The Mavericks dominate on senior night as they won 52-9 over the Yellow Jackets in their final home game of the season.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) finished the game with 572 total offensive yards on 54 total plays. The Maverick’s offense
Redshirt junior wide receiver/running back Darick Holmes led the game in rushing yards as he registered 190 yards. Holmes also scored four touchdowns in the game, and he scored the longest touchdown of the game as he broke a 72-yard run where he outran everyone on the field.
“I put all of that on my offensive line, and the offensive line coach had everyone ready, and I feel like the holes were open. I feel like I made the most of it,” Holmes said.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Karst Hunter threw for 246 yards and he was 14 of 19 passing in the game. Hunter also threw two touchdowns, and he had two passes that went for 50 or more yards in the game.
The Maverick’s finished the game with 11 penalties for 112 yards in the game.
“We don’t need to play guys that get penalties. It’s really just that simple. If you are a guy that’s a backup, and we put you in the game, and you cost us, then we have to get another backup. That’s just the discipline of who we are and what we are trying to do here. To me, that’s old-natured Mesa, this is a brand-new Mesa and we have a certain standard of the way that we do things. So, we have to look at it and see who’s hurting us, and they just won’t play anymore. That’s how you really fix that.”
Black Hills State University (BHSU) kicked off to open the game, but they went for an onside kick. The onside kick went far enough for the Yellow Jackets to recover, but a penalty on the kick-off made them replay the opening kick-off.
When everything got settled, Jacob Parks next kick-off resulted in a touchback and the Mavericks took over on the 25-yard line. Holmes got his first carry of the game and went for 11-yards on the first offensive play of the game.
Hunter then looked downfield and found redshirt senior wide receiver Lionell McConnell for a 53-yard completion to move CMU into the red zone. Hunter then found graduate student Elijah Lilly in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown as CMU went 75-yards in three plays.
The Yellow Jackets put together a 10-play drive, but they weren’t able to convert a fourth down which gave the ball back to CMU. Chance Eben nearly got to the sticks on fourth down before redshirt senior defensive back Deeandra Ervin brought him down behind the line to gain.
The Maverick’s offense took back over on their own 45-yard line, and Hunter’s pass on the first play fell incomplete. Senior running back Morian Walker then gained two yards on his first carry of the game, and then caught a pass for seven yards.
Walker was short of the first down marker, and on fourth and two, Walker took the hand-off 35-yards. Walker moved CMU into the red zone, and then Hunter found redshirt junior KJ Sapp in the endzone for the Maverick’s second touchdown of the game.
The Maverick’s defense then forced the Yellow Jackets into a three and out. CMU set up for their next possession on their own 17-yard line of the Parks punt.
Holmes took the opening play for an 11-yard rush, and then he took his next carry 72-yards for a touchdown on the Maverick’s second play of the drive. It was Holmes’s first touchdown of the game and his longest touchdown against the Yellow Jackets as well.
The Mavericks continued to dominate offensively in the second quarter, as they took over with 13:42 left in the first half. They took over on the Yellow Jackets 38-yard line and Hunter found redshirt freshman tight end Josh Bist for a 14-yard completion. Hunter then rushed for five yards on the next play of the drive to move CMU to the BHSU 19-yard line.
Holmes took the next carry 19-yards into the endzone for his second touchdown of the game.
The Mavericks put together two more scoring drives in the first half. Holmes scored his third touchdown of the game in the first half, and redshirt junior Lucas Ruiz-Diaz made a field goal to put CMU up 38-0 in the first half.
The third quarter was a flip of the script as both teams put together long drives, but neither was able to finish the drive until the end of the quarter.
The Yellow Jackets put together the only scoring drive of the quarter together with under 2:44 left in the half. They took over after they forced and recovered a fumble on the CMU 24-yard line, and it was the best field position they started with all game.
BHSU completed two passes to start the drive, and Eben moved the chains. The Yellow Jackets didn’t gain a yard on first down, but they picked up three yards on second down. Eben was sacked for eight yards on third down which forced them to kick a field goal.
Parks hit the field goal to get the Yellow Jackets on the board for the first time in the game.
The fourth quarter opened with another quick CMU possession. Hunter found redshirt junior wide receiver Trey Windham for a 60-yard reception that flipped the Mavericks from their own25-yard line to the BHSU 15-yard line. Holmes then scored his fourth touchdown of the game on the second play of the drive as he took the handoff 15-yards into the endzone.
BHSU took over on their final scoring drive with 7:20 left in the game. The drive started with an eight-yard completion to Connor Boyd, and Matthew Collier got to the first down for BHSU with a three-yard rush. Senior linebacker Bryant Bowen was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which moved the Yellow Jackets another 15-yards.
Aiden Willard found Mitch McKibbin on a 31-yard completion, and they got another 12-yards tacked onto the play due to a penalty. Freshman linebacker Kaden Stewart got called for a personal foul penalty which moved the Yellow Jackets to the CMU 11-yard line.
Willard then found Jarett Jenson for an 11-yard touchdown reception for the final BHSU score of the game.
The Maverick’s answered with a scoring drive of their own on their next possession. Freshman quarterback Gavin Herberg came into the game and recorded a 10-yard rush on the second play of the drive. Walker got the next carry and gained 27-yards which flipped the field.
After an ineligible player downfield penalty, Herberg found Walker downfield for a 40-yard strike. Walker’s touchdown put CMU up 52-9 for the final game of the year.
“We were just trying to take what they gave us, and they gave it to us. So, we definitely wanted to go back to it. One thing about us, we try not to complicate. I think football is like checkers, it’s not a chess game. People talk about football as a chess match, I think it’s as easy jumping over and getting to the end where you crown me, and you jump all the way back,” Jackson said.
So, we try to make it that as a staff for our players, and if someone leaves someone open. Well let’s go to it again at some point to see what they do, and luckily we found it.”
Ervin led the Maverick’s in tackles with 10 total tackles in the game, and he record a half tackle for loss.
Redshirt senior defensive back Damar’ren Mitchell was CMU’s second-leading tackler with nine total tackles. Mitchell also recorded one full tackle for loss against the Yellow Jackets.
The Maverick’s final game of the regular season is Saturday, Nov. 13 at noon against South Dakota Mines in Rapid City, SD.
