CMU Mavericks Look to Remain Perfect at Home: Game Preview

The CMU Mavericks host Western New Mexico Saturday at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction. A victory this weekend would give the Mavs their third straight victory - something they haven't accomplished since 2009. There is a good chance it could happen.

The Mavs enter the weekend with a 3-2 record, 2-1 in the RMAC, tied for third place. Western New Mexico is 1-3 overall and  1-2 in the conference. The Mavs have won 12 out of 15 games against the Mustangs in Grand Junction, including four of the last five.

The Mavericks are coming off a dramatic 22-17 win on the road against New Mexico Highlands, which saw the Mavs stop the Cowboys on four consecutive plays from inside the 10 yard line in the final seconds. Head Coach Russ Martin says the defense is greatly improved from last year under second year defensive coordinator Todd Auer.

"We’re doing a phenomenal job down in the red zone. The kids believe in it, and you see it every single day. Our guys now understand a whole lot  better, and they’re playing with that intensity, but they also understand how important it is to be assignment sound."

Western New Mexico only has one win this season, but that came last week against highly touted Colorado School of Mines, a 25-22 victory. It was homecoming for the Mustangs down in Silver City and they produced their best performance of the season on both sides of the ball. A Maverick win on Saturday certainly won't come easy.

On paper it looks like a Maverick win. But Western New Mexico has a very good offense, averaging 227 yards through the air per game. While the Mavs defense has only been giving up and average of 17 points, they have been giving up big chunks of yardage through the air at a clip of 285 yards per game.

Martin says:

"Any team in this conference can beat anyone else if you don’t play well. So you better focus and you better not worry about anyone beyond that game. The biggest game game in the country Saturday  is right here at Stocker Stadium. Our guys have to be ready.  (Western New Mexico) Is a very talented team."

 

Kickoff is set for 1:00 Saturday afternoon at Stocker Stadium. You can listen to the game on AM 1230 KEXO and on line at www.kexo1230.com.