CHADRON – Michael Madkins rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns and the Chadron State College defense limited Western State Colorado University to just 235 yards en route to the Eagles' 40-7 victory during the college's homecoming Saturday at Elliott Field.
 
The Eagles, now 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, were balanced on offense. Chadron State rushed for 282 yards and threw for 231 and owned a 33:51 to 26:09 advantage in time of possession. The lone hiccup for the Eagles was on third down. They converted five of 16 tries but minimized the damage by limiting Western State (2-3, 1-2 RMAC) to just two of 17 on third down.
 
"I'm really proud of the guys," CSC head coach Jay Long said. "Coach Bains has Western State playing well and I knew we had to play our best today. We had an efficient effort offensively and our defense did a good job shutting down Western's strong running game."
 
The Eagles knew all week the Mountaineers wanted to run. Entering Saturday's tilt, Western State running back Austin Ekeler had rushed for over 700 yards and was averaging 177.5 yards a game. However, Chadron State's stiff defense limited the sophomore to just 63 yards on 14 carries. His total could have been much lower but he broke free for a 48-yard burst down the south sideline just before halftime.
 
Quarterback Brett Arrivey was the next leading rusher for the Mountaineers with 16 yards but he was sacked four times.
 
While the Mountaineers' run game stalled, Chadron State's ground attack rolled right along. Madkins rushed for over 100 yards for the third time this season and scored on a dazzling 48-yard run early in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
 
The other CSC tailbacks also proved their worth. Cody Paul added 62 yards, Robert Jackson had 41 yards and caught a 9-yard touchdown pass in the first half and Derek Jackson finished with 30 yards on six carries.
 
The Eagles never trailed and took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter when Madkins plunged in from five yards out. Following two incomplete passes to open the drive, quarterback Jonn McLain, who completed 21 of 33 passes for 228 yards and two TDs, nearly threw a third incomplete pass but the pass bobbled off Kyle Vinich's hands right into Danny O'Boyle's mitts and he raced 40 yards to the Mountaineers' 5-yard line to set up Madkins' TD run.
 
Chadron State added to its lead following the first play of the second quarter when Randy Wentz kicked a 28-yard field goal. Wentz added a 47-yarder later in the quarter and CSC owned a 20-0 lead at halftime.
 
Western State scored on its opening possession of the second half when Ekeler bounced in from a yard out but the Eagles answered by marching 47 yards in four plays. Cody Paul began the possession with a 43-yard kick return and Kyle Hooper, who was making his first career start, hauled in an 18-yard pass for a score.
 
In all, nine receivers caught passes for Chadron State. Hooper and Vinich led the way with five receptions apiece. Vinich gained 91 yards and Hooper added 46.
 
Also for CSC, Zac Bargen had four receptions for 28 yards and O'Boyle added 44 yards.
 
Ryan Wood led the Eagle tacklers with nine stops. Dylan Furrier had eight and Lane Haller finished with six. Courtland Joshua, Zach Sandstrom, Truett Box, Dillon Breining and Furrier all had sacks.
 
Madkins, a senior from Sacramento, California, has now rushed for 1,957 yards in his career. Following Saturday's performance, he's 10^th all-time in rushing yards, just eclipsing Jason Sleep.
 
WSCU   0 0 7 0 – 7
CSC        7 13 6 14 – 40
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
CSC – Michael Madkins 5 run
Second Quarter
CSC – Randy Wentz 28 field goal
CSC – Robert Jackson 9 pass from Jonn McLain (Wentz kick)
CSC – Randy Wentz 47 field goal
Third Quarter
WSCU – Austin Ekeler 1 run (Ryan Winke kick)
CSC – Kyle Hooper 18 pass from McLain (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
CSC – Michael Madkins 48 run (Wentz kick)
CSC – Patrick O'Boyle 1 run (Wentz kick)