GUNNISON, Colo. (September 27, 2014) – Despite erasing an early 17-point deficit, the Adams State University Grizzlies saw the Colorado Classic trophy slip out of their possession as the Western State Colorado University Mountaineers grabbed the go-ahead touchdown with six seconds remaining.

Quarterback Brett Arrivey found Travis Haney for a nine-yard touchdown to give the Mountaineers a 39-37 win from the Mountaineer Bowl. It was an 88-yard, 14 play game-winning drive for WSCU who win the Colorado Classic for the first time since 2001.

ASU moves to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play with the loss.

It was all Western State in the opening half who jumped out to a 17-0 advantage before the first quarter was over. After a Ryan Winke 21-yard field goal, Austin Ekeler rushed 21-yards for a touchdown which was setup by a Grizzly offensive fumble by quarterback Lamar McKnight. The ASU signal-caller continued to struggle on the next offensive possession with an interception that was returned 41-yards by Mark Jones for a touchdown.

Good fortune returned to ASU as McKnight answered with a 56-yard touchdown strike to Harry Adjei, putting the Grizzlies on the board. However, Ekeler displayed his dual-threat capabilities and was the recipient of a 47-yard touchdown pass to prevent the Grizzlies from inching any closer. ASU did add another touchdown before halftime as Auston Hillman found tight end Brady Conner for an 11-yard pass. Conner's first touchdown reception of the year sent both teams into the break with Western State ahead, 23-14.

The Grizzlies took their first lead of the game with a monstrous third quarter thanks to 17 unanswered points.  On ASU's first offensive play of the half, McKnight completed a 47-yard pass to J.R. Watters and was followed by a pair of rushes by Jabari Ray Garvin that quickly placed the ball on the WSCU 23 yard line. The offense settled for a field goal but reached paydirt soon after thanks to a fumble recovery by the ASU defense on the next WSCU offensive possession.

The fumble recovery was scooped up by Demari Reynolds after an Ekeler fumble; giving McKnight and company excellent field position on the WSCU 19 yard line. The offense wasted little time with a McKnight to Adjei 19-yard touchdown pass on the following play. The Grizzlies took their first lead of the game later in the quarter with a 5-yard McKnight touchdown run which capped off a seven play, 43 yard drive. McKnight's first rushing touchdown of the season gave ASU a 31-26 lead with 3:57 left in the third.

The extreme shift in momentum certainly set up for a dramatic fourth quarter finish. Western State retook a 32-31 lead on Ekeler's second rushing touchdown of the game but that didn't last long as the Grizzlies struck again with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Hillman. The ASU score was prompted by a muffed   punt return catch by Mark Jones at his own seven yard line. The fumble, recovered by the Grizzlies, set up a first-and-goal situation with the touchdown coming to fruition three plays later. However the two-point conversion failed but gave Adams State a 37-32 lead with 10:15 remaining.

The Mountaineers pulled ahead with their game-winning drive with six seconds left, leaving little time for ASU to respond. McKnight completed a 68-yard pass to Adjei as time expired but fell short of the end zone.

McKnight compiled his best performance as a Grizzly, completing 16 passes on 28 attempts for 324 yards and two touchdowns. The junior transfer also accounted for 27 yards rushing and another touchdown on the ground. Adjei finished with 187 receiving yards on six receptions while Drew Edwards led all players with seven receptions for 76 yards. Ekeler led Western State's efforts with 288 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. Ekeler had 44 carries for 232 yards rushing.

The Grizzlies racked up a season-high 527 yards of total offense in the loss.

Adams State now turns to an Oct. 4 road meeting against the second-ranked Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves. That conference tilt is set for a 6pm kickoff and will be broadcasted by Altitude Sports & Entertainment.