Box Score Las Vegas, N.M. – The NMHU Cowboy Football team started out the 2013 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season with a 31-20 victory over the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks, on Sept. 21, at Perkins Stadium. The Pokes took a 10-7 lead into halftime and then scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to increase their lead to 24-7. The Skyhawks didn't give up and they outscored the Cowboys 13-7 in the fourth quarter, but it wouldn't be enough to stop the Pokes on their home field. The Cowboys, led by Head Coach
Eric Young, start 2013 with a 1-0 conference record and improve to 2-1 in overall play.
NMHU 31 – FLC 20
The Cowboys
Akeelie Mustafa got the game started right for the home crowd in the first quarter. After a Fort Lewis three-and-out, Mustafa received the punt and ran it back 72
yards, bringing the home crowd to its feet and giving the Pokes a quick 7-0 lead.
The Cowboys almost doubled their lead in the ensuing drive when FS
DiAmaal Holmes intercepted a Skyhawk pass at the Fort Lewis 32 yard line and ran it in for what appeared to be a touchdown. Unfortunately for the Pokes, a holding call on Holmes' return negated the score and despite starting with great field position the Cowboys were unable to score and turned the ball over on downs.
Zach Tapia had a chance to give the Cowboys three more points in the quarter but his record breaking attempt (56 yards) was just right of the uprights and the Cowboys missed another scoring opportunity. Fort Lewis tied the game up (7-7) with the final drive of the first quarter, when RB Dewaun Wesley crossed the goal line from three yards out.
Missed chances for a score was the theme of the Cowboys' first half, as they had several attempts at the end zone but dropped passes and overthrown receivers left them empty handed. Tapia made good on a field goal from 24 yards out in the second quarter and the Pokes were able to take a 10-7 lead into the locker room.
The Cowboys began the third quarter with a touchdown scoring drive that took just 1:34 off the clock. QB
Emmanuel Lewis completed a pass of 18 yards to start the drive and then hit WR
Tyler Slavin on a 49 yard bomb just two plays later to put the Cowboys at the Fort Lewis 6-yard line. Lewis capped the drive off with a 4-yard touchdown pass to WR
Michael Harrison to give the Pokes a 17-7 lead.
Emmanuel Lewis hooked up with
Tyler Slavin later in the third quarter for a 68-yard touchdown pass, giving the Pokes a 24-7 lead going into the final quarter of the game. Slavin was the Cowboys' big play threat in the game against Fort Lewis, with four catches for 147 yards and one touchdown. Lewis' other valuable target in the passing game was WR
Josh Nobles who ended the day with nine catches for 134 yards. Nobles was Lewis' security blanket throughout the day, finding holes in the Skyhawk defense and extending drives for the Cowboys.
The Fort Lewis team that faced the Cowboys on Saturday was worlds away from the one that had gotten man handled by the Pokes last year (50-0). The Skyhawks were not about to give up despite being down by 17 points and they gave the Cowboy fans a scare in the fourth quarter. Fort Lewis' QB Jordan Doyle drove his team down the field and hooked up with Doyle Bode for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 14:09 remaining in the game, cutting the NMHU lead down just 10 points (24-14).
Emmanuel Lewis felt the urgency of the situation and on the ensuing drive he drove the Pokes down the field for another touchdown. Once again it was Lewis' big play ability that served the Cowboys well when he found WR
Lajuantae Hicks on a 56-yard bomb. Hicks' touchdown catch put the Cowboys up, 31-14.
The Skyhawks had gained some momentum in the fourth quarter and Jordan Doyle was leading his team right back down the field again, but the Cowboy defense was not making things easy for him. Fort Lewis was in good position on the NMHU 24 yard line when LB
Jared Koster forced Doyle to fumble the ball seven yards in the backfield. Fortunately for the Skyhawks, Doyle was able to recover his own fumble and keep the drive going, but the Pokes' defense stood tall and kept the Skyhawks out of the end zone.
After a Cowboy three-and-out, the Skyhawks would score again on a blown coverage by the Cowboys' defense. FLC QB Jordan Doyle found Doyle Bode once again on a crossing route over the middle without a Cowboy defender in sight and Bode took the ball into the end zone. The 50-yard touchdown pass cut the Cowboys' lead down to 31-20 after the Fort Lewis place kicker missed the extra point attempt.
The Cowboys' offense was quickly off the field after another three-and-out and it looked like Fort Lewis was about to ride their momentum to a comeback victory on the road. But Cowboy DE
Otis Jones was a major hindrance to the Skyhawks plans. Jones was wreaking havoc in the Fort Lewis backfield with a batted down pass and sack for a loss of eight yards on back-to-back plays. QB Doyle was sacked again on the drive by the Pokes'
Adewale Kehinde. Kehinde forced a fumble but the Skyhawks were fortunate enough to recover the ball in the pile.
Fort Lewis lost possession on an incomplete pass on fourth down and the Cowboys ran out the clock in the final 2:28 seconds of the game to secure their first conference win of the season, 31-20.
QB
Emmanuel Lewis had an outstanding day for the Cowboys against Fort Lewis. He completed 19 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns. Although Lewis is known for his ability to make plays with his feet, he used his scrambling ability to keep passing plays alive and hit his receivers for big yardage throughout the day.
WR
Tyler Slavin lead the Cowboys' receiver corps with 147 yards through the air and one touchdown.
Although WR
Josh Nobles didn't find the end zone in the game, his receiving ability kept the Cowboys' offense on the field on numerous occasions as he grabbed nine passes for 134 yards.
LB
Jared Koster was truly the Cowboys' defensive leader against Fort Lewis. Koster finished the game with four solo tackles, nine assisted tackles, and two sacks for a loss of 14 yards. Koster was constantly disrupting the Skyhawk offense, forcing one fumble and breaking up one pass.
FS
DiAmaal Holmes was also a thorn in the Skyhawks side with nine total tackles (4 solo, 10 assists) and one interception.
The Cowboys' defense caused fits for Fort Lewis with five sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception.
The Cowboys will continue conference play next weekend, Sept. 28, when they travel to Golden, Colo. to take on the Orediggers of the Colorado School of Mines. The Orediggers are tied with the Cowboys in the RMAC standings with a 2-1 overall record and 1-0 in conference play. The Orediggers rolled over conference opponent Black Hills State University, on Sept. 21, by the final score of 62-22. If you can't make the trip up to Golden to catch your Cowboys in action, you can follow the game on
Live Stats or on the live internet feed on the
America One Network.
GO COWBOYS!!!
