MEDIA INFORMATION Date Sat., Sept. 30 | 1 p.m. MT Location Mountaineer Bowl (4,000) | Gunnison, Colo. TV None Radio ESPN 97.7 FM (Keric Seegmiller) WATCH/LISTEN WATCH (Western State Live Video) LISTEN (Online Radio Stream)   Live Stats Western State Live Stats Ticket Info Purchase Tickets Game Notes Dixie State (PDF) , Western State (PDF) Twitter @DixieAthletics #RMACfb #BlazeForward DIXIE STATE - WSCU SERIES Series Dixie State leads 1-0 At DSU Dixie State leads 1-0 At WSCU N/A First Meeting 10/1/16; DSU 28, WSCU 20 (@ DSU) Last Meeting 10/1/16; DSU 28, WSCU 20 (@ DSU) DIXIE STATE TRAILBLAZERS Record 1-3, 1-2 RMAC Ranking NR Last Game Sept. 23, 2017 (lost vs. Central Wash., 40-58) Head Coach Shay McClure (Southern Oregon, 1995) Career: 7-8 (2nd Season) DSU Record: Same WESTERN STATE COLORADO MOUNTAINEERS Record 0-4, 0-4 RMAC Ranking NR Last Game Sept. 23, 2017 (lost at Colorado Mines, 7-45) Head Coach Jas Bains (Fresno State, 2004) Career: 19-51 (7th Season) WSCU Record: Same

After its lone non-conference game of the season last week, Dixie State football is set to resume Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Western State Colorado in Gunnison, Colorado.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. inside the Mountaineer Bowl, as the Trailblazers (1-3, 1-2 RMAC) make their first trip to Gunnison for a matchup on the gridiron. Live audio coverage is scheduled on radio (ESPN 97.7 FM) and online (SportsRadio977.com), with Keric Seegmiller providing play-by-play.

ALL-TIME VS. WESTERN STATE: Saturday's game marks the second meeting between Dixie State and Western State. The teams first met last season on Oct. 1, 2016, at Legend Solar Stadium in St. George. The Trailblazers earned a 28-20 victory in the inaugural matchup despite being outgained 394-378 by the Mountaineers. Redshirt sophomore Blake Barney (St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) made his only appearance of the 2016 contest in the game, leading the offense to 277 yards on the ground. The teams traded touchdowns and leads throughout the game, until the Trailblazers sealed the game with a 9-play, 69-yard scoring drive with less than three minutes remaining to seal the first win of the series. Saturday's game will mark the first time the teams match up at the Mountaineer Bowl.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Western State enters Saturday's matchup with an 0-4 record, both overall and in RMAC play. The Mountaineers opened the 2017 season at Colorado Mesa (L, 23-49), before heading to Adams State (L, 14-51) in week two. Following two consecutive games on the road, WSCU returned to Gunnison to host Chadron State (L, 7-49) in week three, before making a trip to Colorado Mines (L, 7-45) last week.

The Mountaineers average 266.2 yards of total offense (176.8 pass/89.5 rush) per game. Freshman quarterback Dylan Jacob captains the WSCU offense, and has completed 75-of-130 passes for 700 yards and four touchdowns to go with six interceptions. Redshirt sophomore running back Justice Macneal-Young leads the ground attack with 205 yards rushing on 66 carries. Senior receiver Elijah Gilbert (9 catches/149 yards/2 TD) and redshirt junior receiver Rodray Perkins (20 catches/142 yards) have been Jacob's favorite targets through four games.

Defensively, Western State allows 474.2 yards (274.5 pass/199.8 rush) per game. Three WSCU defenders have logged 20 or more tackles on the season, including redshirt junior linebacker Justin Barham (23 tackles), redshirt freshman linebacker Lane Farris (23 tackles, 2.5 TFL), and redshirt sophomore linebacker Desmond Marfizo (20 tackles, 1.0 TFL).

Sophomore kicker Max Smith has converted 1-of-4 field goal attempts on the season, a 48-yarder at Colorado Mesa. Sophomore punter Garrett Boyd ranks second in the RMAC in total punting, averaging 42.1 yards per punt on 35 attempts.

LEADING THE LEAGUE: Through four games Dixie State leads the RMAC in pass defense (164.0 yards per game) and kickoff coverage (42.1 return yards per game). The Trailblazers rank second in interceptions with five takeaways through the air.

LAST TIME OUT: The Trailblazers dropped a 58-40 decision to No. 20 Central Washington on Saturday. Dixie State scored first on a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage by Sei-J Lauago (Paramount, Calif./La Mirada HS), but the Wildcats responded with 21 unanswered points. DSU trimmed the lead to 21-14 in the second quarter, but CWU took control, scoring 28 unanswered points to build a 49-14 lead. Dixie State countered with 26 points in the fourth quarter to trim the final margin to 58-40. 

NEXT UP: Dixie State returns to Legend Solar Stadium for a two-game homestand, beginning next Saturday, October 7, vs. Chadron State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.