PUEBLO, Colo (KOAA) — The CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves remained unbeaten on the season after grinding out their closest and dirtiest game of the year, beating Fort Lewis 28-21 on the road in Durango in a mud-soaked matchup.
With the playing surface a mess and the ball slick, the Thunderwolves abandoned their usual explosive passing attack and leaned on their ground game, rushing for about 270 yards to pull out the win.
Head coach Philip Vigil said the conditions were unlike anything his team could have prepared for.
"As a coach, you try to simulate as much as you possibly can in practice, and we did wet ball drills last week and all that kind of stuff, but I don't know if we could have ever simulated the playing surface, the mud, that we got to experience last week," Vigil said.
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The defense set the tone. After Fort Lewis opened the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive, the Thunderwolves clamped down for the rest of the day. They allowed just 135 total yards of offense and 5 first downs in the game.
Backup quarterback Evan Powell proved to be the difference, carrying the ball 11 times for about 140 yards. Vigil said getting Powell into the game was a mid-game adjustment once the team saw the conditions.
“Once we got out there and saw that the conditions were the way that they were, that ball was about as slick as all get out, and we knew that our passing game was going to be essentially very, very limited," Vigil said. "Evan's such a great athlete to be able to get the ball in his hands and let him run around and do what he did. It's the same thing we see him do out here at practice all the time. And so I'm really proud of him. He had a great game and we don't win that game without him.”
Ball security was a challenge throughout. The Thunderwolves fumbled seven times, losing two, and also had issues with a couple of snaps on special teams. Vigil chalked the miscues up to the field conditions but said it is an area to improve.
The Thunderwolves return home this week to face Black Hills State. Vigil said the focus remains internal.
"This week we talk about earning tomorrow and finding a way for us to be who we want to be in the future. We've got to earn it today, and our guys have had a great week of practice so far and we got to continue that over the next two days," Vigil said.
The Thunderwolves will take on Black Hills State at 1PM on Saturday.
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