NMHU football looks to bounce back at Western Colorado

LAS VEGAS, N.M. --- The New Mexico Highlands football team looks to get back on the winning track as the Cowboys hit the road to take on Western Colorado 1 p.m. Saturday in Gunnison.

NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | 2021 STATS
The Cowboys are coming off a 46-16 home loss to Chadron State last weekend where NMHU dug itself a 29-0 whole after the first quarter and a 39-0 deficit at the half.

NMHU actually outgained CSC 420-404 with quarterback Ramone Atkins throwing for 209 yards while rushing for another 85 and a touchdown. Cameron High rushed for 67 yards while Kamari Mosby rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown. Lou Dorsey was the team's top receiver with seven catches for 54 yards. Defensively, Devin Coney led the Cowboys with 11 tackles and an interception.

Atkins remains in the top 20 in the nation and atop the RMAC in passing yards (1,367 - 19th in NCAA) and passing touchdowns (13 - 16th in NCAA). He's also eighth in the NCAA and tops in the RMAC in total offense at 336.8 yards per game. He's also the team's top rusher with 317 yards followed by High (306) and Mosby (229).

CJ Sims continues to lead the RMAC and rank in the top 50 in the nation in receiving yards (508 - 13th in NCAA) and receptions per game (5.6 - 50th) while he's second in the RMAC and 23rd in the nation in receiving touchdowns with five.

Overall, the offense ranks 17th in the nation and second in the RMAC in total offense at 467.8 yards per game.

Defensively, Terrence Jackson leads the team with 30 tackles while Coney has 27 and Malik Brown has 24 tackles, six pass breakups, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. Joseph Smith leads the team in sacks with two.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE WEEK | 2021 STATS
The Mountaineers - who are the first team out of this week's top 25 national rankings at No. 26 - suffered their first loss of the season after going on the road and giving No. 5 Colorado School of Mines a scare - falling to the Orediggers 20-14 in overtime. Western tied the game 14-14 with 6:26 remaining and actually got the ball back and down to the CSM 1 with under three minutes left before fumbling the ball back to the Orediggers and losing in overtime.

The Mountaineers are led by a defense that ranks 17th in the nation in yards allowed (270.6) and seventh in the country in scoring defense (10.8). Defensive tackle Will Lydle is a first-team All-RMAC returnee and leads the team in sacks (5.5) while adding 22 tackles. Linebackers Robert Garlcok (35 tackles, two sacks one interception), Lane Farris (33 tackles, three sacks, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble) and Wyatt Buhr (29 tackles) pace the Mountaineers in tackles.

Offensively, WCU is led by 200-plus pound running back Josh Cummings who has 482 yards on the ground and seven rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Connor Desch has thrown for 935 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions on the year. Cole Riters leas the team with 16 catches for 242 yards and a touchdown as six receivers have six catches or more on the season.