CHADRON, Neb. – After a bye week brought an end to a challenging first-half schedule, Chadron State football will seek to begin a second-half run with a Saturday afternoon kick against Adams State, starting at 1 p.m. at Elliott Field at Don Beebe Stadium.

Chadron State (1-5, 0-4 RMAC) has faced exclusively top-five teams in the RMAC so far according to the RMAC's Preseason Coaches Poll from the start of the year and have the teams picked No. 6 through No. 10 left on the schedule. The Eagles are looking for their first RMAC win, just like Adams State (0-6, 0-4 RMAC).

Numbers to Know

• 34: Games since Adams State last won (9/30/23 – 21-14 over NMHU)
• 96: Passing yards allowed by the Chadron State defense last game vs. CMU
• 13-3: Conference record of CSC's RMAC opponents so far
• 7-13: Conference record of CSC's RMAC opponents still to come

Promotional Notes
Saturday will be CSC football's Mental Health Awareness Game, as part of the RMAC's Mental Health Awareness week from October 10-17. Chadron State's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will hand out green mental health awareness ribbons. 

Saturday is also Chamber of Commerce Day at Elliott Field, with CSC honoring local Chamber of Commerce members throughout the game.

Finally, this weekend's game will be a Gray Out for fans in the stands.

How to Tune In
Saturday's game, along with every CSC football game for the remainder of the regular season, will be livestreamed on the RMAC Network.

Fans can purchase monthly subscriptions to the RMAC Network for $25 or annual passes for $130. Those prices are both unchanged from the 2025-26 season, which was the first for the RMAC Network's pay-per-view model.

PURCHASE: RMAC NETWORK

A radio stream of the game will take place on Double Q Country 97.5/105.9 FM and doubleqcountry.com, with Dave Collins on the call. Finally, Eagle fans can follow along via live stats for free or keep track on social media (@cscfootball on X/Twitter and Instagram) for updates.

Looking Back
Prior to last weekend's bye week, Chadron State went on the road to Grand Junction and lost to Colorado Mesa, 30-20. The Mavericks led 17-7 through three quarters before both teams scored 13 teams apiece in the fourth.

STORY: Football Falls in Grand Junction, 30-20

Turnovers hurt the Eagles, with three CSC interceptions giving the Mavericks possession in Eagle territory, which Colorado Mesa converted into 17 points. That helped CMU win despite Chadron State collecting more total yards (394-304) and first downs (22-16).

Difficult Stretch
Chadron State has had a difficult schedule to open the 2026 season, facing teams picked first, second, third and fifth in the 10-team RMAC across the first four weeks of conference play (CSC itself was picked fourth).

That stretch includes games against No. 4-ranked CSU Pueblo, No. 6 Western Colorado and a nonconference game against Northern State, which was ranked in the AFCA's Top 25 until this week.

While preseason polls are no guarantee of how the season plays out (the Eagles themselves finished second last season after a seventh-place preseason projection), things are mostly holding to form so far. 

Among only RMAC opponents, the teams Chadron State has faced so far are a combined 18-5, with a 13-3 record in RMAC play. The five teams remaining on Chadron State's schedule (Adams State, New Mexico Highlands, Fort Lewis, Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines) are a combined 14-15 overall, with a 7-13 record in RMAC games to this point.

Air Mileage
The game against Colorado Mesa provided a promising pattern for Chadron State in terms of pass offense and defense. 

Not only did the Eagles achieve a season-high in passing yards on offense (283) and throw multiple passing touchdowns for the first time in 2026, Chadron State also allowed a season-low 96 passing yards, holding an opponent under 100 for the first time since October 18, 2025.

The Eagles have the RMAC's third-ranked defense against the pass, allowing only 200.8 passing yards per game on average. Offensively, Chadron State has the conference's eighth-ranked passing attack, with Eagle quarterbacks combining for 183.7 passing yards per game.

No Laundry Down
Chadron State continues to be among the Division II leaders in fewest penalties.

The Eagles rank third in the RMAC in fewest total penalties (31, 19^th in Division II) and penalties per game (5.17, 21^st in Division II), in addition to having the third-fewest total penalty yards against (273, 22^nd in Division II) and penalty yards against per game (45.5, 23^rd in Division II).

The only RMAC schools lower than CSC in each category are South Dakota Mines and Colorado School of Mines.

Take a Walk
Sophomore Camden Walker has emerged as a legitimate option in the CSC passing attack. 

A 6-foot-3 Grand Island, Nebraska native, Walker didn't see the field during his freshman season but made an early impact on his second season by hauling in three receptions for 37 yards against Northern State in CSC's opening game.

Against Colorado Mesa on October 3, Walker set new career-highs with five catches, 44 yards and the first two receiving touchdowns of his career. Walker also became the first CSC receiver in 2026 with multiple receiving touchdowns in a single game.
On the season, Walker's 12 receptions rank second on the Chadron State team while his 121 receiving yards are tied for third.

Stat Selections

• Chadron State's defense ranks eighth in scoring (28.7 points allowed per game) and eighth in total defense (394.8 yards allowed per game) in the RMAC. 
• CSC's offense ranks 10^th in scoring (14.7) and total (287). The Eagles rank ninth in the league in rushing yards (103.3) and eighth in passing yards (183.7).
• CSC's defense ranks third against the pass, allowing only 200.8 passing yards per game to opponents.
• Shay Prichard ranks 13^th in the RMAC in scoring, averaging 5.7 points per game. Prichard is averaging 1.5 field goals per game, eighth in Division II but third in the RMAC.
• CSC has not been a highly penalized team. The Eagles have the third-fewest penalties per game in the RMAC (5.1, 21^st in Division II) and third-fewest penalty yards per game in the RMAC (45.50, 23^rdin Division II).
• Devon Sundgren is averaging 19.3 yards per catch, which ranks sixth in the RMAC.
• The 88-yard pass completion from Aidan Thompson to Devon Sundgren from Week 1 against Nebraska-Kearney remains the longest play from scrimmage in the RMAC so far this season.
• Aiden Kuester ranks fourth in the RMAC with 27 solo tackles while Jarred Marquez is fifth with 24 solo tackles.

• Four of the top 13 tacklers in the RMAC reside on the Chadron State defense – Jarred Marquez (53 total tackles), Cooper Walton (47), Reese Jacobs (45) and Aiden Kuester (43).
• Marquez leads the RMAC and ranks tied for third in Division II with 0.5 forced fumbles per game. His three total forced fumbles also lead the conference.

• William Stemler ranks tied for fourth in the RMAC with four sacks while Ryder True is tied for eighth with three.
• Chase Nelson ranks second in the RMAC combined kick returns, racking up 297 yards.
• Triston Hite has placed 19 punts inside the 20, eight more than any other RMAC punter. Over half of Hite's league-leading 37 punts have gone inside the 20.

RMAC Update
Chadron State is one of two remaining winless teams in the RMAC, but the Eagles have faced undeniably the toughest stretch of their schedule so far by facing teams picked first, second, third and fifth in the league's preseason poll, including two games against two national top-6 opponents. 

While the standard is for RMAC teams to have two nonconference games in addition to their nine conference contests, that won't work out perfectly this year. Fort Lewis had a nonconference game against William Jewell ended prematurely and canceled due to a medical emergency, giving the Skyhawks just one nonconference game, while Colorado School of Mines had a nonconference game against Washburn end in a tie due to unplayable heat index and turf temperatures at the start of overtime.

October 17 is a return to play for 10 RMAC teams after the entire league took a bye week on October 10.

Here is a look at the current RMAC standings:

Team	RMAC Record	Overall Record
#4/#5 CSU Pueblo	4-0	6-0
#6/#6 Western Colorado	4-0	6-0
South Dakota Mines	3-1	5-1
Colorado School of Mines	3-1	3-2-1
Black Hills State	2-2	4-2
Colorado Mesa	2-2	3-3
New Mexico Highlands	1-3	3-3
Fort Lewis	1-3	2-3
Chadron State	0-4	1-5
Adams State	0-4	0-6

RMAC Weekly Matchups:
Colorado School of Mines @ Colorado Mesa
New Mexico Highlands @ CSU Pueblo
Black Hills State @ South Dakota Mines
Fort Lewis @ Western Colorado

RMAC Championships (most recent)
Western Colorado (19, 2021)
Colorado School of Mines (16, 2023)
Colorado Mesa (12, 2017)
CSU Pueblo (10, 2025)
Chadron State (8, 2008)
Adams State (7, 1989)
New Mexico Highlands (2, 1999)
Fort Lewis (1, 1984)
Black Hills State/South Dakota Mines (0)

Scouting the Grizzlies
by Con Marshall
It's been a really long siege for Adams State. The Grizzlies have lost 34 consecutive games dating back to September 2023, when they won their last contest. They went on to drop the final six games that season and were 0-11 each of the last two seasons to go with their 0-6 mark so far this fall.
 
Their closest game this year was a 62-45 loss to Western New Mexico in the opener.  They also fell 53-26 to Sul Ross in their other non-conference game and have been outscored 231 to 51 in their four RMAC tilts.  Western Colorado won by a 70-21 score and CSU-Pueblo won 72-7 in the Grizzlies' last two games. 
 
Those two teams scored 30 and 33 points, respectively, against the Eagles. 
 
Adams State has had more success running the ball than throwing it. Andre Branch, a 5-10, 190-pound senior, has carried 81 times for 510 yards, third highest in the conference, and has scored five of the team's 10 rushing touchdowns. 
 
Three quarterbacks have pretty much shared those duties.  Freshman Khalil Abdul-Aziz has been the busiest. He has completed 41 of 83 tosses for 371 yards and four touchdowns while not being intercepted.  
 
All told, Adams State has completed 76 of 161 passes for 814 yards and six TDs while the opponents have completed 102 of 162 for 1,676 yards and 18 TDs.
 
The Eagles lead the all-time series 30-6 after winning 10 of the last 12 games. Chadron State has scored at least 26 points in each of those dozen contests.  Adams State's wins during that stretch were by scores of 31-30 in 2016 and 65-62 in 2018.
 
The teams combined for 1,124 yards to go with the 127 points in the latter game. It included 11 touchdown passes (6 by ASU and 5 by CSC), and the Eagles had 364 kickoff and punt return yards.    
 
The Eagles won last year's game 45-2 in Alamosa, the first matchup between the two programs under current head coach Levi Gallas.
 
In the Polls
In the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll, released July 22, Chadron State was picked to finish fourth out of 10 RMAC programs. The Eagles received one first-place vote, one second-place vote and three third-place votes in the poll. 

CSU Pueblo finished in first place in the poll, with eight first-place votes, followed by Western Colorado (one first place vote), Colorado School of Mines and Chadron State. Chadron State faced the three teams picked ahead of them in the preseason standings in the first three weeks of the conference season.

Behind CSC, Colorado Mesa was fifth while New Mexico Highlands, South Dakota Mines, Black Hills State, Fort Lewis and Adams State rounded out the poll.

Last year, the Eagles were picked seventh in the preseason and went on to finish second in the conference standings.

The RMAC has two nationally-ranked programs – CSU Pueblo, ranked No. 4 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 5 in the D2Football.com media poll, and Western Colorado, ranked No. 6 in both.

Preseason Plaudits
The RMAC released a Preseason All-RMAC team alongside their preseason polls back on July 22, based on the leading vote-getters from last year's all-conference voting that return to the league. 

Chadron State had four players honored, tied for the third-highest total in the RMAC – quarterback Aidan Thompson, offensive lineman Dominic Castanon, linebacker Cooper Walton and defensive end/edge rusher William Stemler.

Stemler also made an appearance on the D2Football.com Elite 100 watchlist as a "squad" member of the defense, one of six RMAC honorees across the national 100-player listing.

Stemler's selection marks the fourth consecutive year that an Eagle defensive player has made the Elite 100 preseason list, joining alumni Dax Yeradi (2025) and Hunter O'Connor (2023, 2024).

RMAC POTW x2
Triston Hite earned both RMAC and D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance against Nebraska-Kearney. Hite placed four of six punts inside the 20 and punted to the UNK 9-yard line twice, including a 70-yarder that only went for a 2-yard return.

Linebacker Jarred Marquez earned the conference's Defensive Player of the Week honor after forcing two fumbles and racking up 11 tackles during the win over UNK. 

STORY: Marquez, Hite Win RMAC Player of the Week Awards

The double wins were the first two Player of the Week awards of the 2026 season for Chadron State. 

The Eagles had eight winners last season (2025) – one Offensive (Aidan Thompson), five Defensive (four by Logan O'Brien, one by Aiden Kuester) and two Special Teams (Wilson Yee, Chase Nelson). With Yee and Nelson winning the award in the last two weeks of the 2025 season, Chadron State has now won three of the past four awards dating back to last year.

5-for-5
Under a new eligibility ruling passed by the NCAA this summer, all NCAA student-athletes will have five years of eligibility while developmental redshirts and medical waivers that previously could grant another year of eligibility have been eliminated.

To accommodate this new system, Chadron State is changing how student-athletes are labeled on the football roster – using the term "freshman" for a player in their first year of college, "sophomore" for a player in their second, "junior," "senior," and "fifth-year," regardless of whether the player has previously received a redshirt year.

For example, a player now being referred to as a "junior" has been with Chadron State or another college football program for two seasons (regardless of if they played or not during those seasons) and has three years of eligibility remaining, including 2026.

Coaches' Corner
Head Coach Jay Long returns for his 15^th season at the helm of CSC Football in 2026. In his previous 14 seasons at Chadron State, Long boasts a 70-68 record. He is 85-83 overall in his 17-season head coaching career.
 
Notably, the Eagles' 8-4 record in 2025 was a substantial turnaround from a 3-8 record in 2024. Chadron State's eight wins in 2025 is tied officially for the most in a single season during Long's tenure, alongside eight-win seasons in 2013 and 2014.

For his efforts last season, Long was voted by his head coaching peers as both the RMAC Coach of the Year and the AFCA Region Five Coach of the Year, each for the first time in his career. Coach Long was one of only five AFCA award recipients in Division II and one of only 25 recipients among all levels of college football.

Chadron State's head coach (Jay Long) and all three coordinators – Micah Smith (offense), Clint Sasse (defense) and Mitch Collicott (special teams) are all Chadron State football alumni. 

Quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator Tommy Wilson also returns for a fourth season at CSC, while coaching assistant for defensive backs Deunte Moody returns for a second season. 

In year one on the CSC staff are coaching assistants Cole Cartwright (running backs), Reed Henkel (linebackers), Abe Hestdalen (defensive line), Seth Moore (offensive line) and Fred Pillivant (wide receivers). Henkel makes a move to the coaching staff after playing for the Eagles from 2022-25.