Box Score
DURANGO, Colo. — Shaun Suttorp caught a 12-yard touchdown pass in overtime and Western State blocked a pair of short field goal attempts late in the fourth quarter as the Mountaineers spoiled Fort Lewis' Homecoming 27-24.
Fort Lewis (1-5 overall, 1-4 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) outgained Western State (1-6, 1-4) 538 yards to 363, but committed 10 penalties for 54 yards, including several false starts in the red zone.
“We broke out with the run today and did very well,” said first-year Skyhawk head coach Cesar Rivas-Sandoval. “We outgained them [by nearly 200 yards]. It just really came down to our inability to punch it in the endzone. Those field goals should have been touchdowns. It never should have gotten into overtime. We had some real crucial false starts on offense.”
Lost in the mayhem was a breakout performance by FLC running back A.J. Miko, who gained 178 yards on 19 carries and added another 29 yards on six receptions. Miko's first quarter touchdowns (a one-yard plunge and a 97-yard burst) vaulted the Skyhawks to a 14-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game.
Mountaineer quarterback Miles Gorham trimmed the lead to 14-6 two minutes into the second quarter (WSC botched the snap and narrowly averted a rare defensive PAT). Gorham completed 14 of 20 passes for 154 yards and two scores, while running for 61 yards and two more TDs. He also caught a two-point conversion pass from Tyler Daniels to knot the score at 14-14 early in the third quarter — immediately after hooking up with Suttorp for a 35-yard touchdown.
Fort Lewis reclaimed the lead 21-14 on a 36-yard pass from Tim Jenkins to Deric Davis with 1:44 remaining in the third frame. Davis caught the ball on the left flat, averted several WSC tacklers before somersaulting into the endzone.
Western Sate tied the game at 21-21 when Gorham scored on a one-yard run with 11:38 remaining in regulation.
Fort Lewis twice moved the ball nearly the entire length of the field late in the game, thanks largely in part to the familiar Jenkins-to-Johnson connection. Jenkins, who completed 34 of 54 passes for 362 yards and one touchdown, found Justin Johnson for a 55-yard bomb to the WSC 18 on FLC's second-to-last drive. Johnson, who drew a pass interference penalty on the play, still managed to make a highlight-reel catch. Three plays later, Rich Rodriguez's 19-yard field goal was blocked by Ryan Walstrom.
After forcing the Mountaineers three-and-out, Jenkins launched another long drive — one that went 13 plays for 71 yards and ate up the final 4:32 of regulation. Western State twice called timeout to ice the kicker. It worked. Rodriguez's 22-yard kick was again blocked by Walstrom, sending the game into overtime at 21-21.
Fort Lewis got the ball first in overtime and picked up a pair of first downs to move the ball to the Mountaineer 4. A false start, sack and incompletion led to another short field goal attempt for Rodriguez — which he knuckled through the goalposts from 25 yards out to give FLC a 24-21 lead.
Western's State's overtime possession — the first overtime game in Mountaineer football history — moved the ball to FLC 12, where they faced third and eight. Gorham found Suttorp near the right flag for the score, ending the Skyhawks' hope of a Homecoming victory.
“We found out we could balance out our passing attack now,” said Rivas-Sandoval. “We limited our turnovers with one interception off a tipped ball. We're just making too many mental mistakes at the wrong times.”
Fort Lewis travels to Adams State (3-4 overall, 2-3 RMAC) next Saturday for a 7 p.m. game at Rex Field.
