Second down with 24 yards to go and a 52-yard field goal with 18 seconds left to win the game? Seems unlikely, right? Well, Fort Lewis did just that to crush the Mustangs' hope of overtime Saturday. The Skyhawks topped WNMU, 30-27.

The Mustangs are now 1-2 overall (1-1 RMAC) while the Skyhawks improve to 1-1 on the season (1-0 RMAC).

WNMU's Chris Voller (Albuquerque, NM, Valley High School) threw for 303 yards but coughed up three interceptions. Voller's main targets were Christopher Miranda (Peoria, AZ, Peoria High School, Phoenix Community College) (8 receptions, 120 yards) and Markis Sumpter (Oceanside, CA, Fallbrook High School) (6 receptions, 115 yards).

Running back Kevin Breaker (Stockton, CA, Lincoln High School, Delta College) rushed for 128 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry, and got into the end zone twice.

Defensively, Derrick Perrault (San Diego, CA, Helix High School, Southwestern College) led the way with 10 tackles. Six of those were unassisted. Niko Skawinski (San Diego, CA, Poway High School, San Diego Mesa College) had only three tackles, but two of those were for a loss of 11 yards.

Neither team was able to get out of the gate with a combination of passes and rushes on their opening drive. On the second Fort Lewis drive, the Skyhawks went completely in the air. Quarterback Tim Jenkins went 5 for 6 to march the blue jerseys 51 yards and an easy touchdown.

WNMU hoped to score on their next drive with a quick jumpstart. Miranda had a 36-yard reception to place the team on the Fort Lewis seven-yard line, but then it was four plays of little gain to give the ball back to Fort Lewis on their own one.

Pushed back in their own end zone, the Skyhawks were forced to move on the ground. The Mustang defense, however, plugged up the holes to stop Fort Lewis in their tracks and post a safety with just over seven minutes to play.

The score remained at 7-2 until one minute into the second quarter. WNMU's Joey Bertrand (Bakersfield, CA, Centennial High School, Bakersfield Junior College) stuck out his hand to break up a pass and prevent a touchdown. The Skyhawks were forced to settle for a 25-yard field goal.

On the next drive, WNMU was four and out, but the defense picked up the pieces. Skawinski found Jenkins in the backfield and stripped the ball from his hand. WNMU's Jarret Yargus (Bagdad, AZ, Bagdad High School) fell on the ball on the Fort Lewis 14. Breaker then scored his first touchdown of the day with a 14-yard run with 11:36 left on the clock in the half.

Fort Lewis quickly answered though. It took two plays to go 50 yards to record their second touchdown of the day. They were able to post another with five minutes left in the half. WNMU walked into the locker room down, 24-9.

Midway through the third quarter, WNMU scored the only touchdown of the third quarter despite some other close calls. Voller found Sumpter for a 30-yard touchdown. The Mustangs were now within a touchdown and a two-point conversion (27-16).

On Fort Lewis' first punt of the final 15 minutes, a Skyhawk penalty placed WNMU in great field position, on the FLC 48. Voller connected with Sumpter again for seven yards. Then Voller dished the ball to Breaker who weaved left and right to score a 41-yard touchdown. The Mustangs were now down by two. The WNMU coaches decided to go it. After a bit of a scramble, Voller found Salvador Garcia (Anthony, TX/Anthony HS) in the far right corner to tie the game at 24.

With the two team's fans rallying behind their teams, Altamirano Stadium was filled with chants. The chants of “defense” allowed each team to tack on only field goals in the closing minutes. The score was tied at 27.

Fort Lewis had what looked to be the possession of the game with just 36 seconds left. On their own 25, Jenkins had plenty of time in the backfield to put his sight on Justin Johnson who was well into WNMU territory. Jenkins put the ball in the air for a 54-yard reception. It was not over yet for the Mustangs. On the next play, Jenkins, under pressure, was called for intentional grounding for a loss of 14 yards. The Mustangs still had hope for another possession or overtime, but Fort Lewis kicker Rich Rodriguez thought otherwise. The 52-yard field goal had plenty of distance and was dead down the middle.

Voller had to move quickly. With less than 18 seconds left, his first pass attempt moved the chains down the field because of a pass interference call. His second pass was not as lucky. It picked off just as the horn blew.

The Mustangs hit the road next weekend. Head coach Adam Clark heads back to Colorado School of Mines for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff.

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