Senior day couldn’t have gone any better for the football team. The Colorado Mesa University (CMU) Mavericks defeated the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys 56-36 in both teams’ season finale on Saturday, November 16. Before the game, seniors walked the field with friends and family. The game was also military and first responders day, so service members were recognized at halftime.
For the second week straight, the Mavericks went without star quarterback redshirt sophomore Karst Hunter who is nursing a shoulder injury. This week, it was sophomore quarterback Gavin Herberg who got the starting nod for the first time this season.
After the Mavericks went three and out to start the game, Herberg and the rest of the offense started clicking. The quarterback connected with junior receiver David O’Connell for two passing touchdowns in the first half. He then threw another perfect deep ball to redshirt senior Trey Windam to extend the Maverick lead to 35-28 going into halftime. The touchdown was Windam’s first touchdown catch of his six year CMU career. Windham celebrated by chucking the ball empathically, which was deemed an excessive celebration penalty.
“I just love it, it was an unreal moment. I saw [Herberg] start loading it up and I knew it was coming, and I just kept running and made the play. [Herberg] gave me a chance, that’s all I can ask for,” Windham said.
Herberg and the offense carried the momentum into the second half, and scored two more touchdowns in the frame. Herberg ultimately finished with 397 yards of total offense and threw four touchdowns versus zero interceptions.
“We told him early in the year that he’s one of our best guys, and we want to find a way to get him on the field. He played safety, kick return or whatever was called upon him that week. [Watching] him go back to being the gunslinger he was fun to watch,” head football coach Miles Kochever said.
After starting the second half of last week’s game, Herberg has accounted for 755 yards of total offense and nine touchdowns in the last six quarters. With the high level play he has displayed, his time on defense may have come to an end.
“This year, I played all over, just because I wanted to help my team win in any way I could, because [Hunter] was the guy. Props to him, he’s a
great kid and a great quarterback, but next year I definitely want to stay at my natural position playing quarterback,” Herberg said.
Defensively for the Mavericks, they played a physical brand of football. Redshirt senior Bryce Stevenson was the leader for the CMU defense, causing two forced fumbles on his senior day. Sophomore linebacker Kaden Stewart also was wreaking havoc for the Mavs. Early on, Stewart rushed off the edge, causing the Cowboy quarterback to drop the ball at Stewart’s feet. Stewart then easily scooped it up and scored a defensive touchdown.
“It was kind of a shocker. I think I might have scared him a little. It was honestly a blessing from God. The ball was right there when I came off the edge, all I did was pick it up and run,” Stewart said.
At the end of the game things got a little weird. CMU ran a play where graduate student Jacob Whitmer caught a pass, and then pitched it behind to senior offensive lineman Ozzy Torres for a nine yard gain. The Cowboys then responded two plays later by having a lineman of their own return an interception 76 yards, before getting tripped up by the turf monster. NMHU then scored, and attempted an onside kick, which was returned for a touchdown by redshirt senior tight end Dagan Rienks. The Mavericks then celebrated the seniors’ first touchdown on the season, and in the process drew seven excessive celebration penalties, which was met by a standing ovation from the crowd.
Nonetheless, the Mavericks finished 4-6 in the first year of the Miles Kochevar era. While the team is losing significant seniors like Rienks, linebacker Siaosi Finau, and running backs Jullen Isson and Isaac Maestas, they return most of the team for next season. Led by Karst Hunter, the 2023 CMU football program has a lot to prove next year.
