What has been the issue? Well, there are a few things that have contributed to this 4-5 season.

The Colorado Mesa University football team is in danger of having their first losing season since 2012 after their most recent loss to Dixie State. The Mavericks surrendered 35 points in the second half against the Trailblazers and lost 42-32 after leading at halftime 21-7. 

To rub CMU’s face into the dirt, the loss was highlighted on SportsCenter’s Top Ten Plays where Hayden Bollinger’s pass was intercepted after being tipped from out of bounds to Kaejin S. Bejgrowicz. Oh yea, and the play was listed as No.1.

Fans were commenting saying congrats to the Mavericks for making it to ESPN… but it was for all the wrong reasons. 

The Mavericks have lost five games in a season for the first time since 2014 and are still trying to find a consistent rhythm. They have not won consecutive games all year and lost contests that should show up as wins in the record book. The season started out with an uneasy comeback win against South Dakota Mines, everyone thought the inconsistencies would work themselves out as the season went on…we’re still waiting for that to happen.

Without a doubt, the Mavericks have shown improvements on both sides of the ball. The offense put up 58 points against Black Hills State because of all three aspects of the game working for CMU. Special teams was scoring, the defense was turning the ball over and the offense was developing consistent drives.

The momentum from the Homecoming Game carried over into the first half of this last week’s game against Dixie State. The special teams unit blocked and returned a punt for a touchdown, the defense forced an interception and Hayden Bollinger had two rushing touchdowns going into halftime. In the third and fourth quarter, the discrepancies CMU has built up all year reached it breaking point.

The Trailblazers would go on to put up almost 600 yards of offense and score on five of their six second-half offensive possessions, as well as turning Maverick defense on its head. 

This is where the team is at. When they are on, they are hot…when they are off, they are hypothermic cold. The inconsistent play CMU has shown on both ends of the ball shows this team has positive aspects, but the kinks need to be addressed thoroughly. Schools in the RMAC like CSU-Pueblo and Colorado School of Mines are starting to run away from CMU as the top tier programs of the conference and recruits are choosing the front range over the Grand Valley.

So where does the change need to happen? The day-to-day operations? Personnel? Maybe recruiting needs a revamp. The Mavericks do have the right men leading the program, and Russ Martin should continue to be the coach at the helm. However, something significant within the program needs to change in order to redefine the culture and attitude of the team. Because as of 2019, the Mavericks are a team that is close to being great…but just not close enough.