PUEBLO, Colo (KOAA) — CSU Pueblo has the biggest football game of the season — and one of the biggest games in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference history — this weekend.
The third-ranked Thunderwolves will host fourth-ranked Western Colorado in a top-5 matchup for the RMAC Championship and an automatic Division II playoff bid. CSU Pueblo is looking to win its third consecutive conference title.
See the full interview in the video below
Head coach Philip Vigil spoke about the team's preparation heading into Saturday's game. Vigil credited last week's shutout win to his defense's focus and discipline.
"I think last week they did a really good job of honing in on what their assignment was," Vigil said. "South Dakota Mines is a lot from an eye candy standpoint where they're gonna motion and they're gonna shift and they're gonna use different personnel, and we just preached all week long — do your job, expect the guy next to you to do his. And on Saturday they were flying around and physical and made a lot of plays, and so that's really who I've seen them be all year long."
While Vigil is known for preaching a "faceless opponent" philosophy, he acknowledged the significance of this week's matchup — briefly.
"I would be remiss to not mention it, but we mentioned it once in our Sunday meeting, and then from then on it was — this week is just like any other week," Vigil said. "We're gonna prepare the same way we always prepare. We're not gonna do anything different. We're gonna be who we are, and we've believed that if we can continue to improve and get better and play at our best, then we can compete with anybody."
Vigil said he and his players are eager for the challenge.
"I know I'm excited. I know the guys are really excited to be able to compete against such a great opponent on Saturday — two of the premier teams in the state of Colorado coming together. It's gonna be a lot of fun, and I'm excited to watch our guys play," Vigil said.
When asked what it will take to come out on top, Vigil pointed to turnovers and special teams as the keys to victory.
"You have to win the turnover battle — I think that's going to be extremely important," Vigil said. "And then this game comes down to players making plays. We've got guys that have made plays all year long, and they have to continue to do that on Saturday."
Vigil also emphasized the potential impact of special teams in what figures to be a closely contested game.
"Special teams in games when two teams are evenly matched can be the tipping point either way," Vigil said. "We've got to be great protecting the football and going and getting the ball on defense, and then we gotta have guys making plays — and may the best team win."
The RMAC Championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 1PM in the Thunderbowl.
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