For the 74th time, Western Colorado and Adams State will match up in one of the most storied rivalries in Division II football on Saturday evening in Alamosa, Colo.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The game will be streamed online through the RMAC Network. The radio broadcast will be brought to you by Joel Priest and will be simulcast on the RMAC Network feed. Adams State University and KSPK-FM have extended their broadcast partnership for three years. Listeners can tune in to KSPK on-air throughout all 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 is for clear conditions and 72 degrees at kickoff with winds gusting southwest at 10 miles per hour.
 
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 0-2 after falling to Western New Mexico (35-17) and Eastern New Mexico (42-14).
 
Lincoln Labrum has thrown for 247 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Adams State. On the ground, Tyreik Campbell leads the team with 121 yards rushing and a score. Elijah Harper leads the team with 10 receptions, 91 yards and a touchdown.
 
Defensively, Bryce Hampton leads the team with 18 tackles, Angelo Ramirez has 17 tackles (3.5 for a loss) and a sack while Brafi Benedict has 13 tackles.
 
The good news for the Grizzlies, some new players will make their season debut tonight.
 
ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
Western Colorado moved to 2-0 for the first time since 1980 (that team started 4-0) by defeating Western New Mexico 49-14 last Saturday.
 
Josh Cummings earned RMAC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 124 yards and two scores on 14 carries (8.9 yards per carry)
 
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.
 
74TH ANNUAL EVENT
The Mountaineers are 40-32 all-time against the Grizzlies but have lost three straight to Adams State - last winning Sept. 10, 2016, in Gunnison (56-25). Western Colorado hasn't won in Alamosa since Oct. 21, 2000 - a 25-13 victory for the Mountaineers and a stretch of eight straight losses in Alamosa.
 
One of the most recent thrillers was back in 2015 when Adams State University overcame a 36-point deficit that led to a dramatic 52-51 overtime victory. The Grizzlies trailed 42-6 in the closing seconds of the second quarter but erupted for 36 unanswered points after halftime to force overtime. The rivalry game concluded with both teams combining for 1,241 yards of total offense and nine touchdowns.
 
IN THE POLLS
The Adams State Grizzlies selected a first-place vote and were selected to finish in seventh place in the RMAC by the conferences' ten head coaches while The Mustangs were announced 8th in the preseason Lone Star Conference poll with 33 points.
 
AROUND THE RMAC
Colorado Mesa's Karst Hunter and Remington Green and South Dakota Mines' Christian Singleton were named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week.
 
Adams State will once again have the latest game on the docket this week as seven games are set to kickoff on Saturday. New Mexico Highlands and Colorado School of Mines play at noon in a conference game while Western Colorado and Western New Mexico (12:00 p.m.), Black Hills State and William Jewell (12:00 p.m.), CSU Pueblo and Grand Valley State (4:00 p.m.), South Dakota Mines and Maryville State (5:00 p.m.) and Fort Lewis and Tarleton State (5:00 p.m.) will all meet in non-conference match ups.
 
NEXT TIME
Adams State hits the road to take on Black Hills State in Spearfish, S.D.