Box Score

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A blocked punt returned for a touchdown helped Mesa State College (2-3 overall, 2-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) overcome a 14-3 fourth quarter deficit en route to a 31-14 win over Fort Lewis College (1-4, 1-3) tonight at Stocker Stadium.

Trailing 14-10 with 12:51 remaining in the game and FLC punting on its own 18 yard line, Trevor deBraga blocked Frank Atherton's punt, which Tanner Ridgway scooped up at the 15 and dashed into the endzone to give the Mavericks the lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Mesa State scored 28 unanswered points in the final quarter to secure a Homecoming victory over their rivals from Durango.

James Hamm started Mesa State's comeback with a 20-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, the Mavs pinned the Skyhawks on their own 13 and FLC went three-and-out, setting up Ridgway's blocked punt return.

Fort Lewis' next possession fared little better: five plays for one yard, followed by a 29-yard Atherton punt. Mesa State marched 62 yards on 12 plays and burned 4:53 off the clock in a drive that was capped by a two-yard Hamm run.

The Skyhawks went four-and-out on its next possession, turning the ball over on downs to Mesa State on the FLC 24. To add insult to injury, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Skyhawks moved the ball to the FLC 12, where it took just two plays and 51 seconds for the Mavs to extend the lead to 31-14 on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Michael Mankoff to Zach Belloni with 3:12 remaining in the game.

The forgettable final frame negated three outstanding quarters for the Skyhawks.

After the two teams played a scoreless first quarter, Harrison Hunter recovered a Hamm fumble on the MSC 32. Four plays later, Skyhawk quarterback Tim Jenkins found Zach Moisey for a three-yard score to put FLC on top 7-0 with 2:08 remaining in the first half.

Caleb Pavy, who missed a 37- and 43-yard field goals in the first half, got the Mavs on the scoreboard by connecting from 37 yards midway through the third quarter.

Jenkins found his favorite target of 2010, All-American Justin Johnson, for a 59-yard bomb with 2:03 remaining in the third stanza to extend FLC's lead to 14-3. Johnson, who has broken the 100-yard receiving mark in each of the Skyhawks' five games this year, finished with seven catches for 162 yards.

Jenkins completed 22 of 37 passes for 270 yards and a pair of scores, but was intercepted twice and sacked five times for 24 yards in losses.

Sophomore defensive back Tim Muhovich, who played high school ball at Grand Junction Central, had a huge game for the FLC defense, finishing with 19 tackles (four solo), one pass break-up and an interception.

Hamm led the Mavs with 162 rushing yards on 32 carries.

Fort Lewis welcomes Western State (0-6, 0-4) for Homecoming at 1 p.m. Saturday at Ray Dennison Memorial Field.