Defensive domination
Redemption from last year’s rough season, wasn’t easy, but CSC, led by a dominating defensive performance, earned a win in the season opener against Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado, 17-10. In the 2015 season, the Skyhawks downed the Eagles 47-34, ruining the chances of an over .500 season.
The play of the game came from junior linebacker, Collin Eisenman, of Sheridan, Wyoming. Late in the second quarter, the Skyhawks lined up to punt from their own 20 yard-line. Eisenman stuffed the punt attempt and as the ball rolled into the endzone, Tyler Lewis, redshirt freshman of Arvada, Colorado, scooped it up, giving the Eagles their first touchdown of the season.
The Eagles’ secondary came up big late in the fourth quarter, halting any momentum that FLC gained. With under two minutes remaining on what would be the Skyhawks’ final drive, Steve Allen, senior of Knoxville, Tennessee, batted a pass down for an incompletion on a long third down.
On the next play, Ryan Wood, senior of Stockton, California, spoiled the Fort Lewis comeback by forcing an incompletion, giving the ball back to CSC with just over a minute remaining.
CSC took a few knees to run out the clock, taking the slim seven-point victory.
Allen finished with three pass breakups, three tackles, and an interception. Wood finished with an interception, a fumble recovery, and six total tackles. Courtland Joshua, senior of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, led the defense in tackles with 11.
On the other side of the ball, the CSC offense did not have a stellar performance. With only 166 yards of total offense, the Eagles struggled to get any momentum through the air, or the ground.
The longest play was a 24-yard touchdown pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback TD Stein, of Chadron, to Matt Reader, redshirt sophomore of Appleton, Wisconsin, in the last two minutes of the first half.
Stein finished the game with seven completions in 18 attempts.
The running game struggled for CSC. Derek Jackson, junior of Pueblo West, Colorado, led the ground game with just 41 net yards in 16 attempts. Stein averaged six yards per carry, for a total of 30 yards in just five tries.
The Eagles will face another RMAC opponent, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Saturday. The Mavericks just grabbed the No. 25 spot on the American Football Coaches Association poll. Mesa picked up its first win against Western State Colorado University, Gunnison, 34-14, last week.
CSC’s secondary will be put to the test, as Mesa put up 326 yards of passing last week plus 188 on the ground.