Skyhawks, Mountaineers square off on senior day

DURANGO, Colo. – In its final home game of the season, the Fort Lewis College football team welcomes the Western Colorado Mountaineers for a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest on Ray Dennison Memorial Field. The Skyhawks will also honor fifteen graduating seniors prior to kickoff.

GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, November 5
12:00 p.m. MDT
Vs. Western Colorado Mountaineers
Ray Dennison Memorial Field
Durango, CO

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Network
Play-by-play: Bob Bonnar
Color: Rick O'Block

WEATHER REPORT
Fans should expect overcast skies with sunshine mixed in. The high for the day is expected to be 51 degrees Fahrenheit with 5-10 mile per hour winds and a very slight chance of rain.

SERIES VS WESTERN COLORADO
Saturday's meeting between the Skyhawks and Mountaineers will mark the 59th between the two programs all-time. Western Colorado owns the lead over Fort Lewis 41-17 and is currently riding a three-game winning streak dating back to 2018. With no contest played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Mountaineers have felled the Skyhawks in succession 40-20 (2018), 31-0 (2019), and 42-0 last season.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
After a heart-breaking 30-20 loss last weekend to No. 12/9 Colorado School of Mines (7-2, 7-0 RMAC), Western Colorado finds itself at 5-4 overall and 5-2 in the RMAC, and will be searching for a huge bounce-back performance. The Mountaineers put up 338-yards of total offense by way of 95-yards rushing and 243-yards in the air. WCU led the Orediggers 20-10 after the third quarter, but a pair of touchdowns from Michael Zeman alongside two interceptions and a lost fumble allowed CSM to climb all the way back.

"We're really excited about the opportunity to represent our seniors," Fort Lewis College Head Coach Johnny Cox said. "They've been through a lot during their tenure here and have been important role models of perseverance. In their last game at home, I know they will be playing with intensity and a chip on their shoulders, and hopefully, the whole team will follow we'll try to send them out with a win."

Fifth-year starting quarterback Connor Desch commands the Mountaineers offense. The six-foot-three Centennial, Colo., native averages 173.22 yards per game in the air to pair with a 125.21 quarterback efficiency rating. Completing 55.6% of his passing attempts, Desch is tied for third-best in the RMAC with 16 passing touchdowns.

Defensively, Western Colorado is spearheaded by graduate student Carson Mandrell. The graduate student leads the roster with 65.0 total tackles, 19 higher than the next closest player. Mandrell has 38 solo tackles featuring 5.0 tackles for 10-yards lost.

The Mountaineers also boast the league leader in interceptions, Ethan Sanchez-Maxwell. The redshirt junior defensive back has four interceptions on the season with 28 return yards.

The final weapon for Western Colorado resides on special teams in Victory David. The redshirt sophomore wide receiver has taken eight returns for 274-yards with a 34.25-yard per return average. The Las Vegas, Nev., native has also taken a return for 100-yards and a touchdown against Colorado Mesa back on Oct. 1.

LAST TIME OUT
Last Saturday Black Hills State (6-3, 4-3 RMAC) cruised passed the Skyhawks en route to a 75-0 win at home, the first shutout against Fort Lewis this season. FLC now sits 0-8 overall and 0-7 in the RMAC. The thirteen-hour road trip proved challenging as the Skyhawks managed just 134-yards of total offense against the Yellow Jackets' 633. The victory for BHSU secured a new program record for the highest single-game score and snapped a three-game losing streak.

SKYHAWKS LEADERS
Last week saw Brayden Miller start at the quarterback position, but Braden Wingle remains the Skyhawks leader under center. Wingle leads the quarterback room with a 55.8 completion percentage (134-240), 1,051 yards, and five touchdowns.

In the receiving core, Fort Lewis quarterbacks have connected with 21 different targets this season. Drake Cortez leads the group with 32 total catches, while Christopher Thomas Jr. leads the team with 259 total yards. Just behind Thomas Jr. sits Zach Russell with 217 yards on 18 catches. The trio of receivers has hauled in two touchdowns each.

On the ground, Jeff Hansen leads all backs with 126 net yards, 46 carries, and the lone rushing touchdown of the season for Fort Lewis. Hansen averages 2.7 yards per carry and 15.75 yards a game. Defensively Carter Cameron stands alone atop the Skyhawks roster. The true freshman boasts a team-leading 61.0 total tackles featuring 6.5 tackles for a total loss of 23-yards.

THE FINAL CHALLENGE LIES IN GOLDEN
Next Saturday, Nov. 12, will mark the final contest of the 2022 campaign for the Skyhawks. Fort Lewis will head to Golden, Colo., to challenge the No. 12/9 Orediggers at the Colorado School of Mines. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. mountain daylight time. The game will be free to watch on the RMAC Network as well as KWGN Colorado's Own Channel 2.

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Skyhawks, Mountaineers square off on senior day