MEDIA INFORMATION Date Sat., Sept. 16 | 6 p.m. MT Location Legend Solar Stadium (5,500) | St. George, UT  TV CEC-TV (TDS Channel 22) Radio ESPN SportsRadio 97.7 FM WATCH/LISTEN WATCH (Dixie State Live Video) LISTEN (Online Radio Stream)   Live Stats Dixie State Live Stats Ticket Info Purchase Tickets Game Notes Dixie State (PDF) , Black Hills State (PDF) Twitter @DixieAthletics #RMACfb #BlazeForward DIXIE STATE - BHSU SERIES Series BHSU leads 1-0 At DSU N/A At BHSU BHSU leads 1-0 First Meeting 9/17/16; BHSU 20, DSU 14 - Spearfish, S.D. Last Meeting 9/17/16; BHSU 20, DSU 14 - Spearfish, S.D. DIXIE STATE TRAILBLAZERS Record 0-2, 0-2 RMAC Ranking NR Last Game Sept. 9, 2017 (lost at SD Mines, 14-35) Head Coach Shay McClure (Southern Oregon, 1995) Career: 6-7 (2nd Season) DSU Record: Same BLACK HILLS STATE YELLOWJACKETS Record 1-1, 1-1 RMAC Ranking NR Last Game Sept. 9, 2017 (lost vs. Fort Lewis, 13-17) Head Coach John Reiners (Chadron State, 1995) Career: 18-39 (6th Season) BHSU Record: Same

After two consecutive weeks on the road, the Dixie State football team opens the home portion of its 2017 schedule on Saturday, playing host to Black Hills State at 6 p.m. inside Legend Solar Stadium.

Live coverage is scheduled on television (CEC-TV – TDS Cable Channel 22), radio (ESPN Sports Radio 97.7 FM), and internet (DSU Stretch Internet Portal), with Keric Seegmiller providing play-by-play and Andy Thompson offering analysis and color commentary.

ALL-TIME IN HOME-OPENERS: Saturday's game marks the first home game of the 2017 season for Dixie State. The Trailblazers are 4-7 all-time (NCAA Division II era) in home schedule-opening games, dating back to the 2006 season. DSU earned a 24-16 triumph over Adams State on Sept. 1, 2007, for its first home-opening win. The Trailblazers again defeated the Grizzlies (37-28) in the 2009 home-opener, before outlasting Western Oregon for a 24-10 victory in the 2012 home-opener. DSU earned its most recent home-opening win last season in a 21-14 win over New Mexico Highlands.

RED OUT T-SHIRTS: Saturday's game is a Red Out with free red t-shirts given to the first 1,000 fans to arrive at Legend Solar Stadium.

ALL-TIME VS. BLACK HILLS STATE: Saturday's game marks the second meeting between Dixie State and Black Hills State. The teams first met on Sept. 17, 2016, in Spearfish, South Dakota, in a game that saw DSU manage just 38 yards of total offense in the first half. BHSU built a 20-0 advantage before the Trailblazers rallied in the second half and pulled to within 20-14 late in the fourth quarter. However, a potential game-winning drive stalled in Yellow Jacket territory, and BHSU claimed the first victory of the series.

KNOW YOUR FOE: After a record-breaking season in 2016 (7-4, 6-4 RMAC), Black Hills State split its first two games of the new season. The Yellow Jackets opened the 2017 campaign with a 47-41, double overtime-thriller win over Adams State, but dropped a 17-13 decision in week two to Fort Lewis.

Black Hills State currently ranks third in the RMAC in total offense, averaging 487.0 yards (258.0 pass/229.0 rush) per game. Junior quarterback Ryan Hommel has led the BHSU charge, accounting for 275.5 of total offense per game through the first two games of the season. However, Hommel left in the third quarter vs. Fort Lewis with an injury. Redshirt junior Ben Sjobakken replaced Hommel and finished with 126 yards passing and one touchdown. Sjobakken is projected to start on Saturday. Senior running back Phydell Paris paces the BHSU ground attack, averaging 110.5 yards rushing per game. Redshirt senior receiver Shandon Jones represents the Yellow Jackets' favorite passing-game target. Jones has collected 10 catches for 105 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, BHSU allows 403.0 yards (226.0 pass/177.0 rush) per game. Senior defensive lineman Thayer Sauter leads the defense with an RMAC-best 26 tackles on the season. Junior linebacker Austin Goddard is close behind with 19 tackles, while junior defensive back JJ Kilgore has logged 17 tackles.  

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State couldn't overcome a first-half surge by South Dakota Mines, and dropped a 35-14 decision on Saturday at O'Harra Stadium in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The Trailblazers found themselves into a 14-0 hole after the Hardrockers marched down the field and into the end zone on their first two possessions.

Dixie State responded with a 10-play, 74-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Sei-J Lauago (Paramount, Calif./La Mirada HS) to cut the lead to 14-7 at the 3:01 mark of the opening period. Lauago rushed for 30 yards on five carries on the drive, while graduate senior quarterback Malik Watson (Pittsburg, Calif./Pittsburg HS) found graduate senior receiver Josiah Blandin (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) with a 30-yard strike down the sideline for the highlight of the drive.

But the momentum didn't stay on the DSU sideline for long, as SD Mines countered with a 67-yard run on the first play of the ensuing possession to set up an 8-yard touchdown run. The Hardrockers needed just 26 seconds to regain control of the game with a 21-7 lead at the 2:35 mark of the first quarter. SDSMT added to the lead with a 9-yard touchdown run just 52 seconds into the second quarter to push the advantage to 28-7.

The Trailblazers countered with another lengthy scoring drive midway through the second frame, this time marching 80 yards in eight plays. Junior receiver Orlando Wallace (Cathedral City, Calif./Cathedral City HS) capped the drive with a 17-yard touchdown catch to pull to within 28-14 at the 3:51 mark.

After the teams combined for 42 points in the first half, the second half turned into a defensive battle. The teams traded punts through a scoreless third quarter and the majority of the fourth quarter. SD Mines sealed the game late in the final frame with a 51-yard touchdown run to push the lead to the eventual final score of 35-14.

Dixie State finished the game with 387 yards of total offense (284 pass/103 rush). Watson completed 26-of-45 passes for 284 yards and one touchdown and two interceptions. Blandin made four catches for a team-high 101 receiving yards, while Lauago added 46 yards on a touchdown on the ground.

Defensively, the Trailblazers conceded 481 yards (258 rush/223 pass). Junior linebacker Tane Tuifua (Waianae, Hawai'i/St. Louis HS) recorded a career-best 12 tackles to lead the defensive effort, while junior safety Trayvon Watson (Los Angeles, Calif./West Adams Prep HS) and sophomore safety Mike Jones (San Diego, Calif./Mount Miguel HS) finished with 10 tackles each.

NEXT UP: Dixie State hosts former Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Central Washington in a non-conference contest next Saturday at 6 p.m. at Legend Solar Stadium.