DURANGO, Colo. – The Western New Mexico University football team returns to Durango this Saturday after encountering one of the toughest trips a team could have last time around.


After having the bus burn down near Bloomfield, the team was still able to fight through all of that and come out with a win at Fort Lewis, 26-17, back in 2011.
Two years later, the teams meet up at Ray Dennison Memorial Field with a 12 p.m. kickoff this Saturday. Fort Lewis is under the direction of first-year head coach John L. Smith who is no stranger to college football, having spent many years as a Division I head coach. The Skyhawks are 1-2 after falling to Southern Utah, 49-0, and then collecting their first win at home over Oklahoma Baptist, 23-14. This past week, they made a run in the second half before falling at New Mexico Highlands, 31-20.


FLC features a solid ground attack that has chewed up 556 yards in the first three games with Dewaun Wesley leading the way going for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan Doyle has passed for 436 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 123 yards. Two receivers have over 100 yards in Maurice Anderson and Doyle Bode. On the defensive end, Joey Alvarez has 20 tackles to lead the way, along with 3.5 tackles for loss.


WNMU comes in at 0-2 after falling to RMAC powerhouse CSU-Pueblo, 44-7, last Saturday. The Mustangs will look to get the ground attack going as they have tallied 90 yards in two contests, with Abe Macias going for 60 of those yards. Mitch Glasmann (Temecula, CA/Chaparral) has yet to throw an interception this season, as he has completed 44-of-79 for 511 yards with five touchdowns. Ronnell Pompey (Los Angeles, CA/Fairfax Senior HS) already has 236 receiving yards on 12 catches and a score, while Donald Byrd (Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Poly) has 13 grabs for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Adrian Lopez (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Garden Grove ) leads in tackles with 16, while Jerrald Hines (Los Angeles, CA/) leads the team in tackles for loss with three, while also adding a sack and a fumble recovery.


WNMU has won the last two in the series, with FLC's last win coming in 2010 in Silver City, 30-27. Since then WNMU has won, 26-17, and 42-34 last year.