The celebratory cannon boomed at Ray Dennison Memorial Field for the first time in five years during a college football game, and the Skyhawks made it sing seven times.
Fort Lewis College (1-1) put on a dominant display in a 41-20 victory in the home opener Saturday against Oklahoma Panhandle State (0-2).
The Skyhawks’ defense limited the Aggies to 1-of-16 converting on third and fourth downs to limit drives and control the game.
Special teams helped carry the Skyhawks. Early in the second quarter, field-goal holder Jordan Gillen, a receiver who played quarterback at Durango High School, converted a fake field goal and ran nine yards for a game-breaking touchdown. The score gave Fort Lewis a 17-6 lead and capped off a nine-play, 54-yard drive.
“It was a big factor, especially on our side,” FLC head coach John L. Smith said of his special teams unit. “One fake we ended up scoring on ... that was a big thing without a doubt.”
Another special teams play helped solidify the win. Late in the third quarter, pressure on an Oklahoma Panhandle State punt paid off. The snap was botched, and the Skyhawks were able to take over on the Aggies’ 8-yard line and scored two plays later when running back PJ Hall ran nine yards for his second touchdown of the game.
“Two plays I thought were critical swing plays: the fake field goal for a touchdown and our botched snap on the punt,” Aggies head coach Russell Gaskamp said. “The bad snap on the punt, they scored immediately afterward. When you’re playing a good team like Fort Lewis, you have to be really sound in that area.”
Other than an 86-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Ramos to Zacari Lavendar during Panhandle State’s opening drive, the Skyhawks defense controlled the game, particularly up front on the defensive line.
FLC held the Aggies to 94 rushing yards on 30 attempts and limited star running back Chris McClendon to 86 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries. He had a long run of 32 yards to help those numbers.
The Skyhawks’ secondary also played a big role in stopping the run, with Kaimon Ontiveros leading the team with nine tackles – seven solo – including two for a loss.
“They have a lot of athletes on the perimeter. We knew we couldn’t focus too much just on the running back as (defensive backs),” Ontiveros said. “But whenever we came up, if you don’t come with something to the party you’re gonna come up with a headache, because (McClendon) is a big boy.”
Amery Duncan came up with an interception for the Skyhawks that set the offense up in Aggies’ territory. Moments later, FLC quarterback Jordan Doyle hit receiver Juquelle Thompson on a 15-yard touchdown pass.
The pair connected again late in the third quarter to help ice the game. Doyle scrambled around on a third down and found Thompson wide open in the middle of the field for an 82-yard strike.
Thompson finished with four receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns and helped set the Skyhawks up with good field position on kick returns all game.
“He definitely made a play on that one in the end zone,” Doyle said of Thompson’s first touchdown grab. “I saw him turn up field and kind of threw it up to him, and that’s just what he does, makes big plays for us.”
Doyle finished the game 16-of-26 passing for 222 yards and the two touchdowns to Thompson. He added 47 rushing yards.
“I kept my eyes up as I came around the corner. I was gonna scramble but saw (Thompson) last second,” Doyle said of his deep touchdown pass. “I was pretty sure I was getting close to the line of scrimmage, too. I’m glad I got it off.”
Smith is a big believer in his team needing to run the ball effectively to put games away, and the Skyhawks did just that behind Hall’s 118 yards and two touchdowns. He ran the ball 31 times and had a long of 29 yards but found bigger holes as the game wore on. He never gave in when several runs were stopped behind the line of scrimmage.
“Pretty persistent. Big thanks to that O-line,” Hall said. “We had an injury at center (Taylor Suta), but Andy (Cannizzaro) stepped up and was a really big part of that. He really helped our offense being able to fill those shoes so well.”
Oklahoma Panhandle State used a third-string quarterback. The starter was suspended for the first two games of the season during camp, and last week’s starter against Angelo State was suspended for this week’s game.
Brandon Ramon filled in behind center and performed well, but he couldn’t help the team convert on third down, where the Aggies were 1-of-12. He finished 15-of-35 for 244 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
“We just didn’t get into enough of a flow offensively because we couldn’t execute on third and fourth down,” Gaskamp said.
After two strong performance to open the season, including the 45-14 loss against Division I Football Championship Subdivision No. 9 Montana State that was only a 7-0 game until the final minute of the first half, the Skyhawks will turn their focus to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener against Black Hills State at noon Saturday back at Ray Dennison Memorial Field in Durango.
“Conference is what it’s all about. Thank goodness we’re at home,” Smith said. “We have to have the mind-set we win this game during practice this week. Kick some tail in practice and get after it.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
