THE MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | 2019 SEASON STATS
Western Colorado watched a 14-7 halftime lead turn into a 28-14 deficit heading into the fourth after Dixie State scored three unanswered touchdowns during the Mountaineers' 28-20 loss last week at the Mountaineer Bowl.

WCU led 14-7 in the second quarter after Connor Desch hits Kai Emmsley for a 25-yard touchdown pass before Dixie State scored on three consecutive drives in the third quarter to take a 28-14 lead. The Mountaineers cut the Trailblazer lead to 28-20 with 1:28 remaining in the game on Emmsley's second touchdown catch of the day, but an onside kick was unsuccessful and WCU dropped its second straight contest.

Desch finished with 190 yards passing, Ty Leyba had 64 yards rushing and a touchdown and James Bryant had seven catches for 65 yards while Emmsley finished with four catches for 58 yards and two scores. Desmond Marfizo led the defense with a 13 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.

Desch has now thrown for 1,217 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions with his top targets being Bryant (27 receptions, 294 yards), Elijah Gillespie (20 receptions, 171 yards), Emmsley (19 catches, 217 yards) and Zach Manchester (17 catches, 286 yards). On the ground Leyba leads the team with 325 yards while Josh Cummings has rushed for 201 yards and a team-best five touchdowns.

Defensively, Lane Farris leads the team with 47 tackles while Marfizo has 43  and  Garlock has 41. Will Lydle has a team-high 4.5 sacks to go along with 32 tackles in the middle of the WCU defense while Josh Nelson leads the team with three interceptions to go along with 31 tackles.

FORT LEWIS HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | 2019 SEASON STATS
The Skyhawks are coming off a pair of losses on the road as this week will be their third consecutive road game. Fort Lewis fell at Colorado Mesa 17-10 on Oct. 12 before being blanked by No. 11 Colorado School of Mines 42-0 last Saturday in Golden.

Last week the Skyhawks were outgained by the Orediggers 537-78 - including averaging 1.7 yards per play against one of the top defenses in the nation (the Mountaineers were shut out by CSM 28-0 on the week before).

Erik Ornduff has played quarterback for Fort Lewis primarily the last four games - completing 49.2 percent of his passes for 542 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Parker Strahler has been Fort Lewis' top receiver with 33 catches for 308 yards and a touchdown while Arealous Hughes is second on the team with 16 catches for 143 yards. Jeff Hansen leads the ground attack with 423 yards and two touchdowns on 135 attempts.

Defensively, Darrian Stickney leads the team with 42 tackles while Max Scott has 40 tackles. Tim Paogofie and Tanner Lorenzo are tied for the team lead with 4.0 sacks apiece while Braylan Davis has a team-best two interceptions.

PRE/POST/IN-GAME ENTERTAINMENT

HALL OF FAME WEEKEND!
It's Hall of Fame weekend as we will induct the 1986-89 men's golf teams, distance runner Scott Nagelkerke, football player Bruce Otten and volleyball coach Darin Weber on Friday (click here for tickets). They will also be honored at halftime of the football game so come on out and celebrate these great Mountaineers!

COME TAILGATE WITH 5B'S!
5B's will sponsor a barbeque at every home game! Look for the bright pink truck and music outside the wrestling room entrance of Paul Wright Gym starting at 10:30 a.m. They will be offering a sandwich and chips for $8 ($6 with your MAA card). 

MountainBEER Zone
We once again will be hosting a beer garden at the top of Mountaineer Bowl. Any fans 21-and-over can enjoy an adult beverage while cheering on the Mountaineers.

POSTGAME SOCIAL
The postgame social will be at Palisades in Gunnison this week! Go grab great food and a drink after a day at Mountaineer Bowl watching Mountaineer football.
 

2019 WESTERN COLORADO NOTES

SERIES VS. FORT LEWIS
This will be meeting No. 59 for the Mountaineers and Skyhawks with Western Colorado holding a 42-16 lead in the series. The Mountaineers are 19-9 all-time at home against Fort Lewis.

BAINS MOVES TO FIFTH ON WESTERN WINS LIST
WCU head coach Jas Bains moved to fifth on the Mountaineers' all-time wins list with 23 after beating Chadron State on Oct. 5 in Gunnison - passing Jeff Zenisek (2001-05). No. 4 on the list is O. Kay Dalton (1961-65) with 33 victories. Bill Noxon (1971-84) holds the No. 1 spot on the Mountaineer wins list with 87.

THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS RIVALRY IN COLORADO COLLEGE FOOTBALL
There isn't a longer continuous college football rivalry in Colorado than the Mountaineers and Colorado School of Mines as the teams have played each other every year since 1946. This year was the 95th meeting between these teams with CSM winning 28-0 to narrow WCU's lead in the series to 52-41-2.

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
The Mountaineers in a loss to No. 11 Colorado School of Mines on Oct. 12 continued a skid against ranked opponents that now sits at seven games. WCU's last win against a ranked opponent was a 45-31 win over No. 23 Colorado School of Mines on Sept. 24, 2016.

DAVIS NAMED RMAC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK ... AGAIN (Oct.  7)
For the second time this season, WCU kicker Chandler Davis was named the RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 7 after going 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points in the Mountaineers' one-point win over Chadron State.

The first time Davis earned the honor was when he booted arguably one of the biggest kicks in recent memory for the Western Colorado football program as he drilled a 29-yard field goal as time expired to beat Colorado Mesa 30-28 in Grand Junction. Davis connected on that field goal after waiting out four timeouts to help the Mountaineers beat Colorado Mesa for the first time since 2013 and for the first time in Grand Junction since 2001 along with propelling WCU to its first 2-0 start in RMAC play since 2003.

A PAIR OF WINS THAT WERE A LONG TIME COMING
Five games into the season the Mountaineers have already knocked off a pair of teams in places they haven't won in a long time. WCU defeated Colorado Mesa this season in Grand Junction for the first time since 2001 and the Mountaineers defeated Chadron State at home in the Mountaineer Bowl for the first time since 1997.

AGAINST THE CORNHUSKER STATE
The Mountaineers after their 33-32 win over Chadron State this season are 21-33-1 against teams from Nebraska, including 12-15-1 at home against teams from the Cornhusker state.

COLORADO CLASSIC
The history between Western Colorado and Adams State - i.e. the Colorado Classic - dates back to 1934 (a 14-0 Mountaineers win in Gunnison) and the Mountaineers and Grizzlies have played every year since 1950 - making it the second-longest continual rivalry in Colorado. The teams play for the Colorado Classic Trophy, which travels with the winning institution.

The Mountaineers now hold a 40-33 advantage after falling just short against Adams State this season 38-31 in a game that went down to the final two minutes.

The longest continual rivalry in Colorado is between Western Colorado and Colorado School of Mines as the two teams have played each year since 1946 and have played each other 93 times overall - the first meeting coming in 1925.

BEST START IN CONFERENCE PLAY SINCE 2003
With wins over South Dakota Mines and Colorado Mesa to begin RMAC play, WCU won their first two conference contests for the first time since 2003. 

GARLOCK NAMED RMAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Sept. 16)
Western Colorado linebacker Robert Garlock was named RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16 after the sophomore from Reno, Nevada, had a team-high seven tackles in the contest - including five solo tackles - in helping the Mountaineer defense not allow an offensive score (the Hardrockers' only score came on returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown) during a 27-7 win over South Dakota Mines. The Western Colorado defense allowed just 177 yards in helping the Mountaineers win their first RMAC opener since 2006.

AGAINST TEAMS FROM SOUTH DAKOTA
The Mountaineers are now 5-7 against teams from South Dakota - including going 3-3 at home against teams from the Mount Rushmore state.

SEASON OPENERS
Western Colorado is now 32-62 all-time in season openers after falling to Idaho State this season. The last season-opening win for the Mountaineers came in 2014 against Wayland Baptist, 38-21, on the road. Of their 32 season opening wins, the Mountaineers have finished those seasons with a winning record 19 times (59.4 percent) and won the conference title 12 times (37.5 percent).

AGAINST TEAMS FROM IDAHO
Against all teams from Idaho, the Mountaineers now have a 9-23-1 record after falling in their season opener at Idaho State this season. Western has played the College of Idaho and Southern Idaho twice, splitting both games against both teams, to go along with the 29 games against Idaho State. In the state of Idaho, the Mountaineers have a 3-17 record.