PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — The CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves made a statement in their season opener, shutting out the South Dakota School of Mines 43-0 at the freshly renovated Thunder Bowl.
The sixth-ranked ThunderWolves showcased why they earned their preseason ranking, controlling both sides of the ball from the opening drive.
"It's great to get out of opening week one, week zero with a win," said Number 11 Wide Receiver Reggie Retzlaff. "We preach going 1-0 every day and getting 1% better, and I think we did that today, but there's also a lot we can go back and fix in film."
The ThunderWolves' defense set the tone early, recording four tackles for loss in the first half alone. Josiah Sampleton led the charge, tracking down the Mines quarterback for a sack that energized the home crowd.
On offense, CSU Pueblo struck first when quarterback Roman Fuller connected with receiver Reggie Retzlaff for the game's opening touchdown. The ThunderWolves successfully converted the two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead.
Fuller continued to orchestrate the offense effectively, finding Tyler Dvorak in the red zone with a pass that set up the team inside the five-yard line. Fuller then punched in the touchdown himself, following his offensive line to extend the lead to 15-0 in the second quarter.
The ThunderWolves' defense capped off the first-half dominance when Peyton Shaw intercepted a Mines pass, preventing any scoring opportunity before halftime. Along with a 64-yard fumble recovery from A.J. Jordan to put the ThunderWolves up 22-0 headed into the second half.
Three more touchdowns would come in the second half, kicking off with an 8-yard run by Russell Patton, putting the score at 29-0. With just 36 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Reggie Retzlaff would catch a 34-yard pass from Roman Fuller for the touchdown, putting the score at 36-0.
The final score of the game came from Moosah Alsaffar after a 31-yard run. Putting the shutout at 43-0 at the end of regulation.
Despite the convincing victory, the team acknowledged areas for improvement. Fuller did lose a fumble when hit from behind while trying to escape pressure, though the defense held strong and forced a missed field goal attempt.
CSU Pueblo will return home next Thursday to face Fort Hays State as they look to build on their season-opening performance.
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