jdredmon@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

After leaving California with a loss last week against Humboldt State, the Mavs wanted to focus on correcting the miscues that plagued them. While they were able to keep the game against UNC within reach during the first half, the team found themselves unable to overcome a slew of mistakes en route to a lopsided 37-point loss.

The 40-3 result Saturday marked the first win for Northern Colorado in almost two years and dropped the Mavs to 0-2 on the season, the fourth time in the last five years they have started without a win in the first two games.

CMU quarterback Deke Cisco struggled early on, throwing two interceptions in the first quarter and only 37 yards in the first half. However, he was able to remain composed later in the game, avoiding any huge mistakes that could have seen the lopsided final score become even more so. CMU head coach Russ Martin will spearhead player evaluations this week, but says that, as of right now, Deke Cisco is still the starter going forward.

The Mavericks’ defense kept it close in the first half after successfully stopping the Bears from scoring on five of their seven drives of the half, leaving the offense the opportunity to finally get on the board. On their last drive of the first half, a 40-yard run by running back Jake Cimolino led to a 44-yard field goal attempt by sophomore kicker Alex Zemezonak that cut the lead to 10-3. The score left the Mavs down by only seven points going into halftime after UNC missed a field goal that would have given them a two score lead just before time expired.

“The defense was holding them really well,” Cisco said. “The offense just didn’t click. Our goal at the time was to keep it simple and keep doing what we were doing. I didn’t do well in the last game, but this game I did horrible. We couldn’t get the passing game going.”

The score wouldn’t remain close for long as UNC quarterback Seth Lobato found wide receiver Dimitri Stimphil wide open down the field for an easy 46-yard touchdown pass halfway through the third quarter to grab a 17-3 lead. The Bears extended their lead 22 seconds later on a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, giving them the 23-3 edge after CMU blocked the ensuing extra point. After a three-and-out by the Mavs, the Bears returned the resulting punt to the two yard line, where they were held to a 22-yard field goal that increased the lead to 26-3. The Bears’ scoring attack was led by junior running back Tromaine Dennis, who rushed for three touchdowns on the day, two of which came in the final quarter of play.

“We had some chances early on, but we wore down a bit,” Coach Russ Martin said. “When you wear out, those things can happen, but our defense still played really well. Even on those short yardage situations, our defense made it tough to get in for a touchdown. We’re gonna keep focusing on what we have to do to get better as a team.”

“Things just fell into their hands,” Cisco said. “Miscues happened back-to-back-to-back. It definitely gave them back the momentum.”

Up next for the Mavericks is their home opener this Saturday against Martin’s alma mater Chadron State (1-1, 0-0), who have beaten the Mavs in each of the last eight matchups. Martin, as well as the rest of the team, see this next game as the real start of the season.

“[Chadron] has a very good football team,” Martin said. “They have good personnel and they are a very good coached football team. It will be a tough opener, but we knew that we’d have a tough three games to start the season. Going into this game, we’re both 0-0 in the conference and we want to continue to improve to get ready for RMAC football.”