Sports Reporter
The Mavericks have solidified themselves as one of the top defensive teams in the RMAC but have fallen into a rut on offense.
They traveled to Pueblo in hopes of dethroning RMAC powerhouse and No. 3 ranked CSU-Pueblo but became the latest victim in the Thunderwolves’ 35-game regular season winning streak.
Michael Brady intercepted two passes and Cody Daniels recorded one to push the Mavs’ season total to 23, but the balanced attack of CSU-Pueblo (9-0, 7-0 RMAC) was too much in the 34-6 loss. Very similar to their loss last week, the Mavs failed to move the ball effectively and were forced to rely on their defense.
“Our guys played with tremendous heart.We got after them,” coach Russ Martin said. “We had some good opportunities to convert on big plays, but we didn’t, and a lot of credit goes to CSU-Pueblo.”
The Mavs (5-4, 4-3 RMAC) began the game with the ball and looked to strike quickly as Jason Haferman found Daniel Rankin on a 53-yard completion that put them in Thunderwolf territory. Unfortunately, Rankin was immediately stripped by CSU-Pueblo cornerback Stephan Dickens, who returned the fumble right back to where the play began on the CMU 25-yard line.
The Thunderwolves capitalized on the short field with an eight-yard touchdown run to put the Mavs in an early 7-0 deficit.
Cody Daniels provided a spark early in the second quarter by intercepting Thunderwolves’ quarterback Chris Bonner. The Mavs capitalized on the turnover with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Duran to Blaine Jackson. However, a missed extra point kept the score at 10-6.
The defense stood strong in the first half, holding the Thunderwolves to only 17 points and added their second interception of the day, this time from Brady inside their own 10-yard line.
“Their offense is definitely one of the top ten offenses in the country, and we made some big plays against them,” cornerback Jordan Price said. “We felt like we had a great chance to win at that point.”
The Maverick defense continued to challenge CSU-Pueblo in the second half, halting a 14-play, 77-yard drive and holding them to a 27-yard field goal. Brady recorded his second interception of the day in the same quarter, once again with the Thunderwolves inside the 20-yard line, and gave the offense another chance to bring them back into the game.
Desperate for a score, the Mavs decided to try to pick up a first down on 4th-and-3 but were stopped one yard short by the Thunderwolves on a run by Brady. CSU-Pueblo took over on their own 44-yard line and broke the game wide open with a 56-yard touchdown run on the very next play to put them ahead 27-6.
Aric Kaiser, the third quarterback used in the game for CMU, was picked off in the next possession and set up the final score for the Thunderwolves, a 24-yard touchdown pass that took the Maverickes out of the game for good.
“They had three big plays against us, and they all went for touchdowns,” Price said. “If we could have made those stops on defense, it would have been a much different game.”
Coach Martin explained that while the offense did struggle, they learned what it will take to move the ball efficiently against the best teams in the nation.
“We were trying to get into a rhythm offensively all game and just couldn’t find it,” Martin said. “Nobody has moved the ball well against this team all year. Nothing bad can come from playing a team like them. That’s where we want our program to be.”
Jake Edmiston continued his impressive senior campaign with 17 total tackles (14 solo, 3 assisted, 1 for loss) in the losing effort. The Mavericks remain on the road this week as they look to stay above .500 against archrivals Western State (1-7, 1-5 RMAC) in the annual Mountaineer Bowl.
mfreter@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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