ELLENSBURG, Wash. – For a third-straight week, Eastern New Mexico football lost to a conference opponent by single digits.
The Greyhounds trip to the pacific northwest was spoiled with a 38-35 loss to the Wildcats Saturday night.
"I thought we played extremely hard and executed very well offensively," said head coach
Kelley Lee after the game. "We are playing some really good football and are a much better team than our record indicates right now."
ENMU's 35 points are the most they have scored against a DII foe this season. The group saw three rushing touchdowns, a passing touchdown, and a kickoff return for a score.
The game began with a quite peculiar sequence as both teams returned a kick for a touchdown. Freshman
Robert Nora had a brief struggle with possessing the ball as he muffed the football. His recovery proved to be strong as he tied the game at a crucial point. The last time a Greyhound returned a kick for a score came with Justin Manyweather accomplishing the feat in 2021 versus Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Three rushers found the endzone on the evening.
Mario Sanchez tallied his seventh rushing score of the season along with 56 yards on the ground.
Elijah Zeh added 53 yards, including a touchdown rush on fourth and goal for the Hounds in the fourth quarter.
Despite carrying the ball just three times,
Jonathan Watson scored to begin the second quarter.
Sanchez proved to be efficient at quarterback. He was 7-for-8 for 100 yards. His favorite target was
Andre Jones as he hauled in six receptions for 92 yards.
Both teams managed to build lengthy scoring drives in the first half. The two sides traded touchdowns before CWU finished the half with a 24-yard field goal to give the home side an advantage heading into the locker rooms.
Both teams held their ground defensively.
Colten Madison and
Jack Lacy III each finished the day with eight tackles, while Madison completed a tackle for loss and pass breakup.
Eric Williams continues to be a menace to opponents with key tackles in the backfield. He added 1.5 tackles for loss.
One of the crucial moments of the game came early in the fourth quarter as ENMU gave the ball away via a costly turnover. The fumble allowed CWU to score on the ensuing possession in just two plays after the change in possession.
Eastern got the game within three points after a lengthy scoring drive in the fourth quarter. CWU ended up pushing forward on offense and converting tough situations like a 3rd and 7 play to run out the clock and beat the Greyhounds.
The Hounds are back in action on the road to face UT Permian Basin who is sitting at the top of the Lone Star Conference October 14.
