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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Suli Touchdown
Maureen Pasley, FLC Athletics
FLC senior Suli Tukumoeatu (No. 9) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown during Saturday's win over Chadron State.
30
CSCFB CSCFB 1-2 , 1-2
37
Winner Fort Lewis College FLC 2-1 , 2-1
CSCFB CSCFB
1-2 , 1-2
30
Final
37
Fort Lewis College FLC
2-1 , 2-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
CSCFB CSCFB 0 6 14 10 30
FLC Fort Lewis College 0 16 14 7 37

Game Recap: Football | | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Skyhawks' defense delivers three touchdowns in 37-30 win over Chadron State

DURANGO, Colorado — Led by a dominating defensive effort, and some timely offense, the Fort Lewis College football team made a statement on Saturday as they earned a 37-30 victory over Chadron State College, the third ranked team in the RMAC coaches' preseason poll, at Ray Dennison Memorial Field in Durango.

The Fort Lewis (2-1 overall, 2-1 RMAC) defense, which blanked Dixie State University in the first half in Week Two, continued its impressive start to 2019, cashing in three fumbles by the visiting Eagles (1-2 overall, 1-2 RMAC) for touchdowns, while also recording a pair of sacks and seven quarterback hustles.

"They're the most impressive defense I've really ever been a part of," said Fort Lewis head coach, Brandon Crosby. "The heart of this team is the defense and we were happy to have some adversity for the first time and come out with a win. That's the biggest change that we're seeing in this team. If they can start believing in themselves and see that we can be really good, the sky is the limit."

After the two teams played a scoreless first quarter, Fort Lewis got things rolling as it rattled off 16 unanswered points to begin the second quarter.

Redshirt freshman kicker Hogan Keasler connected on a 30-yard field goal with 14:07 remaining in the half to get the scoring underway.  On the ensuing Skyhawks' possession, junior wide receiver Isaac Leppke snagged his third touchdown catch of the season on an 11-yard slant from redshirt junior quarterback Jake Lowry.

Fort Lewis struck again just 44 seconds later via a five-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by senior linebacker Suli Tukumoeatu with 6:34 remaining in the second quarter that helped send Skyhawks' into the locker room with a 16-6 lead at the half.

Chadron State responded quickly after the break with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, finished off on a 40-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Dalton Holst to receiver Brandon Fullerton, on the Eagles' opening possession to cut the Skyhawks' lead to 16-13.

While the Skyhawks offense struggled to gain traction in the second half, punting on their first four possessions, they were aided by two more fumble recovery touchdowns in the third quarter, cashed in by senior lineman Tim Paogofie and junior lineman Blayke De La Rosa.

Paogofie pounced on a loose ball in the Chadron State end zone, jarred loose on a sack by De La Rosa at the 11:08 mark of the third quarter.

De La Rosa was soon rewarded with his own trip to the end zone at the 9:24 mark when he picked up another fumble by Holst, this one forced by senior Ka'Lonn Milton off a corner blitz, and scampered 40 yards in for the score to increase the Fort Lewis lead to 30-20.

Chadron State wouldn't go away quietly, though, as the Eagles scored 17 unanswered points to pull even with the Skyhawks at 30-30 on a 35-yard field goal by Colton Dolder with 6:30 remaining.

Facing its biggest drive of the game, the Fort Lewis offense responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up 4:54 of game clock and was capped off by a 1-yard plunge into the end zone from Lowry.

Lowry, who finished the game 10-of-22 through the air with 114 yards passing, one touchdown and an interception, added 69 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Redshirt sophomore running back Jeff Hansen led the rushing attack with 95 yards on 19 attempts.

Fort Lewis ran the ball seven times for 32 yards on the go-ahead drive, but the big plays came in the air.

Behind the chains in a 2nd-and-17 situation, Leppke was able to draw a crucial pass interference call that gave Fort Lewis a fresh set of downs at Chadron State's 37-yard line. Three plays later on 3rd-and-2, Lowry rolled out and found redshirt freshman tight end Zach Russell wide open down the right sideline. 

It was the first career catch for Russell, who rumbled down to the Eagles' six-yard line for a 23-yard gain, helping set up Lowry's go-ahead touchdown.

"We definitely did not want to leave (Chadron State) any clock, so we tried to burn as much as we could on that last drive," Crosby said. "We were able to lean on them a little bit and get the ball out twice for a pass interference and the big play to Russell. We did know Chadron State was blitzing us and that was part of why we were struggling. We took a chance on the roll out and, fortunately for us, we ended up with a big play."

Chadron State had one final gasp, driving down the Skyhawks' 15-yard line, but Dalton Holst had his final pass of the afternoon knocked down by Fort Lewis sophomore defensive back Dakota Helms as time expired to put a bow on the 37-30 final.

Junior defensive back Duane Jones Jr. and senior linebacker Darrian Stickney led all Skyhawks with 10 tackles apiece, while Milton and linebacker Shane Wetzel followed with eight tackles and seven tackles, respectively.

The seven tackles were a career-high for Wetzel, who entered the day with 16 career tackles. The senior out of Lafayette also record a pass break-up and tied for the team lead with two quarterback hustles.

"When I got here, Shane was probably 185 pounds and coming off shoulder surgery. He's done everything we've ever asked of him," Crosby said. "He's put on the weight and for him to come in as a senior and step up, it's impressive and I couldn't be happier for him as a student-athlete."

Fort Lewis will now turn its attention toward a road clash against Black Hills State University (0-3 overall, 0-3 RMAC), set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 in Spearfish, South Dakota.

"I told the guys afterwards that it's not the coaches, it's the team and players in the locker room who won this game," Crosby said. "We prepare them for the game. If they can continue to learn how to win games, overcome adversity and do the things we teach them, I think we can be very successful. I think we're just on the brink of how good we can really be."
 
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