Cowboys In Durango For Fort Lewis On Saturday Afternoon

Las Vegas, New Mexico - The Cowboys play their final road contest of the season on Saturday at Fort Lewis College. Kick-off is set for 12:00 pm. NMHU is 2-7 overall and 2-5 in the RMAC.

COACH TAUFA'ASAU: Taufa'asau was named the head football coach at New Mexico Highlands on May 29th. He comes to Las Vegas after a very successful tenure at New Mexico Military Institute where he compiled a 27-10 record and led the Broncos to the 2021 NJCAA Division National Championship. A graduate of the University of Wyoming, Taufa'asau played for the Cowboys in 2011 and 2012. After his career in Laramie, he spent time with the Raiders, Titans and Colts. Taufa'asau earned his first win at the helm of the Cowboys on October 11, 2024 with a 33-30 win over Chadron State.

COWBOYS AT A GLANCE: The Cowboys fell to nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines last Saturday in Las Vegas. The Orediggers out-gained the Cowboys 668 to 379. Joey Cave threw for a pair of touchdowns and had 104 yards rushing in the game. Tevita Valeti had 40 yards rushing and a touchdown. Mike Jones and Armani Sheriff caught touchdown passes for the Cowboys. Trenton Johnson was the team's leading tackler with eight. Jagger Mosqueda picked off his second pass of the season.

"We made a lot of mistakes and hurt ourselves and you just can't do that in the RMAC," said Coach Taufa'asau. "The penalties and missed opportunities were just too much to overcome."

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: The Cowboys currently rank fifth in the RMAC scoring at 26.3 points per game. On the defensive side, they are allowing 43.7 per outing.

The Cowboys lead the RMAC and are 11th in Division II with 213.9 rushing yards per game.

Joey Cave is 10th in the RMAC in passing yards at 130.6 per game and is fifth in the RMAC in passing efficiency at 144.9. He is seventh in the RMAC in total offense at 194.3 yards per game.

Tevita Valeti is second in the RMAC and 28th in NCAA Division II in rushing at 88.4 yards per game. He is sixth in the RMAC with 88.8 all purpose yards per game.

Mike Jones leads the RMAC with 24.2 kick return yards per game.

Maurice Newton is fifth in the RMAC with 7.8 punt return yards per game and seventh with 19.3 kick return yards per game.

Teneil Nichols is fifth in the RMAC with 69.2 receiving yards per game.

Jagger Mosqueda is tied for fifth in the RMAC with two interceptions.

SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS: Fort Lewis College is 2-7 overall and 1-6 in the RMAC. The Skyhawks beat Adams State 27-17 in Alamosa last Saturday night.

Johnny Cox is in his third season as head coach at Fort Lewis where he has a career record of 2-28.

Fort Lewis averages 16.4 points per game on offense while allowing 39.1 points per game.

Stone Walker is the Skyhawks leading passer and rusher averaging 130.8 yards through the air and 39.9 yards per game on the ground.

"Fort Lewis is coming off of a big win at Adams State last week," said Head Coach Kurt Taufa'asau. "We have to come prepared to play and eliminate our mistakes. It's about executing and capitalizing on our opportunities."

FOLLOW THE COWBOYS: Links for the RMAC Network broadcast and LiveStats for Saturday's game in Durango can be found at NMHUAthletics.com.

RMAC NETWORK: Ten of the Cowboys' eleven games this season will be broadcast on the RMAC Network. New Mexico Broadcaster of the Year Scott Galetti returns as the Voice of the Cowboys this season.

NEW MEXICO REPRESENTED: This year's NMHU football roster features 44 players who hail from a New Mexico High School, including seven who are tabbed as starters on this week's Two-Deep Roster.

UP NEXT: The Cowboys close out the 2024 campaign next Saturday when Black Hills State visits historic Las Vegas. Kick-off is set for 12:00 pm..

COWBOY TICKETS: Single game tickets for NMHU Football and Volleyball are available for purchase at NMHUAthletics.com/tickets.