Sports Editor
Photo courtesy Jonathan Vestal
Jake Cimolino ran for 79 yards and a touchdown and passed Charles Dukes (2001-04) for third on CMU’s all-time career rushing list during Saturday’s game as the offense did what they needed, showing improvement passing, but not much more.
The big story was the bend-but-don’t-break Maverick defense, who once again showed how the team has been able to win games despite giving up an average of over 400 yards a game.
New Mexico Highlands University lit up the stat box with 621 total yards and 440 through the air and held the ball over six and a half minutes longer than CMU. Yet the Cowboys’ offense punted the ball five times, were stopped on both of their fourth down attempts and turned the ball over twice. The defensive effort, which included a fourth-and-goal stand late in the fourth, gave the Mavericks the 22-17 nod, and keep them on the right side of .500.
“The defense won the game for us, but we shouldn’t put them in the position of needing to do that,” Cimolino said.
CMU was outgained 336-177 in the first half, but had the 2-0 advantage in turnovers and the 19-10 advantage on the scoreboard going into the locker room.
The Maverick defense, led by senior linebacker Jake Edmiston’s 10 tackles in the first half, was able to maintain the two-score lead going into halftime when the clock ran out on the fast-paced Cowboys’ offense. New Mexico failed to score on a 34-second, 60-yard drive that abruptly ended at the CMU 15-yard line without any points to show for it.
However, the momentum must have been enough as NMHU picked up right where it left off on its next drive early in the third. The Cowboys cut the score to 19-17 with a 5-play, 97-yard touchdown drive after a CMU punt pinned them deep in their own red zone. Highlands’ running back Akeelie Mustafa led the quick-score, 43-second drive with 64 yards on three carries including a 44-yard dash to the endzone.
“We knew the kind of team they were going in and that they were going to have those drives,” Edmiston said. “It was all about making adjustments for the next possession after giving that up.”
After giving up the 97-yard touchdown drive earlier in the half, the defense was able to make a stand and avoid a similar occurrence with just over six minutes to go in the fourth. With NMHU’s offense facing a third-and-10 at the 32-yard line, after starting the drive on its own one, junior Marc Palacios sacked Cowboys’ quarterback Emmanuel Lewis for a nine-yard loss forcing the team to punt the ball from CMU’s 41.
The Mavericks drove the ball into the Cowboys’ red zone led by senior quarterback Jason Haferman, who threw 3-for-3 for 44 yards, in a drive that was capped by 31-yard field goal by Tanner Donahue. With the Mavs only up five, and the ball back in Lewis’ hands with 2:25 to go, the Maverick defense would once again bend but not break.
Lewis moved the Cowboys 65 yards to CMU’s 10-yard line, throwing for 31 and rushing for another 19, setting up a first-and-goal with under a minute left in the game. After an incomplete pass on first down and two short runs for NMHU to the CMU 3-yard line, the Maverick defense stuffed running back Brandon Johnson’s fourth-and-goal attempt for no gain.
“We have complete faith in our defense, but if we (the offense) would have scored a touchdown instead of a field goal, it would have been two scores and out of reach,” Cimolino said. “It was pretty nerve-racking.”
The Maverick run game, averaging over 196 yards a game coming in, was stagnant for much of the game gaining a season-low 97 yards.
Haferman and redshirt-freshman Kyle Duran split time at quarterback. Haferman finished 13-of-20 throwing for 137 yards and a touchdown to running back D.J. Hubbard, one of his six catches for 72 receiving yards in leading the Mavs in receiving. Duran completed seven passes on 12 attempts for 121 yards, but was the source of the team’s sole turnover, an interception early in the fourth quarter.
After Cimolino’s rise to third on the rushing list, the junior’s 105 yard average (2,836 total) in 27 career games put him well on pace to pass Bobby Coy (2005-08) and Mike Vaughn’s (1987-90) shared mark of 4,161 yards. However, it’s something he is not focusing on.
“I just want to win an RMAC championship,” Cimolino said. “Records don’t mean nearly as much as winning a championship with my team.”
The Mavericks (3-2, 2-1 RMAC) return home Saturday, where they are 2-0 this season, to play Western New Mexico (1-3, 1-2 RMAC) at Stocker Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
jdredmon@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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