FB | Grizzlies to battle ThunderWolves on the road

Adams State University (0-7, 0-6 RMAC) at CSU Pueblo (4-3, 4-1 RMAC)
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2:00 p.m.
CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl | Pueblo, Colo.
[Streaming: RMAC Network] [Live Stats] [KSPK-FM]

Adams State University is looking for their first win of the season and will have a formidable foe in the way as they travel to Pueblo to take on the ThunderWolves on Saturday.

LIVE COVERAGE
The game will be streamed online through the RMAC Network. The radio broadcast will feature Justin Adams on the call. Adams State University and KSPK-FM have extended their broadcast partnership for three years. Listeners can tune in to KSPK on-air throughout southern Colorado on 100.3 in Colorado Springs, Alamosa, and the San Luis Valley, 104.1 in South Fork and Trinidad, and 102.3 in Pueblo and Walsenburg. Fans nationwide can also tune in on KSPK's website (kspk.com).

WEATHER REPORT
Saturday's weather forecast shows sunshine and clouds mixed with a high of 78. Winds will be blazing SW at 5 to 10 mph.

LEADING THE WAY
The Adams team has elected five captains for 2021: senior defensive lineman Alu Taito, senior tight end Ian Fryday, senior linebacker Braeden Meyer, senior running back Tyreik Campbell, and senior defensive end EJ Labaze.

WHERE WE LEFT OFF
The Grizzlies enter the game 0-7 overall and 0-5 in the RMAC after falling to Chadron State, 45-35, on Saturday in the 2021 Homecoming game inside Rex Stadium.

After being down 22-0, Adams State had a defensive touchdown (Bryce Hampton 30-yard pick-six) and a 27 strike from emergency starter Bradley Smith to Hampton to go into the half 36-14. The second half saw Smith scamper downfield for a 70-yard touchdown before finishing the day with two more passing touchdowns.

ABOUT THE THUNDERWOLVES
The ThunderWolves enter the weekend with a 4-3 overall record and a 4-1 RMAC record. The ThunderWolves dropped their first two games to No. 8 Texas A&M Commerce (12-6) and No. 14 Grand Valley State (34-14). CSU Pueblo then went on a four-game winning streak with wins over Black Hills State (19-16), South Dakota Mines (49-7), Colorado Mesa (19-13), and Chadron State (42-17). However, last week, the streak ended as a comeback attempt for the ThunderWolves fell short, and they lost to New Mexico Highlands 28-21.

CSU Pueblo appears to split snaps at the quarterback position between Devin Williams and Steven Croell. Williams is 77-of-131 (58.78 percent) on pass attempts for 712 yards and six touchdowns, while Croell is 51-of-85 (60 percent) on his pass attempts for 506 yards and five touchdowns.

Michael Roots is the top running back with 100 attempts for 565 yards, with Nick Williams as the top receiver as he has caught the ball 27 times for 228 yards.

PAVING THE WAY
The Grizzlies are doing great defensively as Bryce Hampton, who had three straight games with an interception, is tied for ninth with interceptions per game as he has four with is tied for ninth in Division II.

MAKING RMAC HISTORY
For a league that has been around since 1909, history was made on Saturday as it marked the first time two black head coaches faced off against each other in the sport inside the RMAC.

Versie Wallace has been the only other black head football coach at a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference school before the current three head coaches. Wallace guided the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers from 1995 to 2000.

Fort Lewis College's Darrius Smith is the other current black football head coach in the RMAC. Colorado Mesa faces Fort Lewis this weekend in Durango while Adams State takes on the Skyhawks on November 6 in the Musket Game.

NEW LEADERSHIP
On April 26th, Adams State University removed the interim tag from Head Football Coach Jarrell Harrison, who officially became the 24th coach in Adams State football history.

Harrison joined Adams State football in 2016 as a Running Backs Coach and Special Teams Assistant under former Head Coach Timm Rosenbach. He was promoted to interim head coach on January 5, 2021, after the resignation of former Head Coach Josh Blankenship. Blankenship finished his two-year tenure with the Grizzlies with an 8-14 (.364) overall record; 8-12 (.400) RMAC.

Harrison makes history for Adams State University as he becomes the first African American to lead the football program, in this, the University's 100th year.

IN THE POLLS
The Adams State Grizzlies earned one first-place vote and were selected to finish in seventh place in the RMAC by the conferences' ten head coaches. At the same time, the CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves were picked to finish second and entered the season as the No. 12 team in the AFCA Preseason Poll.

AROUND THE RMAC
Colorado School of Mines' Michael Zeman and Mason Pierce join New Mexico Highlands' Devin Coney as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Football Players of the Week, the league announced Monday.

In the standings, Colorado School of Mines is the top team in the conference as they are undefeated in the conference with a 5-0 RMAC mark and a perfect 7-0 mark on the season. Western Colorado sits in second with a 6-1 conference record and a 7-1 overall record.

Five games are on the docket this weekend in the RMAC, and two are slated to start at noon. Those two games are Fort Lewis at Chadron State and Western Colorado at South Dakota Mines. Meanwhile, New Mexico Highlands and Black Hills State and Colorado School of Mines, and Colorado Mesa will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. before the Grizzlies and ThunderWolves will be the day's final game.

NEXT TIME
Adams State is back on the road when they travel to Pueblo, Colorado, to take on the ThunderWolves at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Bryce Hampton: DB; Freshman

#wh EJ Labaze: DL; 6' 2"; Freshman

#8 Braeden Meyer: LB; 6' 1"; Freshman

#13 Bradley Smith: LB; 6' 3"; Senior

#5 Alu Taito: DL; 6' 2"; Freshman

#6 Tyreik Campbell: RB; 5' 11"; Senior

#88 Ian Fryday: TE; 6' 2"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#1 Bryce Hampton
: Freshman
: DB

#wh EJ Labaze
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: DL

#8 Braeden Meyer
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: LB

#13 Bradley Smith
: 6' 3"; Senior
: LB

#5 Alu Taito
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: DL

#6 Tyreik Campbell
: 5' 11"; Senior
: RB

#88 Ian Fryday
: 6' 2"; Graduate Student
: TE

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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