CMU Mavericks Need Newfound Confidence on Saturday vs. New Mexico Highlands

The Colorado Mesa University football team earned some much needed confidence last weekend.

They're going to need it this weekend, when Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe New Mexico Highlands University comes to Stocker Stadium for Saturday's 1 p.m. homecoming kickoff.

After a rough 0-3  start, the Mavs showed up in Spearfish, S.D., feeling confident last weekend.

CMU started slow, dominated the second and third quarters for the second game in a row, and then found themselves fighting to come from behind to beat the feisty Yellow Jackets, 31-29, on a last second field goal by Alex Zemezonek.

"It made the bus ride a whole lot easier on the way home," CMU coach Russ Martin said. "It was a good win for the kids to have to battle through some adversity and come out on top."

After taking a 28-16 lead, the Mavs found themselves down 29-28 with only three minutes left in the game.

"The offense operated with a sense of urgency, but never a sense of panic," Martin said.

Making his first start in over a year, junior quarterback Jason Haferman completed a big pass, then let sophomore running back Jake Cimolino carry the Mavs down the field to set up Zemezonek for the game-winner.

"One of the best things is, we had just given up the lead and, yet, everyone on that offense and the whole team believed we were going to win the game," Martin said.

After the long bus ride home, Sunday morning's RMAC headlines showed the Mavs' opponent at Stocker Stadium on Saturday, the University of New Mexico Highlands, had upset No. 18 Colorado School of Mines.

Not everyone was surprised, though.

"That didn't overly surprise me," Martin said. "They have been playing well against Mines the last couple years. I don't think it was so much of an upset. They have a lot of talent on the field."

Highlands brings a 3-1 overall, 2-0 RMAC record to Stocker Stadium for Saturday's 1 p.m. kickoff.

And they've been racking up the yardage — and the points — along the way. In fact, Cowboys' quarterback Emmanuel Lewis averages more yards per game (391) than the entire Mavs' offense (306).

The Mavericks would like to run the ball, as usual, behind Cimolino, control the clock, and keep Highlands' potent offense off the field.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, are going to chuck it all over the field.

Confidence helps.

But the team that executes their game plan best will leave Stocker Stadium on top.

(Thanks to contributor Greg Reed who joins Zane Mathews in the broadcast booth for CMU football on AM 1230 KEXO, and 99.9 KEKB)