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Fort Lewis College football can thank its defense for its first win of the season.

The Skyhawks forced five turnovers Saturday in Spearfish, South Dakota. Two of the team’s three interceptions led to touchdowns, as Fort Lewis College held on to beat Black Hills State 17-13.

With 8 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Donell Pleasant III intercepted Black Hills backup quarterback Ben Sjobakken and returned it 37 yards down the far sideline for a touchdown to give the Skyhawks a 17-13 advantage the defense would hold onto.

“It completely changed the momentum of the game,” FLC interim head coach Joe Morris said of Pleasent’s touchdown. “It gave us the lift we needed at the moment.”

Durango native Isiah Mayberry recorded a key interception in the red zone on the Yellow Jackets’ penultimate drive of the game, and a Sjobakken fumble with 16 seconds remaining in the game ended Black Hills’ hopes of rallying for a second consecutive week.

The defense of Fort Lewis (1-1, 1-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) was unbreakable much of the game. Black Hills totaled 165 rushing yards and 189 passing yards, but 80 yards came on one Ryan Hommel run in the first quarter.

“The defense fought their tails off,” Morris said. “Nobody quit. They kept believing, and it’s great to be part of something like that.”

Hommel, the Yellow Jackets’ starting QB, scrambled on third-and-26 and found running room down the sideline for an 80-yard TD run in the first quarter. That gave the Yellow Jackets a 6-0 lead after a failed 2-point conversion.

The Skyhawks answered back in the second quarter. Dominic Cochrane intercepted Hommel and returned it 31 yards to the Black Hills 6-yard line. Two PJ Hall runs later the Skyhawks’ offense was in the end zone. An extra point by Ben Raybon gave FLC a 7-6 lead with 10:17 to play in the first half.

Raybon tacked on a 23-yard field goal at the end of the first half to give FLC a 10-6 lead at the break.

FLC knocked Hommel out of the game in the third quarter, as the star QB for the Yellow Jackets exited with an apparent leg injury. Sjobakken had mixed results off the bench. He fumbled the ball away on his first series, but the Skyhawks’ offense couldn’t move the ball and turned it over on downs on their own 47. Black Hills made FLC pay for not punting. Sjobakken connected on a 42-yard TD pass to Erick Hairston-Belcher that gave Black Hills a 13-10 lead in the third quarter.

Though FLC’s offense struggled to even get first downs in the second half, the defense paved the way to the Skyhawks. It was also the team’s first win in Spearfish in three trips to visit Black Hills State. It also gave Morris his first win as head coach of his alma mater.

“We lost our starting center in the second half, and Black Hills does a good job up front, but we have to get better each week on offense,” Morris said. “With so many new guys on the O-line, they’ll learn from those mistakes and keep getting better.”

Frank Larriva had an outstanding game on the FLC defensive line. He tipped away two passes at the line of scrimmage, made eight tackles including one sack and forced two fumbles. He also recovered one fumble.

“It was Frank’s coming out party for us,” Morris said. “He redshirted last year with an injury, and he’s a first-year starter for us. It’s a real pleasure to have him in there.”

Hall led the Skyhawks in rushing with 46 yards on 24 carries. Brayden Lucero ran for 45 yards on 12 carries, though most of that came on one 30-yard carry. FLC quarterback Bo Coleman ran for 29 yards and passed for 84 yards on 5-of-17 passing. He was sacked twice, dealt with pressure all day and saw several big completions called back on penalties.

Hommel passed for 63 yards and one interception before his exit. Sjobakken finished 9-of-21 passing for 126 yards, one TD and two interceptions.

FLC held Black Hills star running back Phydell Paris to only 32 rushing yards on 14 carries. He caught another two passes for seven yards.

The Skyhawks will return home to face rival Adams State at noon Sept. 16 with the musket trophy on the line.

“Any time you play the musket game, it’s a huge game,” Morris said. “I look forward to seeing our seniors fight their tails off to get a chance to go shoot that deal. That game, there’s never a problem getting everyone fired up for.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com