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CHADRON – The Chadron State College football team will open its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule Saturday by playing the same team it closed the 2011 season against.
 
The Eagles will meet the Colorado Mesa Mavericks in Grand Junction with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
 
Chadron State edged the Mavericks 24-17 in overtime in last year's season finale at Elliott Field.
 
Chadron State out-yarded the Mavs 417 to 203, but it was 17-17 on the scoreboard when the fourth quarter ended.
 
The Eagles scored the winning touchdown on a pass from quarterback Brandon Gorsuch to tight end Jeff Alcorn that was officially just six yards long but covered about 25 yards.
 
Much has changed since that November day when that game was played.
 
For instance, both teams have new head coaches. Jay Long, a 2001 graduate of Chadron State where he played center on the football team, is in charge of the Eagles, and Russ Martin, a 1982 CSC grad who played linebacker for the Eagles, is the Mavericks' mentor.
 
Prior to taking his new job, Martin had been the offensive coordinator at Nebraska-Kearney for eight years. He also was the head coach at Black Hills State for four years in the late 1990s.
 
Martin's staff at Mesa includes CSC's former head coach Bill O'Boyle, now Mesa's offensive coordinator, and long-time CSC defensive coordinator Todd Auer, who holds that responsibility at Mesa.
 
O'Boyle was on the CSC staff 20 years, including seven years as head coach, and Auer had been with the Eagles 22 years before they moved to Grand Junction.
 
Both teams also have quite a few new players in their lineups. Nine Eagles who were regulars a year ago have graduated while four starters on offense and six on defense last season are no longer on the Mesa roster.
 
The Mavericks begin their RMAC schedule at 0-2. They lost to Humboldt State at Arcata, Calif., 38-19 in the season opener and were defeated by Northern Colorado 40-3 last Saturday.
 
Humboldt State beat another California team, Azusa Pacific, 42-12 last Saturday. Northern Colorado, which is an NCAA Football Championship Series (NCAA 1-AA) member, broke a 12-game losing streak with its victory over the Mavericks.
 
Northern Colorado got off to a good start by intercepting a pass on Mesa's first play from scrimmage, but led just 10-3 at halftime. However, the Bears outscored the Mavs 30-0 in the second half and out-yarded them 409 to 192 for the game.
 
Humboldt State owned just a 360-329 advantage in total yards, but the California team returned a punt and an interception for touchdowns.
 
The Mavericks' main threat offensively is sophomore tailback Jake Cimolino, who has carried 30 times for 208 yards for a 6.9-yard average.
 
Quarterback Deke Cisco, a redshirt freshman, has completed 20 of 41 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown. He has been intercepted four times and sacked eight times.
 
The Mavericks' defensive strength is expected to be the secondary, where all four of last year's starters return.
 
The Eagles, who are 1-1 following a 19-7 victory at Angelo State last weekend in Texas, survived the two non-conference games without any significant injuries.