Colorado State University-Pueblo has waited a year for this.
Fort Lewis College put the only blemish on the ThunderWolves’ national championship season a year ago, a shocking 23-22 upset in Durango against a Skyhawks team that won only three games all season.
A year later, No. 7 CSU-Pueblo (4-1, 3-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) is ready for some revenge, and the school scheduled homecoming ceremonies to coincide with the 2 p.m. kickoff at The ThunderBowl.
“It’s a big to-do weekend for them,” FLC third-year head coach John L. Smith said Thursday in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “It’s one they’ve looked forward to, and I think we are, as well. You look forward to measuring yourself against the best personnel in the league.”
The ThunderWolves won’t be able to look past the Skyhawks this season and for more reasons than last year’s upset. FLC is off to its best start since 2006 at 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the RMAC. The 2006 season also was the Skyhawks’ most recent winning year.
Two of the best defenses in the conference will be on display Saturday. FLC ranks third in scoring defense, allowing 19.8 points per game, while CSU-Pueblo is fourth at 20.5. FLC allows 333.5 yards per game, good for second best in the RMAC, while CSU-Pueblo is third at 347.8 yards per contest.
But CSU-Pueblo is the best when it comes to the run on both sides of the ball, averaging 258 rushing yards while allowing only 76.8.
FLC matches up well, though, rushing for 225 yards per contest while allowing only 106.5. Those numbers are good for third and second in the RMAC, respectively.
“I like matching up against these guys. Both teams are going to try to run it,” Smith said. “They will come at our strength, which is our defensive front, and we will do the same to them.”
Smith admitted he doesn’t like his offensive matchup against the ThunderWolves’ defense much, saying the team will have to be willing to put the ball in the air more. The offensive line has the difficult task of trying to slow down defensive end Morgan Fox, who leads Division II with 11 sacks. He also ranks second in the country with 14 tackles for loss. The guys around him are no slouches, either. The ThunderWolves have recorded three or more sacks in each of the first five games this season.
That has helped the ThunderWolves force 13 turnovers that have led directly to 59 points. Their 11 interceptions rank fifth in the country, and the three defensive touchdowns they’ve generated ranks fourth.
“We have to wait and see what kind of gameplan they give us, but we’ve been working all week to make sure we protect the ball and against their front,” Smith said. “Running has gotten us to the dance so far, and we will try to stick with that and hope to run it with any degree of success. But we can’t live on that with the team we’re playing. We’re going to have to sustain drives and throw it.”
FLC sophomore running back PJ Hall has carried the load. He has averaged nearly 117.4 rushing yards per game and has five touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jordan Doyle also has been heavily involved in the running game and went for over 100 yards in last week’s win against Western New Mexico. He averages 68.8 rushing yards per game and 135.4 passing yards and has seven passing touchdowns to only two interceptions.
But FLC will face the top running back in the country in CSU-Pueblo’s Cameron McDondle, one of the best backs in the history of the RMAC.
McDondle leads Division II with 927 rushing yards, good for a second-best 185.4 yards per game average. His 11 rushing scores ranks third in Division II, and he is averaging 7.79 yards per carry. He needs 73 yards Saturday to become the fastest to 1,000 yards in CSU-Pueblo history.
His 4,643 rushing yards ranks third in the RMAC career record book, and his 43 rushing touchdowns are already a program record and rank fifth in the RMAC.
But FLC has been able to silence the opposing team’s biggest threat all season, including the nation’s leading passer in Mitch Glasmann a week ago. Smith knows slowing McDondle will be the toughest challenge yet, though.
“I haven’t seen all the running backs in the league of course, but to me if there is anybody better than this guy we don’t want to see him,” Smith said. “He’s awful good and would say he’s the best in the league.”
FLC is looking for its first winning season since 2006, and playoff aspirations are realistic for this improved squad. But the biggest three weeks of the season have arrived with trips to No. 7 CSU-Pueblo followed by a road game to No. 8 Colorado Mines next week. FLC will back that up with a home game against Colorado Mesa, who is receiving votes in the national poll.
It’s safe to say the Skyhawks have to win one of the two road games and two of the next three to keep postseason dreams alive.
“We have three weeks with the top teams in the league,” Smith said. “We look at those and say, ‘OK, gosh it would be outstanding to get two of three, but we’re going into it thinking three of three would be even better.
“We try not to look down the road at Mines or Mesa, thought, but see if we can get something done this week. This one is huge, and then we’ll go from there.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
