GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Eastern New Mexico managed to score first for a second-straight game, but came up with a similar result as (RV) Colorado Mesa won their first game of the season, 28-7.

"This is not the result we wanted," said head coach Kelley Lee. "We need to be smarter with our possessions and focus on the task ahead. Our mindset is to go into our next game with the same intensity we saw defensively in the first half and build off some of the positives we had offensively."

ENMU was not afraid to mix in passing and rushing to begin Saturday's contest. On just their second drive of the game, Eastern went 11 plays and 80 yards before Chad Ragle found Gerry Gomez in the endzone for a 14-yard touchdown reception. Gomez' three touchdowns in 2025 are the most by a Greyhound receiver since the 2023 season.

Colorado Mesa continue to be stifled offensively until midway through the second quarter. The Mavericks proceeded to take advantage of two chunk yardage plays. A 31-yard pass and 30-yard rush added up to CMU's first score of the evening. With the game tied at seven with 9:55 left in the half both teams looked to be the next one to strike. The home side had their chance late in the quarter, but a failed field goal kept the contest tied.

Going into half, ENMU nearly had a chance of their own as they began driving down the field with less than a minute remaining. Instead, a late interception off a tipped pass turned the ball over and sent the game into intermission.

The third quarter was all about taking advantage of possessions. Eastern never had good field position in the period, while Colorado Mesa had plenty of chances in positive territory. Based on that, CMU took full advantage and scored two touchdowns late in the third quarter.

ENMU began the fourth quarter with the ball and spent half of the period with possession. Their lengthy drive was halted despite holding a 1st down opportunity at the two-yard line. Three great defensive stops and a passing interference penalty forced Eastern to try a field goal. The attempt ended up being no good and the Hounds had spent half of the quarter driving down the field to end up with zero total points.

Colorado Mesa was quick to extend the advantage as Noah Greer darted past the Hounds defense for a 53-yard rush. The score put the game at its final – 28-7.

Eastern let CMU take control with chunk yardage plays. CMU finished the game with three passes for 20+ yards and five rushes for 20+ yards. For comparison, the longest play offensively for ENMU was a 19-yard passing play late in the second quarter.

Ragle finished Saturday's game with 75 passing yards and 120 rushing yards. This was his first career game rushing over the century mark. Gomez continues to be Ragle's favorite target as he hauled in six catches for 69 yards.

Defensively, two Hounds broke the double digit mark in total tackles. Aaron Warren was quick to making plays and led the program with 13 tackles, including one for loss. Matthew Quartieri continues to provide impactful moments for ENMU as he concluded the contest with 11 tackles. Eastern finished with three tackles for loss in the matchup.

Eastern New Mexico now places their attention to next week for Military Appreciation Night. The program hosts No. 10 Angelo State for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The first 750 tailgaters will receive a shirt courtesy of Western Commerce Bank.