So long No. 2, and hello, No. 15.
Fresh off the biggest win in recent history, the Fort Lewis College football team will welcome its second consecutive ranked opponent to Ray Dennison Memorial Field, this time for a special homecoming night game that will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.
FLC (2-4, 1-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) is excited to showcase its team in front of a national audience, especially after they beat previously No. 2-ranked CSU-Pueblo 23-22 last Saturday on its home field.
“We really didn’t have time to celebrate it very long,” FLC head coach John L. Smith said of the win Saturday against the ThunderWolves, who had won 42 consecutive regular-season games. “We came back on Sunday ready to go, and we’ve been getting ready every day. There’s been no time to think about the last game.”
The loss to FLC dropped CSU-Pueblo (5-1, 3-1 RMAC) from No. 2 to No. 14 in the NCAA coaches poll, one spot ahead of this week’s opponent for FLC, No. 15 Colorado Mines (6-0, 4-0 RMAC).
“We would love to have lived on that last win a little bit, but we had to immediately get readjusted to focus on a team that very likely could be better than the one we just played,” Smith said. “We will have to play a lot better than a week ago if we want to win this one.”
FLC hasn’t beaten the Orediggers since Oct. 21, 2006, but the Skyhawks still hold a 27-25 all-time series lead.
Alone atop the RMAC standings, Colorado Mines has an offense that has totaled nearly twice the amount of offensive yards (3,282) than the Skyhawks (1,717) this season. The Orediggers have averaged 42.7 points per game this year, while FLC has averaged 20.6 points per game.
The Orediggers’ offense centers around sophomore quarterback Justin Dvorak, who is second in the RMAC with an average of 392.8 yards per game. He has completed more than 65 percent of his passes for 19 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
FLC will look to contain Dvorak the same way they contained CSU-Pueblo’s Chris Bonner, the RMAC Preseason Player of the Year who was limited to just more than 150 yards passing Saturday.
“He’s awful good. He has a great ability to throw the ball, and he has great running capabilities,” Smith said of Dvorak. “His biggest asset is his ability to extend the play. Anytime he’s running around, they have a chance to make big plays. They have other good players, but he is the catalyst.”
Senior running back Tevin Champagne is fourth in the conference with 526 yards this season, good for an average of 87.7 rushing yards per game for the Orediggers. He also has eight touchdowns this year.
Mines also features two talented receivers in Jimmy Ellis and Cole Spurgeon. Ellis is third in the RMAC with 40 receptions, and Spurgeon is third in the conference with 86.7 receiving yards per game.
Defensively, Mines is led by Kole Kadavy, who is second in the conference in tackles with 73. He is one tackle ahead of the Skyhawks’ Ryan Ross, who has 61 tackles this season. Jeff Grenfell, Tommy Hoskins and Billy Sprague also are a threat for the Orediggers with three sacks each this season.
FLC produced its first 100-yard rusher last week not named Jordan Doyle when PJ Hall went for 174 yards on 28 carries, both season highs for FLC.
Smith is confident the running game can continue to grow legs behind an offensive line that got a significant push against the second-best run defense in the conference a week ago.
“We have to build on that, and we have to come out and run the football,” Smith said. “It won us the game last week. Our ability to come out and stay on blocks, it was tremendous. I’m proud of the line and how they played in that game. It was the best they’ve done all year long.”
Doyle, the FLC quarterback, has averaged just more than 200 yards per game passing this year, and his accuracy has continued to improve to the tune of 56.3 percent. He also continues to be a big threat in the running game, and the Skyhawks thrive when he pushes the tempo in the no-huddle offense.
FLC benefitted from three CSU-Pueblo turnovers and an onside kick recovery a week ago, not to mention a game-winning wide-receiver pass. The Skyhawks have a few more tricks up their sleeves, and Durango native and FLC wide receiver Jordan Gillen, who completed the game-winning wide-receiver pass last week, hopes a rowdy homecoming crowd shows up Thursday night in front of the CBS Sports Network cameras.
“I want Fort Lewis football to be big in Durango. I love Durango football in any form, and I want people to support Fort Lewis football,” said Gillen, son of DeRon and Jill Gillen.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
