2014 Skyhawk Football Game Day Notes - Oct. 13, 2014

NATIONAL EXPOSURE
Fort Lewis was selected as one of seven NCAA Division II nationally televised games this season. CBS Sports will be broadcasting the Skyhawks Homecoming game against Colorado School of Mines on Thursday, Oct. 16. It will mark the Skyhawks first ever nationally televised game. It will also be the Skyhawks first game under the lights at Ray Dennison Memorial Field in over a decade. Because the current lights at the stadium aren't functional, CBS Sports will bring in Musco Lighting to light the facility.

QUICKLY
Saturday's historic win over No. 2 Colorado State-Pueblo snapped the ThunderWolves 42 regular season game winning streak.

The last time CSU-Pueblo lost a game was Oct. 16, 2010 against Nebraska-Kearney.

The last time the Skyhawks defeated the ThunderWolves was Sept. 24, 1984 (CSUP did not sponsor football from 1985-2007).

Fort Lewis won the coin toss Saturday and elected to receive. On the second half kickoff, the Skyhawks kicked an on-side kick which they recovered.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Skyhawks football student-athletes are teaming up with Fort Lewis College Student Wellness Initiatives, WellPAC and Alternative Horizons to show support against domestic violence. The Skyhawks will be wearing purple wrist bands during Thursday night's game to show support against domestic violence and to raise awareness.

Fort Lewis recorded season highs in their rushing game. Going against the second toughest rushing defense in the league, the Skyhawks posted season highs in rushes (28) and yards rushing (174).
 
UP NEXT
Colorado School of Mines leads the RMAC in scoring offense (42.7 points per game), total offense (547.0 yards per game), rushing defense (96.2 yards per game), kickoff returns (26.5 yards per game), interceptions (12), first downs (187), 4th down conversions (15-of-20), and red zone defense (9-of-17).
 
Quarterback Justin Dvorak is second in the conference in passing yards per game (392.8), total offense (426.2 yards per game) and pass efficiency (148.4). His top target is Jimmy Ellis who averaged 6.7 catches per game and 10.5 yards per catch.
 
Durango native Avery Llewellyn has made 12-of-17 field goals and 30-of-31 extra point attempts for a league high (kicking) 66 points.
 
Leading the defensive unit is Kole Kadavy who is second overall in the league in tackles with 73 (45 solo). Billy Sprague is fifth overall in the league in sacks with 3.0 for a loss of 30 yards.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
RB PJ Hall has rushed for the eighth most yards in the conference. He has carried the ball 78 times for 342 yards (57.0 yards per rush).
 
QB Jordan Doyle has completed 129 passes on 229 attempts for 1,252 yards and seven scores, ranking him sixth overall in the league. His
1,556 yards of total offense are the fifth most in the RMAC (1,252 passing, 304 rushing).
 
P/K Kipp Castanha is eighth overall in the league in punting with38.1 yards per punt. He has punted six times for 1,446 yards. Castanha has also made 5-of-7 field goals this season for a 71.4 percent.
 
His 15-of-15 extra point attempts rank him in a tie for the best percentage in the RMAC.
 
LB Ryan Ross has a team high 61 tackles, ranking him third in the RMAC. Thirty of his tackles have gone for solo stops.
 
DB Jake Faust ranks 15th overall in tackles with 44.
 
ROAD TRIP
Fort Lewis will play their first three games of the season on the road before opening their home season on Sept. 27 against New Mexico
Highlands. With trips to Davis, Calif, Goodwell, Okla., and Spearfish, S.D, the Skyhawks will log more than 4,570 miles, an average of nearly 1,525 miles per week.
 
FIVE IN A ROW
The 2014 season marks the fifth straight season the Skyhawks have faced a Division I opponent, and the eighth time in the last 10 years.
 
PRESEASON PREDICTION
Fort Lewis is picked sixth overall in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference coach's preseason poll. Junior defensive lineman Ryan Ross was selected to the Preseason All-RMAC Defensive Team. Head coaches from each of the 10 RMAC football playing institutions vote on the RMAC preseason poll and preseason team. The Skyhawks, who received 46 points in the preseason poll, are coming off a 4-7 overall record and a 3-6 mark in league games.
 
A RAY OF HOPE
Senior offensive lineman Arthur Ray, Jr. is a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with bone cancer before he started fall camp his freshman year at Michigan State University. He battled cancer during his time at MS before notching a start at left guard against Youngstown State his senior year. He also saw action in two more games that season.
 
Ray was named the winner of the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl/Football Writers Association of America Courage Award. He was the recipient of Michigan State's "Biggie" Munn Award for most inspirational player. He graduated from Michigan State in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in Communications.
 
Arthur was granted two years of eligibility by the NCAA because of his battle with cancer, which limited him to one season of action at Michigan State. He enrolled at Fort Lewis in January 2013 and is seeking an additional bachelor's degree in Exercise Science.