DURANGO, Colo.—It's all about how you rebound. That was the message that Adams State University Head Football Coach
Jarrell Harrison and his coaching staff tried to instill in his players after last Saturday's home loss. The week of preparation must have worked as the Grizzlies were able to amass 588-yards of offense while the defense held the Skyhawks to just 235, including just 35 on the ground, en route to a 52-17 win over the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks on Saturday at Ray Dennison Memorial Field.
The game started quickly for the Grizzlies as the Grizzlies took the opening possession and, on six plays, drove down the field 75 yards in 2:31 for the opening score. The touchdown was a 20-yard circus catch by
Kentrell Petite to make the score 7-0.
Three drives later, the Skyhawks retaliated with a 75-yard drive to tie the game up at 7 with just under four minutes left in the first half.
The score stayed that way until Adams state scored 17 points in the second quarter. The first touchdown came on a Daylen Boddie rush up the middle to cap off a 16-play, 97-yard drive that ate up 4:57 on the clock.
After an interception, the Grizzlies added another score as
Marckell Grayson connected with
Dequan Hopkins for a 40-yard touchdown.
The two teams traded field goals to end the first half with the Grizzlies holding a 24-10 advantage.
The second half started ferociously for Adams State as they scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes. The first one was a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Boddie to cap off a 7-play, 79-yard drive before
Isaiah Morris broke two tackles en route to a 24-yard scamper to paydirt.
The Skyhawks threw in a touchdown before the end of the third and the Grizzlies led 38-17.
In the fourth quarter the Grizzlies continued to control the offensive pace of the game. They had a rushing touchdown by Daylen Boddie from four yards out before Grayson connected with
Elijah Harper for a 15-yard strike to make the score 52-17.
The Grizzlies had stellar production from the offense as Grayson was 16-of-33 (48.5 percent) on pass attempts for 329 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with ten different receivers including four to Harper, who had a touchdown as did Petite and Hopkins.
The ground attack was just as strong as Adams State carried the ball 47 times for 233 yards. Boddie was the top rusher with 18 carries for 83 yards.
Defensively, the Grizzlies had three takeaways with three different players,
Anthony Alton,
Joseph Wallace and
Chad Alioth, getting picks.
The Grizzlies look to win two games for the first time since 2019 when they host New Mexico Highlands at 7:00 p.m. in the 2022 Hall of Fame Game.
