The year of “firsts” took a road trip to New Mexico.
Fort Lewis College’s football team dominated the line of scrimmage for a 49-7 victory at New Mexico Highlands on Saturday. The win moved the Skyhawks to 3-1 overall and 2-0 to begin the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule and marked the first time in program history the team has scored 40 or more points in three consecutive games.
It also marked FLC’s first 2-0 start in the RMAC since 2006 and came one week after the team’s first-ever win against Black Hills State.
“I’m real proud of the guys and the way they played. I’m tickled with the kids and what we have accomplished at this time,” FLC head coach John L. Smith said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald.
There’s no mistaking the Skyhawks for a good football team this year. The offensive and defensive lines manhandled their opponents for a third consecutive week since the season-opening loss to NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision No. 15 Montana State.
Smith said the team used the experience of traveling to Bozeman, Montana, to prepare the squad for their first RMAC road trip, and the Skyhawks had no problem spoiling homecoming for the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys (0-4, 0-2 RMAC).
Defensive back Andrew Ike made his second big play in as many weeks to set the Skyhawks up for their first score, a 14-yard touchdown run by PJ Hall one play after Ike intercepted Cowboys quarterback Keith Moore.
Early in the second quarter, FLC defensive back Theo Chambers scooped up a New Mexico Highlands fumble and took it 18 yards for a defensive touchdown to make it 14-0.
Four minutes later, FLC senior quarterback Jordan Doyle led the team on a nine-play, 88-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass to Austin Shaw.
Highlands answered with a big kickoff return that set up its only touchdown drive of the game. Vincent Venegas ended a 45-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown catch from Moore.
But, with it still a two-score game, FLC senior punt returner Juquelle Thompson broke free for a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown that gave FLC a 28-7 lead with only 11 seconds to go in the first half.
“The defense sparked us early, and then the return by Juquelle right before half broke their back before halftime,” Smith said. “We went in at half, made adjustments we wanted to make and took care of it from there.”
FLC did just that, with slash player AJ Thigpen breaking a 53-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. Hall added his second touchdown run of the game to end the third quarter, this a 22-yard burst.
FLC capped off the scoring with a nine-yard touchdown run by Gabe Ogbonnaya.
Doyle finished the game with 80 rushing yards, with Hall leading FLC with 84. Doyle went 14-of-23 passing for 109 yards and the touchdown to Shaw.
“It’s been taking us a bit of time to get the feet wet and for (Doyle) to get the idea of what fits, but he’s done this a time or two now and knows what to expect,” Smith said of his quarterback. “Once we get settled into that second quarter, we’ve been making the right reads, throws and have been operating better.”
The Skyhawks have been pleased with the effort in practice leading up to the last two games. Smith hopes to see that trend continue this week: homecoming week on campus.
Moore finished the game 17-of-27 passing for 124 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Backup Trevor Swenson went 6-of-8 for 39 yards and was sacked by OJ Thompson. The Skyhawks held the Cowboys to only 115 rush yards on 39 carries, an average of 2.9 yards.
Meanwhile, FLC rushed for 239 yards on 30 carries for an average of eight yards per attempt.
FLC will welcome Western New Mexico (2-2, 1-1 RMAC) at noon Saturday to Ray Dennison Memorial Field. The Mustangs will be fresh off a loss at defending national champion CSU-Pueblo, a game the Mustangs played close all the way.
Smith knows the team will have more emotion going into this week’s homecoming game than Saturday at Highlands.
“The defense held the rope for us early,” Smith said. “We didn’t play with a lot of emotion and abandon and some things you have to play with at times. But sometimes you also have to win and maybe get it done without having all those things.
“We made it a business day, got back on the bus and got ready to come home. That’s what good football teams have to do sometimes, but we’ll have to be better next week.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
