PUEBLO, Colo. — The CSU Pueblo football team climbed to No. 3 in the national rankings following a 38-31 victory over Black Hills State.
Head Coach Philip Vigil spoke about the team's performance, acknowledging both the challenges and the resilience his squad showed during the game.
Black Hills State scored 21 consecutive points — finishing the second half with a touchdown and adding 14 more in the third quarter — putting pressure on the ThunderWolves' defense. Vigil pointed to a combination of factors that contributed to the run, including an aggressive Black Hills State offense that converted on fourth down five or six times.
"Black Hills did a really good job — they had a game plan to come in and execute and keep our offense off the field," Vigil said. "Defensively, there was just some times that we were uncharacteristic in our tackling, didn't do a great job wrapping him up, and again that's a credit to him and his playmaking ability at their quarterback position."
Vigil also cited turnovers as a key factor in the lopsided time of possession, noting that the offense turned the ball over three times, including two interceptions thrown by quarterback Navi, who had only thrown three interceptions heading into the game.
Despite the struggles, Vigil praised his team's ability to respond when it mattered most.
"There's a lot of teams that when the momentum swings like that, they're not able to recover," Vigil said. "Our offense when we needed it went down and scored. Our defense when we needed to stop, got the stop. Our offense got the ball back again and went down and scored, and we were able to answer with 14 unanswered following their big push."
When asked how the schedule has prepared the team for a potential postseason run, Vigil was measured in his response, emphasizing that nothing is guaranteed and that the team's focus remains on daily improvement.
"The postseason is not guaranteed, and so we've got to continue to work and do the things, lean into the things that have gotten us to this point," Vigil said. "As soon as you start to think about the playoffs, as soon as you start to think about anything other than today, you lose sight of what's most important and what's gotten you to where you're at."
CSU Pueblo is set to face South Dakota Mines next.
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