GUNNISON, Colo.  Family Weekend at Western Colorado provides the 12th-ranked Mountaineers with the opportunity on Saturday night to extend a season-opening winning streak while also extending a win streak over the visitors from Fort Lewis College.

Western is 4-0 overall and 2-0 within the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and have defeated the visiting Skyhawks by an average score of 45-7 over a five-game win streak.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2024 Stats

• The Mountaineers have relied on the ground game through their opening four outings this season, leading the RMAC with an average of 234 yards per game.
• At 433 total yards per game Western ranks third in the league, and its scoring average of 39 points per game ranks second.
• A deep backfield—that includes quarterback Drew Nash who has a pair of 60+ yard touchdown runs—sees four players getting enough playing time to total more than 120 yards. Braeden Hogan leads the pack with 283 yards and a 70 YPG average.
• Hogan, Nash and Royce Pao have each run for four touchdowns, all of the TDs from the rushing attack.
• The defense has been stout and seems to be getting better with each passing weekend. Overall it ranks third in the RMAC in scoring, allowing just over 15 points per game, is first in rushing defense (75 YPG) and fourth in passing defense (286 YPG).
• The defense ranks first in forced fumbles (seven) and interceptions (six).
• Cy Shope is the leading tackler with 13 solo and 11 assists for 24 total tackles. Shope has also recorded a pair of sacks.
• Ricky Freymond has a handful for opposing offensive lines, registering a team best five tackles for loss, while Cameron Cooper has two of the defenses six INTs.

FORT LEWIS HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2024 Stats

• At 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the RMAC, the Skyhawks broke a 5+ year losing streak earlier with a 17-12 victory over the NAIA's Arizona Christian University. The most recent RMAC win by FLC was a 28-9 victory in October 2019 over Adams State.
• Quarterback Stone Walker is doing his part in trying to elevate the Skyhawks offense. He leads the rushing attack averaging 63 YPG, while hitting 50 of 104 pass attempts (48 percent) for 507 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
• The FLC offense ranks seventh in the league in scoring (19 PPG), fourth in rushing (158 YPG) and eighth in passing (163 YPG).
• Teams have found success running against the Skyhawks defense, which ranks eighth in the RMAC allowing 231 YPG. Opponents have not had to rely on their passing attacks, which may explain FLC's ranking of third in the conference in pass defense (165 YPG).
• Overall, the Skyhawks defense is eighth in the RMAC in scoring, allowing 32 points per game.
• Linebacker Jacob Penney has been a one-man wrecking crew for the FLC defense, though. His 44 tackles (25 solo, 19 assists) and average of 11 tackles per game both tie for the conference lead amongst the league's defenders.

UP NEXT
Western must make the long trip to Spearfish, S.D. for its next game, an RMAC contest on Oct. 12 against host Black Hills State University (2-2, 1-1 RMAC).