PUEBLO, Colo. (September 7, 2024) – The first road game of the 2024 season for The No. 21-ranked University of Texas Permian Basin football team featured a highly anticipated matchup against Colorado State University Pueblo. While the Falcons got off to a quick start scoring on their first offensive play from scrimmage, the ThunderWolves rattled off 23 straight points to end the first half and defeated UTPB by a final score of 40-23.

The game was billed as a big-time matchup between two high-powered offenses and big-armed quarterbacks, and that was certainly the case early on.

After a three-and-out forced by the UTPB defense on the opening drive of the game, Head Coach Kris McCullough dialed up the play offensively and the Falcons wasted little time showing the ThunderWolves what they can do.

The play was a double reverse flea flicker pass, and Dylan Graham found his go-to-guy, Jeremiah Cooley, wide open in the middle of the field for a long 66-yard score and a one-play touchdown drive.

Then after a long 70-yard touchdown pass from CSUP's Devin Larsen to Reggie Retzlaff on the opening play of its ensuing drive, the Falcons blocked the extra point attempt and Kamron Lee returned it all the way, 98 yards, for two points and a 9-6 lead.

Unfortunately, an interception by Graham 10 plays into the next UTPB possession and a strong return by the ThunderWolves helped set up another touchdown pass from Larsen to Retzlaff, this time from 32 yards out and again on their first play of the drive. That made it a 13-9 CSUP lead still less than seven minutes into the game.

Three plays into the next UTPB drive, a screen pass by Graham was picked off and returned 48 yards for the score as the CSUP defense made a huge stand with interceptions on back-to-back possessions to help stake the ThunderWolves to a two-score lead.

In all, there was a combined 29 points scored in the first eight minutes and three seconds of the game.

Angel Diaz, the reigning Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, came up wide on a field goal attempt from 50 yards out in the final two minutes of the first quarter, and then CSUP had all of the momentum after a long 46-yard rush for a touchdown just one play into the second quarter. The CSUP win was ultimately keyed by a strong opening 15-plus minutes as the ThunderWolves scored on four of its first five possessions of the game.

That made the score 26-9 before the second blocked extra point kick of the game by UTPB. It was the first game with two blocked kicks for the Falcons since October 16, 2021, a 34-14 loss at Angelo State University.

Down by 20 (29-9) in the final four minutes of the first half, an interception by Malik Allen set the Falcons up in ThunderWolves' territory, but a little over 90-minute lightning delay with about 2:57 left in the half stopped the UTPB offense in its tracks.

When the game resumed, UTPB ultimately turned the ball over on downs as Graham came up a yard shy of a first down following a three-yard run on a fourth-and-four play from the Pack seven-yard line.

UTPB would finish the game 2-for-6 on fourth down and was just 5-for-18 on third down.

UTPB scored twice in the second half on the second receiving touchdown of the game by Cooley in the third quarter and a rushing touchdown by Kory Harris in the fourth quarter. Both scores got the Falcons to within two touchdowns, but that is the closest UTPB would get after falling down by 20 points in the first half.

The Falcons' offense ran nearly 35 more plays than the ThunderWolves (90-56) and out-possessed them by 12 minutes (36:01-23:59), but was held to an average of 3.8 yards per play while CSUP picked up 7.4 yards per play.

UTPB also picked up 26 first downs compared to 15 for CSUP.

Total yards were 413-341 in favor of the ThunderWolves. Graham finished 16-of-37 for 203 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions while Larsen was 21-for-35 for 287 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Cooley caught five passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns while for CSUP, Retzlaff hauled in seven grabs for 164 yards and two scores as well. Lastly, Harris rushed 28 times for 96 yards and a score while CSUP's Howard Russell V ran 15 times for 102 yards and one touchdown.

In addition to his blocked kick return for two points, Lee led the UTPB defense with eight total tackles while Jalani Jefferson contributed with seven total tackles, six solo tackles, two tackles for loss and two pass breakups.

Similarly to their most recent loss in the playoffs last season, the Falcons did not have a sack in the game. Meanwhile, CSUP posted four sacks for a total of 34 yards.

After falling during its second game of the season for the second year in a row, both times in the state of Colorado, UTPB moves to 1-1 to start the year while CSUP, the 2014 National Champions, improves to 2-0. It was also the end of a 10-game regular-season winning streak for the Falcons while the Pack extended its current winning streak to nine straight games dating back to last season. The current nine-game winning streak is the second longest active streak in Division II football behind Harding's current 20-game win streak.

Next up on Saturday, September 14, the Falcons will return home to Astound Broadband Stadium and will wrap up nonconference action against Adams State University beginning at 6 p.m.