touchdowns and for 414 yards. He also saw playing time in 2017 rushing for ten yards and passing for 81.
“Last season was really the only season I saw a lot of playing time I have kind of been playing the role of the backup the last four years now which hasn’t been bad,” Ruel said.
When you think about the leader of a football team you think of someone who is going to be loud and the one to step up on the sideline but in this case for Ruel, it was more about showing his leadership through the efforts he makes on the field.
“I’m not a real loud guy at practice or in the weight room. I’m not really the type who goes around yelling or hyping guys up that way, but my work ethic is when I see myself as a good leader: when I work hard.” Ruel said.
This season is all about leaving it all out on the field. As this being the seniors last season he really just wants to take it all in and make the best out of his final games in his career. Ruel has been apart of three RMAC championship teams and hopes to take home a fourth to cap off his career.
“I just want to give it my all and I don’t really want any regrets after this season because it is my senior season, probably the last season I’ll play football, so it is really about having fun and enjoying it. Kind of just set aside other things and really take in every practice, take in every game, and just being around these guys. Just take it all in.”
CMU did win their first game against South Dakota Mines and will play their first home game of the season against Eastern New Mexico University on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at Stocker Stadium.
