GUNNISON, Colo. --- Homecoming appeared it may be a somber affair as the Western Colorado football team saw their 27-12 halftime lead turn into a 32-27 deficit with 3:04 left against Chadron State on Saturday at Mountaineer Bowl.
But the Mountaineers came up with key plays when they needed the most - most notably a 47-yard touchdown pass and a trio of sacks to end the game - to rally in the final minutes to beat the Eagles, 33-32.
After scoring 27 first-half points, WCU (3-2 overall, 3-1 RMAC) went scoreless for much of the second half while CSC (1-4 overall, 1-4 RMAC) scored 20 unanswered points capped by a Justin Cauley 1-yard touchdown plunge to make it 32-27 Eagles with 3:04 left in the game - a score set up on a 54-yard pass from Dalton Holst to Tevon Wright.
The Mountaineers got the ball back on their own 24 with 2:58 remaining in the contest, and after an incomplete pass,
Connor Desch hit
James Bryant on a slant over the middle for 14 yards before 15 more yards were tacked on via a personal foul on the Eagles.
On the next play, Desch rolled to his left, set his feet and threw a perfect pass to hit
Malcom Wesley in stride at the goal line for a 47-yard, go-ahead touchdown. WCU went for two, but didn't convert and led 33-32 on the Eagles.
Â
The Eagles moved the ball to their own 42 with plenty of time remaining before an incomplete pass and three consecutive sacks by the Mountaineers'
Lane Farris,
Alex Weber and
Will Lydle gave the ball back to WCU with 1:16 left. The Mountaineers kneeled twice to run out the clock and pick up their first win at home and second win overall against Chadron State since 1997.
Â
The Mountaineers fell behind 6-0 early in the first quarter but took the lead later in the period after a
Chandler Davis 26-yard field goal and a 15-yard touchdown run by
Deyvon Butler to make 10-6 WCU. On the Eagles' next possession, a blocked punt turned into an 11-yard return for at ouchdown by
Darrious Gaines to make it 17-6 with 24 seconds remaining in the first.
In the second quarter,
Josh Cummings capped a WCU 7-play, 50-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 24-6 with 9:48 left until halftime. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers a lost fumble turned into a 47-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown for CSC to cut the WCU lead to 24-12. Davis hit a 31-yard field goal with 34 seconds left in the half to give the Mountaineers a 27-12 lead heading into the break.
Desch finished 10 of 18 for 147 yards and a touchdown while
Ty Leyba (44), Cummings (43), Butler (43) and Desch (39) combined to help the Mountaineers rush for 171 yards. The ball was spread around evenly through the air with
Xander Witt, james Bryant and
Elijah Gillespie each catching two passes while Wesley, Cummings,
Kai Emmsley and Bruce Jones each had one.
Farris led the WCU defense with 10 tackles, 2.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks while
Tim Mullin and
Desmond Marfizo had eight tackles, a pass breakup and a tackle for a loss each.
The Mountaineers hit the road next week as they travel to take on undefeated and 12th-ranked Colorado School of Mines in Golden.
