By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo took control of its own destiny for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s regular-season title behind quarterback Roman Fuller’s five-touchdown performance in a Week 9 win at Western Colorado, earning the ThunderWolves signal-caller the league’s Offensive Player of the Week award and highlighting the league’s weekly honors on Monday.
Colorado Mesa linebacker Colin Stuhr and South Dakota Mines kicker/punter Connor Taylor earned the league’s defensive and special teams honors, respectively. Stuhr posted 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in a win against Black Hills State. Taylor scored six points and averaged 43.2 yards on five punts to help South Dakota Mines slip past Chadron State.
Offensive Player of the Week:
Roman Fuller, CSU Pueblo (Junior, Quarterback, Decatur, Texas)
In a battle between teams ranked in the Top 10 nationally, Fuller completed 34-of-46 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns to lead CSU Pueblo past Western Colorado, 44-34, on Saturday. He set a ThunderWolves record with 34 pass completions, while his 435 passing yards were the second most in program history. Fuller had five passes of 25-plus yards in the win, including a 76-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Retzlaff that pushed the lead to 17-7 late in the second quarter. Courtesy of his performance, wide receivers Reggie Retzlaff and Taylor Tosches finished with 138 and 137 receiving yards, respectively.
Honorable Mention: Kade Weber, Black Hills State; Tommy Thomas, Chadron State; Sam Horneck, Colorado Mesa; Braelon Tate, Colorado School of Mines; Holden Gilbert, South Dakota Mines; Cole Riters, Western Colorado.
Defensive Player of the Week:
Colin Stuhr, Colorado Mesa (RS-Junior, Linebacker, Littleton, Colorado)
Stuhr was a backfield terror in Colorado Mesa’s 23-13 victory against Black Hills State on Saturday. He finished with 4.5 tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks, as part of a 10-tackle outing. He was credited with a sack and safety on an intentional grounding call in the fourth quarter, providing Colorado Mesa’s final two points. Later in the quarter, he had a strip-sack that the Mavericks recovered to end a Yellow Jackets drive with 4:33 remaining. He is one of only six Division II defenders with more than three sacks in a game and one of only 13 with more than four tackles for loss.
Honorable Mention: Nicc Quinones, Black Hills State; Gary Seidenberger, CSU Pueblo; Hunter O’Connor, Chadron State; Joey Beckner, Colorado School of Mines; Isaac Engle, South Dakota Mines.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Connor Taylor, South Dakota Mines (Senior, Kicker/Punter, Longmont, Colorado)
Handling all kicking duties, Taylor was responsible for six points and averaged 43.2 yards on his five punts in South Dakota Mines 24-17 victory at Chadron State on Saturday. He connected on a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter, giving the Hardrockers a 10-3 lead, breaking a program record as his 34th career field goal made. On his punting duties, he capped his day with a 66-yard punt that flipped the field from the South Dakota Mines 17-yard line to the Chadron State 17-yard line. Taylor also had four touchbacks on his five kickoffs.
Honorable Mention: Derek Webster, Black Hills State; Jacob Willig, CSU Pueblo; Liam Blaser, Chadron State; Sullivan Moon, Colorado Mesa; Aksel Richard, Colorado School of Mines. .
RMAC Football Week 9 Results
South Dakota Mines 24, Chadron State 17
Colorado School of Mines 56, New Mexico Highlands 21
CSU Pueblo 44, Western Colorado 34
Colorado Mesa 23, Black Hills State 13
Fort Lewis 27, Adams State 17
RMAC Football Week 10 Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 9
Chadron State at Western Colorado
New Mexico Highlands at Fort Lewis
Colorado Mesa at South Dakota Mines
Colorado School of Mines at CSU Pueblo
Adams State at Black Hills State
About the RMAC
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with 15 member schools. The RMAC sponsors 22 varsity NCAA sports and has produced 65 NCAA Division II national champions and 52 national runners-up since 1992.
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