Two teams that suffered bitter defeats a week ago will clash Saturday at Ray Dennison Memorial Field in Durango.
Fort Lewis College, which will try to bounce back from a 48-42 overtime loss at rival Adams State last Saturday, is ready for its homecoming game at noon Saturday on the FLC campus. The Skyhawks (1-4, 1-4 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) will host Colorado Mesa University (3-2, 2-2 RMAC), the athletic program’s rival to the north in Grand Junction. The Mavericks lost a NCAA Division II top-25 matchup 72-31 at Colorado School of Mines last Saturday in Golden to drop out of the top 25. Colorado Mesa gave up an eye-popping 797 yards of total offense to the 12th-ranked Orediggers.
“I think coach (Russ) Martin is a real good coach, and I think they do a good job with that program,” FLC head coach Joe Morris said of his counterpart this weekend. “They’re gonna be ready to play. They have a bunch of guys used to having success. A bump in the road like Mines won’t stop them from coming down here and continuing to play good football.”
Colorado Mesa has won at least a share of the RMAC championship in each of the last three seasons. The team will need some help to get back into the conference title hunt this year, but the Skyhawks will have a shot at a home upset Saturday in front of a homecoming crowd.
“Our players love Fort Lewis. Our alumni love Fort Lewis,” Morris said. “We are going to go out and put our best foot forward. A win on homecoming will do nothing but help bring energy to the program and enthusiasm. The more of that we can get, the more it helps in the future.”
FLC felt it found something in the second half last week at Adams State despite two untimely interceptions in the red zone. Freshman kicker Beau McCannon hit a 49-yard field goal with one second to play in the fourth quarter to send it to overtime, but the Skyhawks moved backward on their overtime possession in the defeat.
The Skyhawks must find a way to control clock and run the ball effectively to give a solid defensive unit more time on the sideline. FLC ranks last in the RMAC in rushing yards per game at 116.6, led by Brayden Lucero’s 402 yards and one touchdown on 85 carries through five games. FLC’s defense boasts the third-ranked run defense, as it has held opponents to only 142.8 yards per game.
“I don’t know what the field conditions will be like Saturday, but it’s gonna be wet,” Morris said. “We definitely are going to have to establish a run game. Us being able to control the clock and keep Mesa off the field is the biggest challenge of the day.”
Eliminating turnovers is also paramount for the Skyhawks. Backup quarterback Nick McNamee will see his third start of the season after starter Jake Lowry broke his ankle in a Week 3 loss at Chadron State. McNamee, a senior, has thrown for 657 yards and seven touchdowns but has six interceptions along with a few fumbles.
FLC will be tasked with slowing down Mavericks quarterback Eystin Salum. He has 1,159 passing yards to go with eight touchdowns and three interceptions while he has completed 50 percent of passes. He also has rushed for 379 yards and three touchdowns. His go-to target is Peter Anderson, who ranks second in the RMAC with 641 yards on 29 receptions, including six for touchdowns.
“I don’t know if you can completely contain that guy,” Morris said of Salum. “We’re definitely gonna try to limit him in the run game a bit. We have to keep him in the pocket somehow in the pass game. It’s tough sometimes when you take guys out of coverage to do it. But I think we’re gonna go out and try to keep him in there.”
Colorado Mesa leads the all-time series 32-11-1 and is 16-5-1 all time at FLC. The Mavericks have won three in a row against FLC, with the Skyhawks’ last win a 28-20 road victory in 2014. Last year, the Skyhawks were thumped 40-14 on the road.
“Our guys are excited for this game,” Morris said. “After last week, all the guys looked at it as a learning experience. The offense gained some confidence with how well they played in the second half, and, defensively, we’ve been able to figure out the issues we had, and now we’re gonna go out and try to attack them.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
If you go
Who:
Colorado Mesa University at Fort Lewis College
What:
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football
When:
Noon Saturday
Where:
Ray Dennison Memorial Field
Twitter:
@jlivi2
