A chance to fire the musket escaped the clutched talons of 16 seniors on the Skyhawks roster in 2018. A week after a frustrating loss on the road at Black Hills State, this year’s group of 15 seniors will be determined to reclaim the traveling trophy in the rivalry showdown with Adams State University.
Not only is Saturday homecoming for the Fort Lewis College football team, it’s the 54th Musket Game. Bragging rights are on the line along with a Springfield .45-70 military issue rifle that has been used as a traveling trophy between Adams State and Fort Lewis since it was donated in 1966 by Maholn “Butch” White. It is tradition that the seniors on the winning team get to fire the rifle after a victory.
Last year, Adams State claimed a 48-42 overtime win after a 49-yard field goal by Beau McCannon of FLC had sent the game to overtime. A 15-yard TD pass from Nick Rooney to Miles Fishback ended a wild back-and-forth game and gave the Grizzlies the musket for a second consecutive season.
Adams State (3-1) leads the Musket Game series 36-16-1 and has a 39-17-1 record against FLC all time. FLC will look to chip into that at noon Saturday at Ray Dennison Memorial Field on the FLC campus in Durango.
“A rivalry game, it’s huge,” said FLC first-year head coach Brandon Crosby. “Any way you can find some motivation through the grind of the season, we’re going to use that. We’ve shown a pretty good product on the field at home with exciting games and good feedback from the fans who have enjoyed watching us play.”
Since a season-opening 41-10 home loss to No. 17 Colorado School of Mines, the Grizzlies have been on a tear, with wins against New Mexico Highlands, Black Hills State and Western Colorado. In the three wins, Adams State has averaged more than 41 points per game. The Grizzlies boast the third highest-scoring offense in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. It will be a big showdown against FLC, which has the second-best scoring defense in the conference at only 16½ points per game allowed.
Adams State quarterback John Buksa has thrown for 1,114 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season while completing 51% of his passes. Tariq Bitson is his go-to receiver with 724 yards and nine TDs on 30 receptions this season. He has averaged 181 yards receiving per game.
“Looking at their film, they are very, very talented,” Crosby said. “I think they match up with anyone in the conference in terms of size, athleticism, speed. Their strength is their offense, one of the best in the conference, and they’ve got the kind of weapons who, when they get the ball in their hand, it’s hard to track them down and make a tackle.”
But the Grizzlies have also given up 32½ points per game to opponents this season. It could be a good chance for a breakout for an FLC offense that has struggled to score. If FLC is going to move the ball, it likely will be through backup quarterback Erik Ornduff, who replaced injured starter Jake Lowry in the second quarter of last week’s 13-7 loss at Black Hills State.
Lowry sustained a sprained knee, and Crosby called him highly questionable for Saturday’s game. Ornduff has a better arm than Lowry but isn’t quite as effective in the run game. In four career games, Ornduff has rushed for 89 yards and one TD on 32 attempts, and he has passed for 354 yards and four TDs to one interception while going 32-of-57.
Ornduff will try to help an FLC offense that has totaled the conference’s second-worst 234½ yards per game this season, though the defense has allowed only 321½ to rank second in the conference.
It’s the run defense of FLC that has been especially stingy, as the unit has allowed only 94.8 yards per game on the ground this year, while the pass defense has allowed 226.8 yards per game. Adams State boasts the best passing offense in the RMAC behind Buksa.
Kicking will be a focus for the Skyhawks, who will go back to McCannon this week after starting the season with Hogan Keasler. FLC is 1-of-5 on field goal tries this year and 8-of-9 on extra points.
A week after FLC held the ball for 41 minutes in a loss, time of possession will also be key, as the Skyhawks want to keep the passing attack of Adams State on the sideline, especially with FLC nursing some injuries to the defensive backfield.
“We have some young guys coming in to fill those roles,” Crosby said. “So, again, we’re going to try to do the best job we can to keep the defense off the field. They’re 3-1, an extremely good team, and if we can ever figure out how to click on both sides of the ball, I think we can match up with everybody in the conference.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
If you go
Who:
Adams State (3-1) at Fort Lewis College (2-2)
What:
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference NCAA Division II football
When:
Noon Saturday
Where:
Ray Dennison Memorial Field, Fort Lewis campus in Durango
Tailgate:
10 a.m., hosted by Durango Kia. Complimentary food, drinks and prizes will be provided for the homecoming party.
Twitter:
@jlivi2
