COLORADO MESA at No. 18 WESTERN COLORADO
1 p.m., Sat., Nov. 15 | MOJO Field at Mountaineer Bowl | Gunnison, Colo.
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GUNNISON, Colo.  The 18th-ranked Mountaineers host Colorado Mesa University on Saturday with a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs on the line for Western Colorado.

Senior Day at MOJO Field at Mountaineer Bowl at the Rady Family Sports Complex will see Western, ranked ninth in the final regular season region rankings, fighting to tame the Mavericks and move up at least one spot in the South Central Region as the top eight teams in each of the four regions will earn berths in the DII playoffs.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2025 Stats
Sitting at 8-2 overall and 6-2 within the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the Mountaineers are coming off their second consecutive defeat on the last play of the game, falling to host Chadron State, 27-24, in overtime in Nebraska last Saturday.

COLORADO MESA HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2025 Stats
The Mavs are 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the RMAC after last Saturday's 38-12 victory over visiting South Dakota Mines on Mesa's Senior Day.

HISTORY
Mesa owns the historic edge in the series, 25-24, but Western has won the past five games including last season's 37-7 win at the Mavericks' Stocker Stadium.

LET'S COMPARE

• When Western has the ball, it will be pitting the No. 10 scoring offense in DII (38 points per game) against a Mesa defense ranked fourth in the RMAC surrendering 25 PPG.
• The Mountaineer passing attack is averaging 267 yards per game, 21st in DII, and facing a Mavs pass defense allowing 198 per game, third-lowest in the RMAC. Western's rushing attack (151 YPG) has been slowed in recent weeks, but may find some running room against a Mesa rush defense that is allowing 161 yards per game.
• Quarterback Drew Nash is the general of the Mountaineers' attack, ranking fifth in DII in total points responsible for (204). His 26 touchdown passes are eighth most in DII and he's averaging 257 YPG through the air.
• Caden Measner is fourth in the conference averaging 65 yard receiving per game, and has a total of 49 receptions and 8 receiving touchdowns this season.
• Nash is Western's leading rusher at 48 YPG but freshman Quinn Bailey has been steadily adding to his per-game average, which heading into the game stands at 46 YPG.
• When the Mavericks are on offense, they are most likely to rely on a ground game that is 13th in DII, averaging 227 YPG, led by Aiden Taylor and Brandon Belgrave, who, respectively, average 96 and 78 YPG. Taylor has 10 rushing touchdowns for Mesa while Belgrave has hit paydirt 7 times.
• That rushing attack will face a stiff test, as the Mountaineer defense is allowing just 92 YPG on the ground, 14th lowest in DII.
• Ian Loomis' 82 total tackles leads Western and his 10.5 tackles for loss rank fifth in the league. That total ranks behind three teammates led by Drew Johnson's 14.0, tied for first in the RMAC, followed by Cameron Cooper's 12.5 (third), and Ricky Freymond's 11 (fourth).
• Per game, the Mountaineer defense averages 9.2 TFLs, second most in DII, including an average of 3.5 sacks per game that is fifth in DII.
• If the Mountaineer defense holds true to form, the Mavericks may have to turn to their passing game, which is seventh in the league at 174 YPG. Mesa quarterbacks Cole Hansen and Liu Aumavae may both see time behind center. They are both averaging 123 yards passing per game, with Hansen throwing for a total of 986 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Aumavae throwing for 739 yards and 5 touchdowns.
• Either of the signal callers' primary target has been receiver Trek Keyworth, who has caught 27 passes for 510 yards and 3 touchdowns.

UP NEXT
If Western wins, they have a strong probability of moving into the top eight in the region. To move into the top four – teams that host first-round playoff games – would take a number of upsets, so while a win likely pushes the Mountaineers into the playoffs they could expect to hit the road for the first round.