The RMAC Approach: Football Week Eight

CSU Pueblo, Western Colorado among Super Region 4’s Top 8 in first NPI release

10/23/2026 12:00:46 PM

By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / External Communication Strategy

The Weekly Preview

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Four Saturdays remain in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s championship race, and Colorado State University Pueblo and Western Colorado University continue their unbeaten runs at the top of the league standings.

The ThunderWolves and Mountaineers received confirmation of their standing in the wide Division II landscape this week with the release of the first NCAA Power Index (NPI) on Sunday. CSU Pueblo was ranked No. 4 nationally and No. 2 in Super Region 4. Western Colorado is No. 14 nationally and No. 5 in the super region. Meanwhile, Colorado School of Mines sits 14th in the super region, with four games remaining to move up.

The RMAC co-leaders are both on the road this week. CSU Pueblo heads to the Four Corners area to meet Fort Lewis College while Western Colorado heads north to meet Black Hills State. The Orediggers return home with a four-game winning streak to meet South Dakota Mines. Elsewhere in the league, Chadron State treks to New Mexico Highlands and Colorado Mesa travels to Adams State.

Week 8 Schedule

Saturday, Oct. 24
#4/5 CSU Pueblo at Fort Lewis 12 p.m. RMAC Network
Chadron State at New Mexico Highlands 12 p.m. RMAC Network
South Dakota Mines at (RV) Colorado School of Mines 12 p.m. RMAC Network
Colorado Mesa at Adams State 12 p.m. RMAC Network
#6/6 Western Colorado at Black Hills State 1 p.m. RMAC Network / RYZ Network

Rankings: AFCA Coaches Poll/D2Football.com Poll. Yellow indicates an RMAC contest. (RV) indicates the team was receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll.

RMAC Weekly Award Winners

Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams
Week 0 Andre Branch, ASU
21 att., 282 yds, 3 TDs vs. WNMU		 Carter Daniels, CSUP
16 tackles, 1.5 sacks, Pick-6 vs. Central Mo.		 JT Miller, WCU
10 pts, 1-1 FG, 7-7 PATs at WTAM
Week 1 Jayden Williams, BHSU
12 rec., 206 yds, 2 TDs vs. DSU		 Jarred Marquez, CSC
11 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 PBU		 Triston Hite, CSC
6 punts, 45.3 avg, 4 inside 20
Week 2 Navi Bruzon, CSUP
22-27, 421 yds, 4 TDs vs. CSM		 Dante Vigil, CSM
17 tackles at SDM		 Lucas Schmitten, FLC
37-yd GW FG, 3-3 FG, 2 PATs vs. NMHU
Week 3 Kadyn Parr, NMHU
20-31, 315 yds, 4 TDs vs. BHSU		 Parker Johnson, CSM
40-yd Pick-6, 4 tackles, 2 PBUs		 Lucas LeSieur, CSM
3 punts, 55.0 avg., all 50+ & Inside-20
Week 4 Navi Bruzon, CSUP
16-21, 287 yds, 3 TDs, 1 rush TD vs. CMU		 Christian Peluse, CSM
7 tackles, 2 TFL, Sack at CSC		 Jevon Young, WCU
3 blocked punts, 1 TD vs. ASU
Week 5 Josiah Roy, WCU
16-25, 227 yds, 5 TDs at NMHU		 Lang Gappelberg, SDM
6 tackles, INT, PBU at FLC		 Jackson Smith, CSUP
3-3 FGs, 8-8 PATs, 17 pts vs. ASU
Week 6
Week 7 Navi Bruzon, CSUP
17-25, 282 yds, 5 TDs, 1 rush TD vs. NMHU		 Liam Blaser, CSC
6 tackles, 2 TFL, FR, Pick-Six vs. ASU		 JT Miller, WCU
D2 record-tying 6 FGM, 21 pts vs. FLC
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12

Gold background indicates player was a D2Football.com National Player of the Week

The 10 Summits

  • CSU Pueblo quarterback Navi Bruzon has quickly made his case as one of Division II’s top signal callers. He enters Week 7 ranked among Division II’s Top 10 in passing efficiency (2nd in Division II, 194.0 rating), passing touchdowns (3rd, 23 TDs), passing yards (8th, 2,080 yards), passing yards per game (7th, 297.1 ypg), points responsible for per game (2nd, 24.0 ppg), and total offense (8th, 313.4 ypg).
  • Western Colorado kicker JT Miller tied the Division II record for field goals made in a single game at Fort Lewis, booting six between the uprights. He moves into the No. 2 spot nationally with 2.14 field goals made per game, though he leads all Division II kickers with 15 total field goals made.    
  • Colorado School of Mines wide receiver Pierce Richards is one of Division II’s top targets, ranking No. 3 nationally with 7.86 receptions per game. He opened the season with an 18-reception, 153-yard effort against Western Oregon. Out of the common break, Richards enjoyed a two-touchdown outing at Colorado Mesa as part of a six-reception, 53-yard day.
  • Black Hills State return specialist Bryce Coulson broke off a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown at South Dakota Mines last week and racked up 129 combined kick return yards. That outing reinforced his spot as the league’s top returner with 533 combined kick return yards (7th in Division II). He leads the league in punt returns (15.4 yards per return; 4th in Division II) and ranks second in kickoff returns (30.3 yards per return; 11th).
  • South Dakota Mines running back Dawson Dunbar leads the RMAC’s rushing title race with 124 carries, 718 yards, 102.6 yards per game, and 11 touchdowns. He has four 100-yard rushing performances this season. Dawson leads all RMAC running backs by 138 rushing yards with four weeks remaining.
  • The RMAC’s top three tacklers are all on the Colorado Mesa roster: linebacker La’Markus Reed, defensive back Gibson Leafgreen, and linebacker Dante Vigil. Reed leads the RMAC with 73 total tackles and his 10.4 tackles per game ranks 11th nationally. Leafgreen ranks second in the league with 64 tackles and averages 9.1 per game. Vigil ranks third with 61 tackles and averages 8.7 per game.
  • Fort Lewis wide receiver Solomon Latimer has a trio of 100-yard receiving days this season, and ranks third among wideouts in receiving yards (475), receiving yards per game (79.2), and second in receptions per game (5.33), where he is tied with teammate Michael Collins.
  • New Mexico Highlands running back Ashton Bradford and quarterback Kadyn Parr have done most of the work to bolster the Cowboys' running game, with 580 and 355 rushing yards, respectively. Bradford ranks No. 2 in the league in rushing yards and is No. 1 in rushing yards per carry (7.59).
  • In returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Adams State, Chadron State kick returner Chase Nelson became the fourth to do so in Division II this season. He also vaulted to No. 2 in combined kick return yards (447) in the RMAC and No. 18 in Division II. Nelson also moved to No. 4 in kickoff returns, averaging 33.1 yards per return.
  • Adams State also relies on the ground game for more than half of its offensive yardage, and running back Andre Branch has been at the forefront of that attack. He is among the league leaders in rushing yards (2nd, 580 yards), yards per game (2nd, 82.9), and all-purpose yardage (2nd, 120.1 ypg).

Kicking the Points

RMAC head coaches haven’t been shy about sending their kickers out to score this season. RMAC teams have combined for 90 field goals (and 120 attempts) in just 69 games – going 13-of-15 in Week 7.  That far outpaces any other Division II league, with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference second in Division II at 76 field goals made but in 98 games.

Fort Lewis’ Lucas Schmitten (11-of-14, 2.2 made per game), Western Colorado’s JT Miller (15-of-16, 2.14), and Colorado School of Mines’ Preston Kyle (13-of-19, 1.86) are Division II’s Top 3 most prolific kickers. Chadron State’s Shay Prichard (11-of-14, 1.57) ranks No. 7 in Division II to give the league four of the Top 10 and it has nine of the Top 50.

RMAC Network Extends Reach with Licensing Deal

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference signed a broadcast licensing agreement with Metta Sport to broadcast select games worldwide through its partnerships. Under the agreement, select RMAC games will be broadcast on the RYZ Sports Network and SI TV, both linear Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) channels. RYZ Sports Network and SI TV are available through Amazon Prime Video, DirecTV, Fubo, Sling TV, and Fire TV, as well as Samsung TV Plus, Roku, LG Channels, VIZIO WatchFree+, Xumo Play, and Google TV.

RMAC’s 10 D2 wins 2nd in Division II

The RMAC’s 10 wins against fellow Division II teams rank second among all D2 conferences after two weeks, trailing only the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s 11 nonconference Division II victories. The RMAC leads the group of four conferences in Super Region 4, with the Lone Star Conference at 4-10 and the Mid-America Athletic Association at 5-7-1 against other D2 foes. The Great America Conference does not play any nonconference teams during its season.

Four RMAC Football Student-Athletes Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalists

Four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football student-athletes are among the record 206 named as semifinalists for the 2026 William V. Campbell Trophy®, presented by the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Football Hall of Fame.
The Campbell Trophy® is college football's premier scholar-athlete award. Celebrating its 37th year, the Campbell Trophy® recognizes an individual as the nation's best football scholar-athlete for combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership.

RMAC’s NFFCC Players of the Week

  • Week 8 – Joseph Capra, Colorado School of Mines
  • Week 5 – Max Barnes, Colorado School of Mines
  • Week 3 – Joseph Capra, Colorado School of Mines
  • Week 2 – Navi Bruzon, CSU Pueblo
  • Week 0 – Carter Daniels, CSU Pueblo

NCAA Division II Championship Field Selection Moves to NPI

New for 2026, the NCAA Division II Championship Field Selection will be determined by the NCAA Power Index (NPI). Used in Division III for the past two seasons, the NPI will replace the NCAA’s Regional Advisory Committees across most team sports during the 2026-27 season.

The NPI is a system that objectively applies the selection criteria to data based on the sport committee’s established weighted criteria. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage, strength of schedule, home-away multiplier, quality win bonus, and minimum wins.

The first NPI will be released on Mondays four weeks before Selection Sunday in each sport, with the first football NPI release on Monday, Oct. 19. In the two weeks before Selection Sunday, the NPI will be updated daily.

Nine RMAC Athletes Included in D2Football.com Preseason Top 100

D2Football.com released its Preseason Elite 100 list of Division II’s top football athletes, with RMAC student-athletes earning six spots. Western Colorado linebacker Ian Loomis, Colorado Mesa defensive back Gibson Leafgreen, and Colorado School of Mines punter Lucas LeSieur earned second-team recognition. CSU Pueblo wide receiver Marcellus Honeycutt Jr., Chadron State defensive lineman William Stemler, and Western Colorado defensive lineman Drew Johnson.

Two RMAC Kickers Named to Fred Mitchell Award Watch List

The Fred Mitchell Award Selection Committee released its 2026 Preseason Watch List for the 18th edition of the award, which recognizes the nation’s top place-kickers competing outside the Division I ranks. Colorado School of Mines’ Preston Kyle and CSU Pueblo’s Jackson Smith were two of 12 Division II place-kickers recognized on the list.

RMAC Preseason Poll

Two-time defending champion Colorado State University Pueblo is again picked as the preseason favorite in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Preseason Football Coaches’ Poll released in late July.

CSU Pueblo received eight of a possible nine first-place votes, and one second-place vote, to amass 80 of a possible maximum 81 points to lead the 2026 preseason poll. The ThunderWolves had three athletes named to the preseason team, led by wide receiver Marcellus Honeycutt Jr., who returns after earning Second-Team All-RMAC recognition last season.

Western Colorado University, which reached the second round of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs last season, was picked second in the poll with one first-place vote and 69 points. The Mountaineers led all teams with seven returning student-athletes, including two offensive linemen from the 2025 First Team All-RMAC, named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team.
Colorado School of Mines (62 points), Chadron State (60) and Colorado Mesa (52) rounded out the top half of the preseason poll. New Mexico Highlands University led the second half of the 10-team poll with 38 points and were followed by South Dakota Mines (34 points), Black Hills State University (29), Fort Lewis College (16), and Adams State University (10).

RMAC Preseason Squad

Four 2025 First Team All-RMAC honorees return to lead the 2026 Preseason All-RMAC unit. Western Colorado offensive linemen Taylor Nichols and Joseph Shepardson, Black Hills State kick returner Bryce Coulson, and Colorado School of Mines long snapper Josh Hildebrand. They were joined by 14 returning Second Team All-RMAC selections, including New Mexico Highlands outside linebacker Dontaivious Nelson, who returns after earning the league’s Defensive Freshman of the Year honor last season.

RMAC Championships

Western Colorado (19, 2021); Colorado School of Mines (16, 2023); Colorado Mesa (12, 2017); CSU Pueblo (10, 2025); Chadron State (8, 2008); Adams State (7, 1989); New Mexico Highlands (2, 1999); and Fort Lewis (1, 1984).
(Championships won and the last year the program won or shared a championship)

RMAC Network PPV

All RMAC football games broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members are available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. A discounted annual subscription price is available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league’s membership to enhance their programs. Visit RMACNetwork.com/Purchase for more information and to subscribe.

About the RMAC

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 71 national championships since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.

# EverythingElevated  #