FOOTBALL

CSU Pueblo football extends win streak to five games with clutch road win at Mesa

Colorado State University Pueblo Athletics
CSU Pueblo
CSU Pueblo extends win streak to five games after 33-28 win at Mesa

The Colorado State University-Pueblo football team pushed its win streak to five games after pulling out a 33-28 victory on the road Saturday at Colorado Mesa.  The ThunderWolves defense played a key role during the final drive of the game and made two big sacks and recovered a fumble to seal the win.  CSU Pueblo totaled 438 yards on offense most coming by way of the air. Quarterback Hunter Raquet finished his day 20-of-34 passing and gathered 361 passing yards and two touchdowns.  On the ground, Austin Bacher rushed for 80 yards on 15 attempts and one touchdown. Kiahn Martinez tallied one rushing touchdown and gained 18 yards rushing.  Defensively, Daniel Bone led with nine tackles including one fumble recovered and one interception.  Makeah Scippio ended with two sacks for a loss of eight yards.   The ThunderWolves scored on the opening drive to start the game when Bacher was able to punch it in from 9-yards out for an early 7-0 lead. 

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CMU responded on their next possession with a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.  The ThunderWolves took a 10-7 lead after driving the ball downfield for eight plays and set up a 29-yard field goal attempt and conversion from Sullivan Moon.  The Mavericks scored on the second play of the second quarter and took a 14-10 lead and would add another score on their next possession to build a 21-10 advantage.  CSU Pueblo bounced back with 6:58 left in the first half and went on a nine-play 84-yard touchdown drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by Martinez to get within a 21-17 deficit.  On the next drive by CMU, the defense made its presence felt on an interception by Eric Donnell with 1:18 left in the half.  CSU Pueblo took over at their own 39-yard line and drove the ball downfield and gained a 24-21 lead heading into halftime after Raquet connected with Andrew Cook on a 13-yard touchdown reception.  In the second half, the Pack defense continued to limit the Mavericks to big scoring plays and held their offense to seven points. On the offensive side, CSU Pueblo scored one touchdown in the fourth quarter, a 54-touchdown reception by CK Poulos, and a missed PAT put the ThunderWolves ahead 30-28 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game.  CSU Pueblo's Sullivan Moon hit a 46-yard field goal attempt to give the Pack a five-point advantage with under five minutes to play.  Moon was 2-for-2 in his field goal attempts on the day.  CSU Pueblo (6-3, 5-2 RMAC) returns home next week and hosts South Dakota Mines on Senior Day at CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. 

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This article was submitted to the Chieftain by the CSU Pueblo Athletics department. For stats and additional information from this game, visit gothunderwolves.com.