CSU-Pueblo Football Claims Share of RMAC Title, Collects Hard Fought Senior Day Home Win Over No. 14 Mines

PUEBLO, Colo. – Seventh-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo used two second half touchdown receptions from senior receiver Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College) here Saturday afternoon to post a hard-fought 28-13 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over 14th-ranked Colorado School of Mines on Senior Day in the ThunderBowl.

With Saturday's victory, the ThunderWolves, who have now won seven straight since suffering a 24-21 home win on Sept. 14 to then No. 3 ranked Grand Valley State, claim a share of the 2024 regular season RMAC title and snap a five-game losing skid to the Orediggers in the process. In addition, the Pack extends it RMAC win streak to 15 consecutive games, which is the second longest active conference win streak in Division II football behind Kutztown's 18-game streak. The RMAC title is the ninth in program history and the first since sharing the title in 2018.  

"Oh man, that is a dangerous football team that we just played. Their fighting for their playoff lives and we got their best shot today and ultimately, our team made more plays," second-year Pack head football coach Philip Vigil said following the game. "I'm just so proud of this group. I'm so proud of our staff. It's a collective effort. These guys were out here at 5:30 this morning clearing the field. Our president (Armando Valdez), our athletics director (Dr. Paul Plinske) and Coach Wristen was out here and that is the reason this place has been so good for so long."

Prior to the game, the Pack honored its 21-member senior class in a pregame ceremony. This year's Pack football seniors are defensive back Daniel Bone III (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pine Creek), running back Korien Burrell (Beaumont, Texas/Henderson State), quarterback Steven Croell (Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield), defensive lineman Dominick Fini (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mesa Ridge), linebacker Wilde Germano (Hilo, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Hawai'i), defensive back Isaiah Hereford (Peoria, Ariz./Copper Canyon), defensive lineman Gaige Hill (Altoona, Pa./PennWest California), quarterback Devin Larsen (Gilbert, Ariz./Western New Mexico), defensive lineman Kenneth Lofton (Phoenix, Ariz./Mountain Pointe), tight end Curtis Luckadoo (Reno, Nev./Bishop Manogue Catholic), receiver Nigel Mitchell (Red Bank, N.J./Red Bank Regional), linebacker Jon Nuschy (La Junta, Colo./Northern Colorado), defensive back Eli Pittman (Peoria, Ariz./Liberty), defensive back Isaiah Pittman (Peoria, Ariz./University of Mary), linebacker Noa Purcell (Kalihi, Hawai'i/Riverside City College), defensive lineman Cody Ramming (Littleton, Colo./Columbine), running back Howard Russell V (Phoenix, Ariz./Eastern New Mexico), defensive lineman Makeah Scippio (Colorado Springs, Colo./Harrison), receiver Taylor Tosches (Temecula, Calif./Southwestern Oklahoma State), defensive lineman James Turrentine (Elk Grove, Calif./American River College), defensive back Thomas Webb, Jr. (Tucson, Ariz./Central Oklahoma).

Saturday's win was also the first for the Pack at home against Mines since opening the 2017 season with a 38-7 victory. The Pack had lost three straight games at home in the series between the two RMAC powerhouses, who have combined to post a 300-87 overall record and win 15 RMAC titles since 2008 when the Pack rebooted the football program.

Retzlaff's first touchdown catch was a 26-yarder from junior quarterback Roman Fuller (Decatur, Texas/University of Tulsa) with 4:36 left in the third quarter to give the Pack, who were ranked No. 1 in this week's second iteration of the NCAA Super Region Four rankings, a 21-6 lead.

After Mines pulled within 21-13 on its ensuing possession thanks to a 44-yard touchdown run by Braelon Tate. Tate's touchdown came with 1:38 left in the third quarter.

On the next Pack possession, the Pack drove 84 yards in five plays and capped the drive with a 61-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Retzlaff to give the Pack 28-13 lead just 42 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Retzlaff's second touchdown helped him tie the school's career touchdown pass receiving mark of 24, which was set by Paul Browning, who played for the Pack from 2011-14.

Browning was attendance at Saturday's game to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of CSU Pueblo's 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship team. Ironically, that 2014 team was the last Pack football team to win the RMAC title outright, which is something the 2024 team can achieve with a win next Saturday at Chadron State in the regular season finale.

"The history and the tradition of this place is elite. I'm glad that we got to bring back them back (the national championship team) and win in front of them," Vigil said.

Retzlaff finished Saturday's game with seven catches for 139 yards in the win. On the season, he has now caught 59 passes for 1,110 yards and has tied a single-season mark with 12 touchdown receptions. The 59 receptions are tied with Browning for most in a season (Browning caught 59 passes in 2013), while the 1,110 receiving is second-most in a single season behind Browning's 1,155 yards. Browning and Retzlaff are the only two players in school history to record 1,000-plus receiving yard seasons.

Following Retzlaff's second score of the game, the Pack turned the game over to its defense as they keep the Orediggers off the scoreboard the remainder of the game, including stopping them short on two fourth down plays and capping the win with an interception by sophomore defensive back Kahden Rullo (Denver, Colo./Grandview) with 24 seconds remaining in the game.

The interception was the second of the game for the Pack was Eli Pittman in the second quarter that led to the Pack's first touchdown of the game.

Following Pittman's first interception this season and fifth of his career, the Pack drove 50 yards in six plays and capped the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run by Russell to give the Pack a 7-3 lead just a little over 90 seconds into the second quarter. The rushing score by Russell was his 11th of the season, which is tied for seventh on the school's single season chart.

Russell, who entered the game as the leading rusher in the RMAC, finished with 21 carries for 70 yards and caught six passes for 35 yards and scored two total touchdowns to push his season total to 13, which is tops in the league. He has scored 11 rushing touchdown and two pass receiving scores on the year. With his 70 rushing yards, Russell became the 13th running back in school history to gain 2,000 career rushing yards as he has now gained 2,000 with the Pack.

Mines had gotten on the scoreboard first on its opening drive of the game as they drove 55 yards in nine plays and used a 43-yard field goal by Matthew Eich to take a 3-0 lead nearly six-plus minutes into the game.

Late in the second quarter, the Pack defense forced Mines to turn the ball over on downs after Joseph Capra was stopped one-yard short of a first down on a fourth-and-2 play at the Pack 27-yard line.

The Pack took over the ball with 1:55 left in the second quarter and drove 73 yards in four plays and capped the drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Russell with 1:26 left in the first half. The drive began with back-to-back passing plays of 23 yards to Retzlaff and 13 yards to Tosches from Fuller.

Mines, though, would answer right back as they drove 49 yards in five plays and capped the drive with another 43-yard Eich field goal to cut the Pack's lead to 14-6 at the half.

For the game, the Pack finished with 332 yards on 59 plays as Fuller was 25-for-34 passing for 270 yards and had three touchdown passes to push his season total to 16, which is tied for eighth-most in a single season.

Since taking over as the Pack's starting quarterback against Black Hills State, Fuller is 63-for-91 passing for 735 yards and has tossed eight touchdowns and no interceptions.

Tosches caught four passes for 41 yards to push his season total to 45 receptions for 683 yards and seven touchdown catches. The 45 receptions are tied for eighth-most in a season in school history.

Meanwhile, Mines finished the game with 390 yards of offense as they rushed for 229 yards on 43 carries and passed for 161 yards in the setback.

Despite holding an edge in total yardage, Mines' offense struggled on third and fourth down in Saturday's game against the Pack defense as they were a combined 5-for-20 on those two downs in the game. Mines was 4-for-16 on third down and 1-for-4 on fourth down, including going a combined 3-for-10 on those downs in the second half.

"Our defense played so good in the second half. When we needed stops, we got them and we were also able to get after the quarterback and that gave our defensive backs the opportunity to go and get the football," added Vigil, who is now 17-4 as the Pack's head coach. "McLeod and Schiele are two of the best receivers in the country and our defensive backs did a pretty job on them today. That is a credit to Coach (Caid) Faske and also a credit to our guys up front getting after the quarterback and our defensive backs as well."

Capra was 15-for-34 passing for 161 yards and had two interceptions and was sacked six times by the Pack defense. The six sacks were a season high as sophomore linebacker Gary Seidenberger (Fredericksburg, Texas/Fredericksburg) and Scippio each had two sacks in the game. Scippio's two sacks pushed his season total to eight, which is tied for second most in the RMAC.

Along with Capra, Landon Walker gained 96 yards rushing on 18 carries, while Capra added 79 yards to finish with 240 yards of total offense.

Flynn Schiele was targeted 13 times and caught six passes for 86 yards, while Max McLeod added three catches for 29 yards for Mines.

The Pack will look to earn the outright RMAC title next Saturday, Nov. 16 as they travel to Chadron, Neb., for a 12 p.m. contest against Chadron State to close out the regular season. Chadron State (3-7 overall, 2-6 RMAC) suffered a disappointing 21-17 loss Saturday at 11th-ranked Western Colorado (9-1 overall, 7-1 RMAC).