James Williams
The Paw Print
The Adams State College Grizzlies notched their first conference win of the season on Saturday, cruising to a 55-0 homecoming shutout victory over the visiting New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys.
Junior running back Terjean Saffold led the charge, scoring three rushing touchdowns in the first half, as the Grizzlies racked up 441 yards of total offense on their way to the win.
Saffold, who added a fourth touchdown on a 17-yard catch midway through the third quarter, needed only 17 carries to rack up 113 yards, his third game of the season over the century mark.
Overall, the Grizzlies ran all over the Cowboys to the tune of nearly seven yards per carry and amassed season-highs of 271 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
The Grizzly defense held the Cowboys to just 26 yards rushing on the afternoon and only gave up 110 total yards, eliminating all hopes for a comeback by the Cowboys.
Redshirt freshman running back Chris Jamison added to the ground attack with a career-high 83 yards on 12 carries after spelling Saffold early in the third quarter, and sophomore fullback Thomas Brown and sophomore quarterback Trevor Eggleston each had rushing touchdowns.
The Grizzlies forced a punt on the Cowboys’ first possession of the game, and then covered 38 yards on six plays before Saffold scored his first touchdown of the game from one yard out.
Saffold fumbled into the hands of the Cowboys on the Grizzlies’ second drive of the game, but sophomore defensive back Jeremiah Van Valkenburg picked off Cowboy quarterback Jordan Mendoza to give the ball right back to the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies capitalized on the turnover, as the offense marched 70 yards on 11 plays for another score, taking a 14-0 lead on a 5-yard touchdown carry by Saffold, his second touchdown of the game.
The Grizzlies’ defense stalled yet another drive by the Cowboys, and on their first possession of the second quarter, the Grizzlies had another efficient drive, this time covering 83 yards on 12 plays before sophomore fullback Thomas Brown pounded it in from two yards out to extend the lead to 21-0.
Another three-and-out by the Cowboys gave the ball back to the Grizzlies, and junior quarterback Sean McDougal entered the game to lead the Grizzlies on a 5-play, 48-yard drive, with the scoring play coming on a 25-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Scott Kellogg. The ensuing extra point attempt was botched, making the lead 27-0 with 4 minutes left in the half.
Redshirt freshman defensive back Zach Johnston continued the stellar play of the Grizzlies’ defense, picking off Mendoza to put the ball back into the hands of the Grizzlies’ offense.
Once again, the Grizzlies capitalized on the turnover, as Saffold rattled off carries of 7 and 2 yards following an incomplete pass by Eggleston on first down, and Saffold finished it off by scoring his third touchdown on a 4th-and-1 from 16 yards out with just under a minute left to play in the half.
Eggleston had a solid afternoon, completing 8 of 14 passes for 101 yards, played the first possession of the second half and connected on a 61-yard completion to sophomore wide receiver JB Hall to set up a scramble that turned into a quarterback keeper for a touchdown to make the score 41-0.
Eggleston gave way to McDougal for the rest of the game, and second and third-stringers made their way into the lineup for the majority of the second half with the victory all but in hand for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies’ defense stepped up again, forcing a three-and-out on the next possession for the Cowboys, and took advantage of a solid 24 yard return by senior wide receiver Trevor Zott and a personal foul on the Cowboys set the Grizzlies up with excellent field position to attempt to score again.
McDougal took advantage of his first extended play time of the season, completing a pair of first down passes to Kellogg before connecting with Saffold on a 17-yard touchdown pass to make the score 48-0.
The fourth quarter consisted of both teams exchanging punts before Zott returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown with 6:11 remaining in the game. It was the first special teams touchdown for the Grizzlies since Nov. 4 2006 when former Grizzlies’ running back Oscar Murray returned a blocked punt 20 yards for a touchdown in a blowout victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State.
Zott’s efforts on the afternoon earned him Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference/Rawlings Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
The Cowboys fell to 1-5 overall and stand at 1-3 in the RMAC.
The Grizzlies are now 3-0 under coach Marty Heaton in homecoming games, including two shutouts, but are just 12-16 overall since Heaton took the reins of the program in 2007.
The Grizzlies snapped a 4-game losing streak to improve to 2-4 on the season, with a 1-3 record in the RMAC, and will attempt to add another win this Saturday in Silver City, N.M. against Western New Mexico. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
What’s Been Said…