GUNNISON, Colo. – Scoring was in short supply on Saturday between Western State Colorado University and Colorado State University – Pueblo. In the end, the Thunderwolves scored twice to defeat the Mountaineers 10-7.
 
With 3:53 left to play, Western (6-3, 6-3 RMAC) had the ball, down three points on their own 20-yard line. On the first play of the drive, quarterback Brett Arrivey found tight end Chris Morgan for a 25-yard gain. CSU-Pueblo (6-3, 6-2 RMAC) was flagged for a personal foul at the end of the play and the Mountaineers moved into the Thunderwolves territory.
 
After being forced into a third and long situation, Arrivey found Anthony Apodaca for a 13-yard gain and received a fresh set of downs on CSU-Pueblo's 28-yard line.
 
The Mountaineers had momentum and were within field goal range, looking to potentially take the lead and at the very least tie with a field goal. However, CSU-Pueblo had different plans.
 
On third down, CSU-Pueblo's Ryan Merrill and Deyon Sizer combined for a sack, pushing the Mountaineers out of field goal range and into a fourth and long situation. With a little over a minute remaining in the game, Western was forced to try and convert the fourth down.
 
CSU-Pueblo batted the pass down and were able to kneel for the victory.
 
The Mountaineers opened the scoring on Saturday with a 14 yard pass from Arrivey to Morgan at the 4:01 mark of the first quarter. It would be the only score of the game for the Mountaineers.
 
Morgan was a favorite target for Arrivey against the Thunderwolves, making four catches for 74 yards.
 
The Mountaineers held CSU-Pueblo scoreless in the first quarter. Only two teams have scored on the Mountaineers in the first 15 minutes of play this season. The last time Western was scored on in the first quarter came against Colorado School of Mines on Sept. 24.
 
Western also held the Thunderwolves scoreless in the fourth quarter, making them the fifth team unable to score against the Mountaineer defensive 11.
 
The Thunderwolves put their first points on the board with 13:41 left in the first half. A 35-yard pass and catch would be the only touchdown for CSU-Pueblo.
 
CSU-Pueblo took the lead with 2:59 left to play in the third quarter. It was Nathan Taylor's 34-yard field goal that would be the game winner.
 
Western linebackers Carter Wasser and Kristopher Bass each recorded 10 tackles to lead the team. Wasser also recorded a half tackle for a loss, while Bass also had one tackle for a loss.
 
Arrivey threw for 170 yards and one touchdown for the Mountaineers, while Austin Ekeler ran for 67 yards on the ground.
 
The Mountaineer offense didn't commit one a turnover on Saturday, while the defense recovered one fumble.
 
Western is now in sole possession of fourth place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.