After opening the season with three games on the road, the Chadron State football team will finally play at home Saturday, but another tough game is anticipated.  
 
The opponent, Colorado Mesa, has a 2-1 record with its only loss a 16-13 setback in overtime to undefeated Midwestern State of Texas.  The Mavericks have crushed their remaining foes—Dixie State of Utah 43-3 and Adams State 55-16.
 
The Eagles are 1-2 after opening the season with a 40-27 win over Missouri Science and Technology before dropping eight-point decisions to both Missouri State (21-13) and Colorado Mines (28-20).
 
The Family Day game will kick off at noon following the introduction of the Eagles' players and their parents.  Members of Purple Passion, Chadron State's oldest and most loyal alumni group, also will be in attendance for its 53rd reunion dating back to 1962.
 
The Chadron State coaches say the Eagles have played hard and not done much wrong in the two games they lost.
 
"We've played pretty well on both sides of the ball and our special teams have been outstanding, but we've got to do a better job of finishing our drives," said head coach Jay Long.  "We can't live on field goals.  We need touchdowns." 
 
The Eagles have scored eight TDs and also attempted eight field goals, making six of them.
 
The running game has been strong, averaging 5.6 yards a carry, but the passing game is still developing with redshirt freshman TD Stein at quarterback. The Eagles gained only 107 yards on 18 completions against Colorado Mines. The longest pass went for just 13 against Colorado Mines.
 
"I think we learned a lot in that game," said offensive coordinator Chris Stein. "If we keep getting the kind of effort we've had so far this season, we'll win our share of the games."
 
Mesa is coached by Russ Martin, a Scottsbluff native and a stalwart linebacker for the Eagles in the mid-1970s. He entered this his fourth season at Grand Junction with a 15-18 record.  This appears to be his best team.
 
CSC defensive coordinator Jeff Larson said the Eagles will undoubtedly have their hands full with the Mavericks' run-oriented offense. He called Jonathon Beverly, a 5-9, 200-pound sophomore from Columbine High in the Denver area, "an explosive runner." 
 
For the season, Beverly has rushed 51 times for 404 yards and an RMAC-best 7.9-yard average.  He racked up 224 of those yards in just 15 carries against Dixie State.
 
Chadron State's sophomore running back, Derek Jackson, also has run well. He carried 25 times for 184 yards for a 7.4-yard average against the Mines Orediggers.  He has 55 carries for 361 yards and four touchdowns this season.
 
While Mesa doesn't throw as much as most RMAC teams, the Mavericks have a pair of solid quarterbacks.
 
Sean Rubalcaba, a native of Grand Junction, transferred to the school in his hometown this year after playing the previous two seasons at Northern Colorado.  He has completed 22 of 35 passes for 367 yards and four touchdowns while sharing time with last year's starter, Aric Kaiser, who has clicked on 26 of 49 attempts for 274 yards and one TD this fall.
 
Another big threat for the Mavs is sophomore Dustin Rivas, who has returned seven punts for 217 yards, including an 85-yarder for a TD against Adams State last Saturday.
 
Defensively, Mesa has picked off seven passes. The team's leading tackler is 6-foot-7 middle linebacker Tom Saager, who has 31 stops, 10 more than any of his teammates.
 
The Eagles lead the all-time series with Mesa 19-5 and haven't lost to the Mavs since 2003. CSC won last year's game in Grand Junction 24-13.