The Mavericks picked up their second loss of the season as they fell 9-23 to the Mountaineers.
Graduate student wide receiver Elijah Lilly led Colorado Mesa University (CMU) in receiving with 101 yards and a touchdown. Lilly scored the Maverick’s lone touchdown of the game on a 42-yard pitch and catch from Hunter.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Karst Hunter finished the game with 231 passing yards and a touchdown. Hunter also recorded a 64.5% completion percentage on the day.
CMU won the coin toss and chose to defer which gave Western Colorado University (WCU) the ball first. With their first possession, WCU picked up one first down and got out to midfield. On third down, senior linebacker Remington Green broke up Connor Desch’s pass to force the Mountaineers to punt.
The Maverick’s offense lost four yards on their opening play of the game, followed by two incomplete passes which forced them to give WCU the football right back.
The Mountaineers got the ball back, they put together a 12 play, 67-yard drive that drained six and a half minutes off the clock. They started their drive off with three straight runs to Josh Cummings who picked up the first down.
They picked up two more first downs which moved them down to the CMU 26-yard line. Cummings picked up one yard on the ground before Desch found James Bryant on a 25-yard reception for a touchdown to put them up 7-0.
Both defenses kept the other out of the endzone for the rest of the first quarter, but CMU got on the board first in the second quarter.
They took over with 13:24 left in the quarter, and freshman running back Avian Thomas picked up a first down for CMU. Hunter rushed for one yard on the next play and then found Lilly for an eight-yard pitch and catch to put the Mavericks into a third and one situation.
Senior running back Morian Walker picked up the first down with an eight-yard rush to move the Mavericks to the WCU 10-yard line. The Mountaineer’s defense came up big and forced CMU to kick a field goal in the red zone to bring the score to 3-7.
Neither offense scored on their next possession, but WCU put together their second scoring drive with 4:37 left in the first half. They took over on the CMU 28-yard line after recovering Hunter’s fumble.
Desch found Damian Macias for a five-yard connection and Cummings picked up the first down with a 15-yard rush. Desch then picked up three yards on the ground before finding Dominic Chance in the end zone for his second passing touchdown to put WCU 3-14.
CMU opened the second half with a nine-play, 76-yard drive. The Mavericks picked up a first down before Hunter connected with redshirt junior wide receiver KJ Sapp for a 48-yard reception. Sapp’s 48-yard catch was the longest play of the game for the Mavericks and moved them down to the WCU 11-yard line.
Hunter’s first pass in the red zone ended incomplete, but Walker gained six yards on the ground to put them in a third and four situation. Hunter kept the ball on a designed quarterback run but lost two yards.
Redshirt junior kicker Lucas Ruiz Diaz came onto the field but missed the 25-yard field goal.
The Maverick’s defense kept the Mountaineers off the scoreboard in the third quarter, but WCU put together their final scoring drive on their first possession of the fourth quarter. Their drive lasted five minutes and 42 seconds and was 11-plays for 71-yards. They picked up three first downs and extended their lead to 3-21.
CMU was able to answer on their next possession as the drive opened with a 17-yard pitch and catch from Hunter to Sapp. On the next play, Hunter found Lilly for a 16-yard reception that moved the Mavericks into WCU territory.
Hunter’s next pass to sophomore wide receiver Marshall Brose. Hunter found Lilly again for a long reception, but this time it went for 42 yards and a touchdown. Ruiz Diaz’s point-after-attempt was blocked by the Mountaineers to bring the score to 9-21.
The Maverick’s attempted an onside kick after their touchdown that was returned to the CMU five-yard line.
The Maverick’s defense stood tall and forced the Mountaineers into a fourth and two situation on the CMU two-yard line. WCU went for it with Desch on a quarterback keeper, but Desch was stopped resulting in a turnover on downs.
From their own two-yard line, the Mavericks took back over on offense, and Hunter’s first pass fell incomplete. Walker gained one yard on the ground to move them out to their own three-yard line. Hunter dropped back to pass again, but the Mountaineers got home for a safety for the final score of the game.
Green led the Mavericks in tackles with 10 total tackles. Six of Green’s tackles were solo with four coming off assisted tackles.
Junior defensive lineman Michael Gayden finished the game with five total tackles and all five of those were solo tackles. Gayden also recorded two tackles for loss.
The Maverick’s next home game is Saturday, Nov. 6 at 1:00 p.m. against Black Hills State University. It will be CMU’s final home game of the season and is their Military/First Responders Appreciation Day.
