PUEBLO, Colo (KOAA) — CSU Pueblo football remains ranked No. 5 in Division II after a 45-17 win over Colorado School of Mines last weekend, and the Thunderwolves are riding a 26-game conference winning streak dating back to 2023. Head coach Philip Vigil and his team will look to extend that streak Saturday on the road at Chadron State.
In last week's win, CSU Pueblo held Mines to 128 rushing yards in 23 carries— 71 yards coming on a single run in the second quarter. Vigil credited his defensive line for setting the tone up front.
“It starts with our D-line. It starts with their ability to be able to demand double teams to get our linebackers free to go and make some plays, and they're doing a great job with that right now," Vigil said.
Watch the Walk and Talk with Coach Vigil Below
On offense, the Thunderwolves have shown they can attack both through the air and on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Navi Bruzon threw for a career high 421 yards and four touchdown passes in the win over Mines. Their ability to pick up so many yards through the air opens up the run game. Led by Russell Patton’s 61 yards, the Pack rushed for 158 yards in that game.
"We're in a really good place offensively where we can beat you running the football or we can beat you throwing the football. Whatever a team is going to dictate that they want to take away, we're gonna be able to do the opposite of that," Vigil said.
Saturday's road trip to Chadron State presents a familiar challenge. Last year, it took overtime for the Thunderwolves to escape with a win in the same matchup. Vigil said the focus this week is on preparation, not the scoreboard.
"The point of emphasis is us just improving and trying to get better. We know that for us to play the way we want to play on Saturday, we have to have a great practice this morning. We gotta have another great practice tomorrow morning and throughout the rest of the week because ultimately practice is for performance," Vigil said.
Despite Chadron State's 1-2 record, Vigil is not taking the opponent lightly.
"In my opinion they've lost to 2 playoff teams. So we cannot take them lightly by any means, and we're gonna show up ready to go," Vigil said.
Saturday’s game at Chadron State is scheduled for 1 P.M.
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