ALAMOSA, Colo. (September 6, 2025) – The first road game of the 2025 season for The No. 21 University of Texas Permian Basin football team saw three different quarterbacks enter the game for the Falcons, but none were better than sophomore Issac Mooring, who came in on UTPB's third drive of the game and finished by completing 20 of his 26 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. In the end, Mooring and the Falcons defeated the Adams State University Grizzlies by a final score of 41-7.

Following one of the best wins in program history against a top-five team in the country last time out, the Falcons have been ranked No. 21 in the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Week 1 Poll and No. 16 in the latest D2Football.com Top 25 Poll.

With the win, UTPB improves to 2-0 for the first time in the Kris McCullough era and for the first time since 2021 (first time in four seasons). In addition, it was the first win for Coach McCullough as a head coach in the state of Colorado.

It took until the final 30 seconds of the first quarter for either team to get on the scoreboard. After a stop by the UTPB defense on an incomplete pass by the Grizzlies on fourth-and-two from the Falcons' 24-yard line, Mooring came in on the third play of the Falcons' third drive of the game and helped UTPB makes its way downfield.

Facing third down and 10 on his first play, Mooring squeezed in a pass of 13 yards down the middle of the field to Ben Patterson to move the chains. The possession would ultimately finish with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Mooring to transfer wide receiver Jaylon Tillman to cap a 13-play, 76-yard scoring drive.

Then with ASU threating to score in the opening minute of the second quarter after a 62-yard run, the UTPB defense stopped the offense in its tracks as Jamarion Ravenell picked off Tyson Smith, began making his way down the sideline, made a move past a Grizzlies' player and got a final block from Tristan Exline to clinch the pick-six. It was a 96-yard interception return for Ravenell.

Mooring's second touchdown pass of the game was a 19-yard pass to another UTPB transfer wide receiver, TJ McKenzie, making it three UTPB touchdowns in less than eight minutes.

In the first half, Mooring was 10-of-16 for 128 yards and two touchdowns after entering the game on UTPB's third drive. Then on UTPB's first offensive play of the second half, Mooring hit Traylen Suel on a deep post for a 36-yard touchdown pass.

Mooring was 5-for-5 for 55 yards during the next Falcons' drive, which was finished off with a bulldozing 10-yard touchdown run up the middle by Kory Harris to make the score 34-0 a little bit over halfway through the third quarter.

Mooring was then 4-for-4 for 47 yards on the ensuing UTPB drive, which again ended with a Harris touchdown rush, this time from three yards out and making the score 41-7 early in the fourth quarter.

Mooring was a perfect 10-for-10 with 138 yards through three possessions in the second half, each of which resulted in a Falcon touchdown.

Making his eighth-career start after starting each of the final seven games of the season as a true freshman in 2024, Mooring finished Saturday's performance with his second-highest passing percentage (76.9 percent), third-highest passing yardage (266), and had his third-career game with at least three touchdown passes.

Catching the passes was McKenzie with four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, Suel with five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown, and Tillman with two catches for 20 yards and a touchdown. Harris finished with 11 rushes for 54 yards and two touchdowns, both in the second half.

On defense, McKyle So'oto led all players with nine tackles and was followed by Exline with seven tackles, Malik Allen with six, Champ Mathis with five and Anthony Cunningham with four. The UTPB defense held ASU to just three completions and seven passing yards in the first half, followed by just one completion for five yards in the second half.

After a "Week 2" bye week next week, UTPB will open up Lone Star Conference action on the road at Texas A&M University-Kingsville during "Week 3". The action will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 20, as the Falcons look to keep their streak of eight straight conference wins on the road under Coach McCullough going. In addition, UTPB has won each of its two conference openers during the tenure of Coach McCullough.