After Mesa win, Eagles eye Mountaineers
CSC pulled through in the end to beat Colorado Mesa University, 30-24, Saturday and jumped one spot from 20 to No. 19 in D2Football.com’s Top 25 Poll.
Next match up for the Eagles is 1 p.m. Saturday on the road against the Mountaineers of Western State Colorado University, Gunnison.
Western State, 0-3 on the season, suffered losses of 48-21 to West Texas A&M, Canyon; 29-3 to Idaho State University, Pocatello; and 16-14 to Adams State University, Alamosa.
Western State’s redshirt freshman quarterback, Brett Arrivey of Woodinville, Wash., has amassed 511 yards of total offense compared to 776 total yards posted by CSC’s quarterback Jonn McLain, junior of Chadron.
Against Mesa last Saturday, McLain went 20 for 31 for 213 yards, three TDs and three interceptions. His passer percentage rating was 134.81, the highest he’s posted in three games.
“I was just extremely happy to win the game Saturday,” McLain said.
CSC was slow starting the game but picked up the pace in the second half to pull off the win.
Defensive Coordinator Jeff Larson talked about the defense’s focus for this weekend.
“The main focus is to start and finish the same way,” he said. “We didn’t start the way needed to, and we need to start the same way we finished the second half.”
Offensive Coordinator Chris Stein discussed his team’s goals for Western State.
“Well obviously, (the goal is) to win,” he said. “There are specific things we work on and try to improve each week and this week it’s to do better in the red zone. We need to continue to move the ball down the field, and we need to score more points.”
Team captain and inside linebacker Shea Koch, senior of Custer, S.D., notched 23 tackles against Mesa – the second-most tackles in a single game in CSC history. His performance earned him two weekly honors – RMAC Defensive Player of the Week and Nebraska Division II Defensive Player of the Week.
Koch talked about the defense’s goals for Saturday’s upcoming game against Western.
“We will focus, as a defensive unit, to get off the field on third downs,” he said. “We finished well, but we have not played a full game how we are able to play.”
Tailback and co-captain Glen Clinton, senior of Cody, Wyo., was named Nebraska Division II Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row. Against Mesa, he led the Eagles with 138 yards rushing. That brought his three-game season total to 421 yards on 66 carries for an average of 6.38 yards per carry.
He also led the team in receiving Saturday, catching the ball seven times for 63 yards.
Clinton agreed with Koch and Larson about what the Eagles need to focus on against Western.
“This week we are still focusing on finishing,” Clinton said. “We need to finish every play, every drive, and every game. I believe a consistent game with a strong finish would be the best way to win this weekend.”
The game against Colorado Mesa was the first RMAC game for both teams. It was also Family Day at Chadron.
“Family Day was great,” Clinton said. “Everyone likes having the stands full and earning a win in front of their families. It was a rocky game, but we found a way to win.”
The Eagles took a while to start playing Saturday, but when they did there was no stopping them. At the end of the first quarter, Chadron State was losing 9-0 after Mesa’s Elijah Williams, a redshirt freshman of Aurora, Colo., kicked a 22-yard field goal to finish the Mountaineer’s first drive.
On the ensuing kickoff Mesa recovered a loose ball near the goal line and moments later running back Jake Cimolino, junior of Fort Bragg, Calif., scored a touchdown on a 5-yard run.
CSC’s kicker Alex Ferdinand, junior of Rapid City, S.D., missed a field goal to leave the score 9-0 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Maverick’s quarterback Kyle Duran, redshirt freshman of Chandler, Ariz., ran 4 yards for a touchdown, making the score 15-0, Mesa.
Chadron answered, this time with a 13-yard pass from McLain to insider receiver Chapman Ham, senior also of Rapid City, for a touchdown. That cut the lead to 15-7, after Ferdinand’s PAT kick.
Mesa’s Williams connected on another 22-yard field goal. But later CSC’s kicker Randy Wentz, freshman of Scottsbluff, one upped Williams and hit a 40-yarder to end the half, with the score at 18-10, Mesa.
After an Eagle penalty and an interception on the first play of the second half, CSC limited Mesa to a Williams 25-yard field goal.
“In the second half, we were consistent,” Larson said. “The second half we played the way we needed to.”
CSC again answered when McLain found wide receiver Nathan Ross, senior of San Diego, for an 8-yard touchdown, making the score 21-17, Mesa.
The only scoring play of the fourth quarter was a 38-yard pass from McLain to Ross. Wentz missed the PAT leaving the final score 30-24, Eagles.
“I don’t think we played great, but we did play well enough to win,” Stein said. “And that’s what good football teams do.”