Fort Lewis College erased two double-digit deficits, hit a 49-yard field goal to send the game into overtime but still couldn’t find a way past rival Adams State University on Saturday in Alamosa.
After freshman kicker Beau McCannon drilled a 49-yard field goal at the end of regulation, the Skyhawks’ football team went into overtime tied 42-42 with the Grizzlies in the 53rd edition of the Musket Game, with the .45-70 caliber military issue rifle that serves as a traveling trophy on the line.
Adams State had the ball first in overtime and quickly scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Nick Rooney to Miles Fishback. The extra point was no good, and the Skyhawks had a chance to win on its first possession in overtime. But FLC went backward during its four plays, and an incomplete pass on fourth-and-15 ended the game to give the host Grizzlies a 48-42 overtime win.
The Adams State seniors celebrated on their home field at Rex Stadium by firing blanks from the musket that was donated in 1966 by Maholn “Butch” White. The Grizzlies have now won the last two Musket Games, but FLC leads the all-time series 38-18-1.
“It’s always an emotional swing when guys work hard and leave everything on the field like that,” FLC second-year head coach Joe Morris said. “There’s no quit in this squad. We’re gonna play until the end no matter what happens. We have a bunch of guys with pride in this program.”
Rooney finished with 468 yards and five touchdowns on 32-of-41 passing for the Grizzlies. Marquese Surrell burned the FLC secondary for 14 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns, including a 92-yard score. Chad Hovasse added 139 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions. Tyree Harris rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.
“Our defense played hard,” Morris said. “They have a really good offense over there. I got a lot of respect for their coaches, receivers and quarterback. When you play guys like that, we have to do a great job. They made some big plays.”
FLC (1-4, 1-4 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) went down 14-0 in the first quarter but cut the deficit to 21-17 at halftime behind an interception return for a touchdown by Cam Thierry, a 4-yard touchdown pass from Nick McNamee to Tajon Mondy-Smith and a 33-yard field goal from McCannon, who made his FLC debut Saturday.
The Skyhawks took a 24-21 lead early in the third quarter on a McNamee touchdown pass of 23 yards to Arealous Hughes. But two red zone interceptions thrown by McNamee in the second half allowed the Grizzlies (3-2, 3-2 RMAC) to build a 35-24 lead early in the fourth quarter after a 6-yard touchdown run by Harris and a 19-yard Rooney touchdown pass to Keyon Thomas.
“Any time you turn the ball over is bad, but they gave us a couple of them, too,” Morris said. “This game came down to them making two or three more big plays than we did.”
McNamee regrouped from the miscues and led the team on a scoring drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Sam Hullberg, and the 2-point conversion pass to Mondy-Smith was successful to cut Adams State’s lead to 35-32 with 7:22 to go in regulation.
McNamee then hit Mason Hatton on a 39-yard touchdown pass with 3:32 to play, and the Skyhawks had a 39-35 lead. The defense couldn’t stop Adams State one more time. On third-and-1 from the FLC 3-yard line, Harris rushed for a touchdown to give the Grizzlies a 42-39 lead with 29 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.
FLC moved the ball 20 yards and gained a key 5 yards when Adams State was caught with 12 men on the field out of a timeout with 6 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. Morris let McCannon go out and attempt the tying field goal, and the freshman drilled it.
“The wind was blowing pretty hard that direction,” Morris said. “I thought it was the right move to make. I figured we had a better shot of making that field goal than throwing a Hail Mary, and he made it. He had a great day and has a bright future ahead of him.”
McNamee finished 27-of-45 passing for 270 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked three times.
“Nick got better as the game went on,” Morris said of his QB, who earned a second start after Jake Lowry went out of the season with a broken ankle three weeks ago at Chadron State. “The first half, we weren’t able to move the ball real well. We sure turned it on in the second half.”
Hatton had 87 receiving yards on seven catches. Hughes added 78 yards on five catches. Brayden Lucero led FLC with 73 rushing yards on 15 carries, and he had four catches for 13 yards.
Cornerback Donell Pleasant III led FLC with 10 tackles, and he forced a fumble that was recovered by Suli Tukumoeatu. Blayke De La Rosa led FLC’s defensive line with 2½ sacks.
Up next, the Skyhawks will play three consecutive home games, but they won’t be easy, as No. 24 Colorado Mesa (3-2, 2-2 RMAC) and No. 14 Colorado Mines (5-0, 5-0 RMAC) are next followed by Western State (0-5, 0-4 RMAC).
Colorado Mines beat Colorado Mesa 72-31 on Saturday behind 797 yards of total offense.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, we gotta go out and get better every single day,” Morris said. “Whether it is Mesa or Pueblo or Mines, we gotta worry about Fort Lewis.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
