Discipline. Obedience. Grit.  

The DOG mentality is the principle that the Mavericks are carrying into the 2021 season. Head Coach Tremaine Jackson is in his second year at the helm, but this is his first full season with the Mavericks.  

A strong culture is something that Jackson preaches, and the Mavericks are carrying that into this year.  

Redshirt senior defensive back Damar’ren Mitchell, senior linebacker Remington Green, redshirt junior tight end Dagan Rienks and redshirt senior offensive lineman Justin Cobbley were the four that were voted to be captains by their teammates. These four aren’t the only ones that are leaders for the Mavericks this season.  

“I think we got it right, I think our team voted right, we’ve got all flavors with our captains. We only took four, some people are taking ten, some are taking six. There were four captain spots, but what is encouraging is we had a lot of guys get captain votes,” Jackson said.  

“So, there aren’t just four leaders on our team, that lets me know that we’ve got more people that are looked at as leaders amongst our team that maybe didn’t get the captain vote but they are on our leadership council or somebody looks up to them.”  

The Mavericks’ DOG mentality runs deep in this team, but it wasn’t something that was instilled in one day. Colorado Mesa University (CMU) culture took time to develop and that meant going through the fire.  

“So guys that are here from when I got here, those guys are disciplined, obedient, and very gritty because we put them through those tests of things to make sure that this is what they really wanted to do. Again, we were trying to change a team into a program, this was not a program. So we were able to do that by putting guys through some fire and making sure they come out on the other side,” Jackson said.  

The strong culture that the Mavericks have cultivated runs through the entire team. The culture set the precedent for the team’s chemistry. The coaching staff and the players work together each day to put their best foot forward throughout practices and games.  

CMU’s philosophy is not something that they will bend on because their culture draws in the DOGs that the Mavericks are looking for.  

“They’ve become us. That’s just who we are, they’ve become a part of that. We told them that in the recruiting process, some coaches are willing to bend to get a good player, we’re not. We are who we are, we believe what we believe, so those guys have come in and bought in to be us,” Jackson said. 

Offensively, that DOG mentality and work ethic is brought each day by the Mavericks starting redshirt freshman quarterback Karst Hunter. He transferred from South Dakota State University where he played special teams and wide receiver.  

According to Jackson, Hunter was working all summer and was in the building prior to when the team officially began activities. Not only did that work win him the job, but it also won him the team.  

“[Hunter] was here, he was present. We can’t do anything with him in the summer, but he decided to come out and be around. Every time I came up here, he was up here. He was here working with the guys, hanging out, becoming us. Learning what our culture is, learning what we are about as a staff and as players,” Jackson said. 

“Therefore, when he got in the role and started making plays, that won the team over. He was already one of us, he was disciplined, he was obedient, he has grit. So, then when he could make plays, then the team bought into him.” 

CMU has also adopted a new defensive mentality called the “212” defense. Water’s boiling point is 212 degrees Fahrenheit and boiling water produces steam. Steam can power a locomotive that does not stop for anything in its path. 

“The 212 defense is special. It’s near and dear to my heart because I was a coordinator and we coordinated the 212. Now Coach Anderson has it, it’s the same way but it’s his spin on it. I think Brandon Anderson might be the smartest defensive coach I know. To watch those guys go to work every day, to watch them cling onto the 212 and the unit, the mantra and the mindset of that unit has been fun.,” Jackson said.  

That bond within the defense was on display in the Mavericks 40-3 win over William Jewell College in their home opener.  

The Mavericks next game is Sept. 18 at noon against New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M.