GUNNISON --- The Western Colorado defense suffocated the Fort Lewis offense - holding the Skyhawks to just 59 yards of offense - as the Mountaineers stayed undefeated on the season with a 42-0 win Saturday afternoon at Mountaineer Bowl. 

The 59 yards is the fifth-fewest allowed in Western Colorado football history, just behind the 58 allowed in 1997 to Colorado School of Mines. The record is one yard allowed against Oklahoma Panhandle State Sept. 29, 2001.

It's also the second game in a row Western Colorado (4-0, 3-0) has shut out Fort Lewis (0-4, 0-3) after blanking the Skyhawks 31-0 in 2019 at Mountaineer Bowl.


Saturday's contest was scoreless until late in the first quarter when Josh Cummings plunged it in from a yard out to give Western Colorado a 7-0 lead with 45 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The Mountaineer offense was aided on its next possession with great field position after Robert Garlock blocked a punt by Fort Lewis with Tim Mullin picking it up at the Skyhawk 23. The Mountaineers turned it into seven points after Cummings ran it in from the 4-yard line to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter.

The Mountaineer defense forced Fort Lewis punt from its own 3 later in the quarter and a 52-yard punt was turned into a 24-yard return by Elijah Garcia Gillespie to make it first and 10 from the FLC 31. On the first play, Connor Desch hit Malik White with a 31-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-0 with 3:28 remaining in the first half.

A failed fake punt by the Skyhawks again led to prime field position for the Mountaineers - the FLC 15 - and it led to a Braeden Hogan 1-yard touchdown run to make it 28-0 Western Colorado at the half.

Hogan added a touchdown reception and a touchdown run in the third quarter to make the final 42-0.

Desch went 8-for-10 passing for 101 yards and two touchdowns in two-plus quarters of work while Luke Nethercot came in and went 5-for-7 for 53 yards. Whie had three catches for 53 yards and a touchdown to lead the Mountaineers.

The Mountaineers rushed for 222 yards with Cummings rushing for 78 yards on 17 carries, Hogan running for 73 yards on 17 carries and Tyus Cornia running for 65 yards on five carries.

Defensively the Mountaineers had seven sacks in the game with Anthony Johnston and Will Lydle leading the way with 1.5 sacks apiece. Wyatt Buhr had a team-best seven tackles while Lane Farris added five tackles and a sack. Garlock finished with four tackles (2.5 for loss), a sack, a pass breakup and a blocked punt.

The victory sets up a battle in Golden next week as the Mountaineers travel to take on No. 5 Colorado School of Mines - which was 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the RMAC heading into its night game Saturday at West Texas A&M.