Saturday was a day of redemption for CSU-Pueblo football, who avenged its singular loss of the 2014 season by defeating Fort Lewis College 45-9 in another dominating performance at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.
Having handed CSU-Pueblo the lone blemish on last season’s National Championship campaign, FLC came into the game with a 4-1 record, including three wins and zero losses in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
That strong start to the season was not enough to propel the Skyhawks to past CSU-Pueblo, however, as the one-sided win provided the ThunderWolves with a pivotal in-conference victory to improve to 4-0 in the RMAC on the season.
The Pack brought home its fifth victory of the season on the university’s annual homecoming weekend, leaning heavily on the legs of their running backs, brothers Cameron and Bernard McDondle.
The pair combined for 266 yards and four of the pack’s six touchdowns on the day, while Cameron had his lowest yardage of the season, with a more than respectable 152 yards on the ground.
McDondle’s fifth consecutive game surpassing the 150-yard mark brought the senior’s yearly rushing total to 1,079 yards and made him the fastest CSU-Pueblo running back to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season in program history.
McDondle’s 1,079 yards currently leads all of NCAA Division II football, with his 13 touchdowns placing him second in the nation in that category.
The Pack’s effective performance was once again anchored by its elite defense, which kept constant pressure on FLCU quarterback Jordan Doyle.
CSU-Pueblo held the Skyhawks to just 120 yards passing, and totaled three sacks on the day despite playing without the Division II football leader in sacks, Morgan Fox.
Fox, who suffered an injury last week in a 56-0 shutout victory at Adams State, watched from the sideline as his ThunderWolves defense held FLC to just nine points and 221 total yards on the day.
For the third time this season, the Pack held its opponent to less than 10 points, bringing its season points-per-game total to 15.2. The 45 points scored by the offense brought the Pack’s average per-game up to 39.
The Pack got an added spark from senior wide receiver and kick returner Kieren Duncan, who once again used his explosive play-making ability to provide a momentum advantage for the team.
Duncan set the tone for the game by taking an AJ Thompson pass for a 70-yard catch and run touchdown on the team’s very first play from scrimmage.
From the contest’s opening minutes to its close, the Pack maintained firm control over the game, as it never trailed over the course of the game.
CSU-Pueblo will look to continue its current streak of dominance and add to a 4-game winning streak with another conference victory against Chadron State College next week on Oct. 17.
