Las Vegas, New Mexico - Chadron State scored 28 unanswered points in the second quarter to take control of Saturday afternoon's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football match up, defeating New Mexico Highlands 59-17 at Sanchez Family Stadium in a contest interrupted by severe weather.

The Cowboys (3-5, 1-5 RMAC) finished with 302 yards of total offense but struggled to sustain drives against the Eagles (3-5, 2-4 RMAC), who accumulated 489 yards, including 279 on the ground.

Chadron State jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter advantage before New Mexico Highlands got on the scoreboard with a 39-yard field goal by Daniel Estrada with 1:24 remaining in the opening period.

The Eagles extended their lead to 21-3 early in the second quarter, but the Cowboys responded with their best drive of the first half. New Mexico Highlands marched 78 yards in seven plays, with Owen Smith scoring on a one-yard touchdown run to trim the deficit to 21-10 with 11:31 remaining before halftime.

Chadron State answered with three touchdowns over the next nine minutes, including a 25-yard interception return for a score, to build a 42-10 halftime advantage.

Severe weather moved into the Las Vegas area early in the third quarter, forcing a two-hour delay due to lightning near Sanchez Family Stadium. Heavy rain accompanied the thunderstorms, leaving challenging field conditions when play resumed. Neither team scored in the third quarter.

Chadron State extended its lead with a field goal and touchdown in the fourth quarter before New Mexico Highlands answered with an 88-yard scoring drive, capped by a 42-yard touchdown pass from Collin Stucki to Brian Spotwood II with 4:44 remaining. The Eagles added a touchdown in the final two minutes to complete the scoring.

Stucki completed 15 of 23 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown, while Kadyn Parr added 30 passing yards. The Cowboys completed 22 of 34 passes collectively for 217 yards.

New Mexico Highlands struggled to establish its ground game, finishing with 85 rushing yards on 26 attempts. The Cowboys also had difficulty converting third downs, succeeding on just one of 10 opportunities.

Defensively, New Mexico Highlands intercepted two passes, but the Eagles' rushing attack and ability to capitalize on turnovers proved difficult to overcome. The Cowboys committed three turnovers, including two lost fumbles.

The loss was the Cowboys' fourth consecutive defeat following a 3-1 start to the season.

NOTES

• Owen Smith led the Cowboys' rushing attack with 62 yards on eight carries, averaging 7.8 yards per attempt.
• Brian Spotwood II finished with four receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown, while Malachi Releford added four catches for 53 yards.
• Kaleb Sells led the New Mexico Highlands defense with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops.
• Cooper Valencia and Kaleb Harris each recorded an interception. Valencia also registered a tackle for loss.
• Augustine Lopez finished with five tackles, including two tackles for loss.
• The Cowboys return to the road next Saturday, traveling to Grand Junction to face Colorado Mesa in a 1:00 pm contest.