2014 CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves football team

2014 CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves football
2014 CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves football
NCAA Division II champion; RMAC co-champion
NCAA Division II Championship Game, W 13–0 vs. Minnesota State
Conference	Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Ranking
AFCA	No. 1
Record	14–1 (8–1 RMAC)
Head coach	John Wristen (7th season);
Offensive coordinator	Daren Wilkinson (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style pistol
Defensive coordinator	Hunter Hughes (7th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	ThunderBowl

2014 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 CSU Pueblo +^	8	–	1	14	–	1
No. 19 Colorado Mines +^	8	–	1	10	–	2
Chadron State	7	–	2	8	–	3
Colorado Mesa	5	–	4	6	–	5
Western New Mexico	4	–	5	5	–	6
Adams State	3	–	6	4	–	7
Western State (CO)	3	–	6	4	–	7
New Mexico Highlands	3	–	6	3	–	8
Black Hills State	2	–	7	3	–	8
Fort Lewis	2	–	7	3	–	8

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA poll

The 2014 CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves football team represented Colorado State University Pueblo as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) during the 2014 NCAA Division II football season. Led by seventh-year head coach John Wristen, the ThunderWolves compiled an overall record of 14–1 with a mark of 8–1 in conference play, sharing the RMAC title with Colorado Mines.^[1] CSU Pueblo advanced to the NCAA Division II football championship, where, after a first-round bye, the ThunderWolves defeated Angelo State in the second round, Ohio Dominican in the quarterfinals, West Georgia in the semifinals, and Minnesota State in the championship game to win the program's first national championship. The team played home games at the ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colorado.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	6:00 pm	No. 11 West Texas A&M*	No. 4	ThunderBowl Pueblo, CO		W 35–6	7,321	^[2]
September 13	6:30 pm	at No. 15 (FCS) Sam Houston State*	No. 2	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX		W 47–21	9,678	^[3]
September 20	1:00 pm	at Western State (CO)	No. 2	Mountaineer Bowl Gunnison, CO		W 26–23	562	^[4]
September 27	12:05 pm	at Western New Mexico	No. 2	Altamirano Stadium Silver City, NM		W 45–7	425	^[5]
October 4	6:00 pm	Adams State	No. 2	ThunderBowl Pueblo, CO		W 17–7	8,670	^[6]
October 11	12:00 pm	at Fort Lewis	No. 2	Ray Dennison Memorial Field Durango, CO	A1	L 22–23	1,656	^[7]
October 18	1:00 pm	Chadron State	No. 14	ThunderBowl Pueblo, CO		W 41–13	8,926	^[8]
October 25	12:00 pm	at No. 11 Colorado Mines	No. 12	North Area Athletic Complex Arvada, CO		W 20–12	2,050	^[9]
November 1	2:00 pm	Black Hills State	No. 9	ThunderBowl Pueblo, CO		W 49–7	6,817
November 8	7:00 pm	at Colorado Mesa	No. 8	Ralph Stocker Stadium Grand Junction, CO	A1 HD	W 52–3	1,616	^[10]
November 15	2:00 pm	New Mexico Highlands	No. 8	ThunderBowl Pueblo, CO		W 44–21	4,239	^[11]
November 29	12:00 pm	No. T–23 Angelo State*	No. 8	ThunderBowl Pueblo, CO (NCAA Division II Second Round)		W 52–14	3,613	^[12]
December 6	12:00 pm	No. 9 Ohio Dominican*	No. 8	ThunderBowl Pueblo, CO (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)		W 31–28	4,186	^[13]
December 13	4:30 pm	No. 25 West Georgia*	No. 8	ThunderBowl Pueblo, CO (NCAA Division II Semifinal)	ESPN3	W 10–7	7,236	^[14]
December 20	2:00 pm	vs. No. 1 Minnesota State*	No. 8	Sporting Park Kansas City, MO (NCAA Division II Championship Game)	ESPN2	W 13–0	6,762	^[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

^[16]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Final
AFCA poll	4^[17]	2^[18]	2 (6)^[19]	2 (2)^[20]	2 (1)^[21]	2 (1)^[22]	14^[23]	12^[24]	9^[25]	8^[26]	8^[27]	8^[28]	1 (31)^[29]

Game summaries

At No. 11 West Texas A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 11 Buffaloes	3	0	0	3	6
No. 4 ThunderWolves	14	7	7	7	35

Statistics	WTAMU	CSUP
First downs	16	19
Total yards	302	440
Rushing yards	94	163
Passing yards	208	277
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	27:15	32:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Texas A&M	Passing	Preston Rabb	25/49, 208 yards
	Rushing	Venric Mark	12 rushes, 58 yards
	Receiving	Jarrian Rhone	5 receptions, 72 yards
CSU Pueblo	Passing	Chris Bonner	16/31, 277 yards, 4 TD, INT
	Rushing	Cameron McDondle	21 rushes, 83 yards
	Receiving	Paul Browning	4 receptions, 102 yards, TD

At No. 15 (FCS) Sam Houston State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 ThunderWolves	14	13	17	3	47
No. 15 (FCS) Bearkats	0	0	7	14	21

Statistics	CSUP	SHSU
First downs	20	17
Total yards	446	231
Rushing yards	187	85
Passing yards	259	146
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	36:54	23:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
CSU Pueblo	Passing	Chris Bonner	20/32, 255 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Cameron McDondle	14 rushes, 116 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Paul Browning	7 receptions, 98 yards, TD
Sam Houston State	Passing	Don King III	5/7, 74 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Keshawn Hill	12 rushes, 55 yards, TD
	Receiving	LaDarius Brown	3 receptions, 47 yards

Vs. No. 1 Minnesota State (NCAA Division II Championship Game)

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 ThunderWolves	0	10	3	0	13
No. 1 Mavericks	0	0	0	0	0

Statistics	CSUP	MSU
First downs	16	12
Total yards	327	265
Rushing yards	136	105
Passing yards	191	160
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	32:11	27:49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
CSU Pueblo	Passing	Chris Bonner	17/30, 191 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Cameron McDondle	28 rushes, 113 yards
	Receiving	Paul Browning	5 receptions, 84 yards, TD
Minnesota State	Passing	Ricky Lloyd	15/21, 99 yards
	Rushing	Ricky Lloyd	12 rushes, 67 yards
	Receiving	Dorian Buford	5 receptions, 50 yards

References

↑ "2014 Football Standings". Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
↑ "West Texas A& at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 9/4/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
↑ "CSU-Pueblo at. Sam Houston State - Box Score - 9/13/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
↑ "CSU-Pueblo at. Western State - Box Score - 9/20/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
↑ "CSU-Pueblo at. Western New Mexico - Box Score - 9/27/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
↑ "Adams State at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 10/4/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
↑ "CSU-Pueblo at. Fort Lewis - Box Score - 10/11/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
↑ "Chadron State at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 10/18/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
↑ "CSU-Pueblo at. Colorado Mines - Box Score - 10/25/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
↑ "CSU-Pueblo at. Colorado Mesa - Box Score - 11/8/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
↑ "N.M. Highlands at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 11/15/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
↑ "Angelo State at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 11/29/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
↑ "Ohio Dominican at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 12/6/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
↑ "West Georgia at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 12/13/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
↑ "CSU-Pueblo at. Minnesota State - Box Score - 12/20/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
↑ "2014 Football Schedule". Colorado State University-Pueblo Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
↑ "Northwest Missouri State Opens 2014 Season at No. 1". American Football Coaches Association. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
↑ "Northwest Missouri State Still No. 1 in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. September 8, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
↑ "Eight Top 25 Losses Shuffle Up Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. September 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
↑ "Top Ten Unchanged in AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll". American Football Coaches Association. September 22, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
↑ "UWG Makes First Appearance in Division II Poll Since 2001". American Football Coaches Association. September 29, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
↑ "Concord Makes First Appearance in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
↑ "Losses by 5 Top 25 Teams Cause Shakeup in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. October 13, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
↑ "Pittsburg State Stuns Northwest Missouri State". American Football Coaches Association. October 20, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
↑ "Minnesota State-Mankato Still No. 1 in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. October 27, 2014. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
↑ "Lenoir-Rhyne Rises to No. 3 in AFCA Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
↑ "Little Change in AFCA Division II Coaches' Top 25 Poll". American Football Coaches Association. November 10, 2014. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
↑ "Minnesota State-Mankato Ends Regular Season at No. 1". American Football Coaches Association. November 17, 2014. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
↑ "Colorado State-Pueblo Ends 2014 No. 1 in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. December 22, 2014. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.

[1] "2014 Football Standings". Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Retrieved March 19, 2026.

[2] "West Texas A& at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 9/4/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.

[3] "CSU-Pueblo at. Sam Houston State - Box Score - 9/13/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.

[4] "CSU-Pueblo at. Western State - Box Score - 9/20/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.

[5] "CSU-Pueblo at. Western New Mexico - Box Score - 9/27/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.

[6] "Adams State at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 10/4/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.

[7] "CSU-Pueblo at. Fort Lewis - Box Score - 10/11/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.

[8] "Chadron State at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 10/18/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2014.

[9] "CSU-Pueblo at. Colorado Mines - Box Score - 10/25/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.

[10] "CSU-Pueblo at. Colorado Mesa - Box Score - 11/8/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.

[11] "N.M. Highlands at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 11/15/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.

[12] "Angelo State at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 11/29/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[13] "Ohio Dominican at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 12/6/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.

[14] "West Georgia at. CSU-Pueblo - Box Score - 12/13/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2014.

[15] "CSU-Pueblo at. Minnesota State - Box Score - 12/20/2014 - Colorado State Pueblo". gothunderwolves.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2014.

[16] "2014 Football Schedule". Colorado State University-Pueblo Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 19, 2026.

[17] "Northwest Missouri State Opens 2014 Season at No. 1". American Football Coaches Association. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.

[18] "Northwest Missouri State Still No. 1 in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. September 8, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.

[19] "Eight Top 25 Losses Shuffle Up Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. September 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.

[20] "Top Ten Unchanged in AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll". American Football Coaches Association. September 22, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.

[21] "UWG Makes First Appearance in Division II Poll Since 2001". American Football Coaches Association. September 29, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.

[22] "Concord Makes First Appearance in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.

[23] "Losses by 5 Top 25 Teams Cause Shakeup in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. October 13, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.

[24] "Pittsburg State Stuns Northwest Missouri State". American Football Coaches Association. October 20, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.

[25] "Minnesota State-Mankato Still No. 1 in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. October 27, 2014. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.

[26] "Lenoir-Rhyne Rises to No. 3 in AFCA Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.

[27] "Little Change in AFCA Division II Coaches' Top 25 Poll". American Football Coaches Association. November 10, 2014. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.

[28] "Minnesota State-Mankato Ends Regular Season at No. 1". American Football Coaches Association. November 17, 2014. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.

[29] "Colorado State-Pueblo Ends 2014 No. 1 in Division II Poll". American Football Coaches Association. December 22, 2014. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.

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CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves football
Venues	ThunderBowl (2008–present)
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985–2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
National championship seasons in bold

NCAA Division II football champions
1970s	1973: Louisiana Tech 1974: Central Michigan 1975: Northern Michigan 1976: Montana State 1977: Lehigh 1978: Eastern Illinois 1979: Delaware
1980s	1980: Cal Poly 1981: Southwest Texas State 1982: Southwest Texas State 1983: North Dakota State 1984: Troy State 1985: North Dakota State 1986: North Dakota State 1987: Troy State 1988: North Dakota State 1989: Mississippi College (vacated)
1990s	1990: North Dakota State 1991: Pittsburg State 1992: Jacksonville State 1993: North Alabama 1994: North Alabama 1995: North Alabama 1996: Northern Colorado 1997: Northern Colorado 1998: Northwest Missouri State 1999: Northwest Missouri State
2000s	2000: Delta State 2001: North Dakota 2002: Grand Valley State 2003: Grand Valley State 2004: Valdosta State 2005: Grand Valley State 2006: Grand Valley State 2007: Valdosta State 2008: Minnesota–Duluth 2009: Northwest Missouri State
2010s	2010: Minnesota–Duluth 2011: Pittsburg State 2012: Valdosta State 2013: Northwest Missouri State 2014: CSU Pueblo 2015: Northwest Missouri State 2016: Northwest Missouri State 2017: Texas A&M–Commerce 2018: Valdosta State 2019: West Florida
2020s	2020: No champion 2021: Ferris State 2022: Ferris State 2023: Harding 2024: Ferris State 2025: Ferris State

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football champions
Pre-divisional era	Colorado (1909) Colorado College & Colorado (1910) Colorado (1911) Colorado Mines (1912) Colorado (1913) Colorado Mines (1914) Colorado Agricultural (1915) Colorado Agricultural (1916) Denver (1917) Colorado Mines (1918) Colorado College & Utah (1919) Colorado Agricultural (1920) Utah Agricultural (1921) Utah (1922) Colorado (1923) Colorado (1924) Colorado Agricultural (1925) Utah (1926) Colorado Agricultural (1927) Utah (1928) Utah (1929) Utah (1930) Utah (1931) Utah (1932) Colorado A&M, Denver, & Utah (1933) Colorado, Colorado Agricultural, & Colorado Teachers (1934) Colorado & Utah State Utah State (1936) Colorado (1937) Montana State (1938) Colorado Mines (1939) Colorado College (1940) Colorado College (1941) Colorado Mines (1942) No league play due to World War II (1943–1944) Colorado College (1945) Montana State (1946) Montana State (1947) Colorado State–Greeley (1948) Colorado College (1949) Colorado College (1950) Colorado Mines (1951) Idaho State (1952) Idaho State (1953) Montana State (1954) Idaho State (1955)
NAIA Division I	Montana State (1956) Idaho State (1957) Colorado College & Colorado Mines (1958) Idaho State (1959) Adams State (1960) Adams State (1961) Adams State (1962) Western State (1963) Western State (1964) Western State (1965) Western State (1966) Adams State (1967) Adams State (1968) Colorado State–Greeley (1969) Pittsburg State (1970) Northern Colorado (1971) Adams State (1972)
NCAA Division II	Western State (1973) Western State (1974) Western State (1975) Western State (1976) Western State (1977) Western State (1978) Western State (1979) Adams State & Southern Colorado (1980) N.M. Highlands (1981) Mesa State (1982) Mesa State (1983) Fort Lewis (1984) Mesa State (1985) Mesa State (1986) Mesa State (1987) Mesa State (1988) Adams State (1989) Mesa State (1990) Western State (1991) Western State (1992) Fort Hays State (1993) Western State (1994) Fort Hays State & Western State (1995) Chadron State (1996) Western State (1997) Chadron State & Western State (1998) Chadron State & N.M. Highlands (1999) Mesa State (2000) Chadron State (2001) Chadron State & Nebraska–Kearney (2002) Mesa State (2003) Colorado Mines (2004) Nebraska–Kearney (2005) Chadron State (2006) Chadron State (2007) Chadron State (2008) Nebraska–Kearney (2009) Colorado Mines & Nebraska–Kearney (2010) CSU Pueblo (2011) CSU Pueblo (2012) CSU Pueblo (2013) CSU Pueblo & Colorado Mines (2014) Mesa State (2015) Mesa State, Colorado Mines & CSU Pueblo (2016) CSU Pueblo & Mesa State (2017) CSU Pueblo & Colorado Mines (2018) Colorado Mines (2019) No season (2020) Colorado Mines & Western Colorado (2021) Colorado Mines (2022) Colorado Mines (2023) CSU Pueblo (2024) CSU Pueblo (2025)
National championships in bold