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Utah Tech University Athletics

Lika Palmer vs. WSCU
Western State Athletics
15
Winner Dixie State DSFB 2-3 , 2-2
12
Western State WSFB 0-5 , 0-5
Winner
Dixie State DSFB
2-3 , 2-2
15
Final
12
Western State WSFB
0-5 , 0-5
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
DSFB Dixie State 0 9 6 0 15
WSFB Western State 3 6 0 3 12

Game Recap: Football | | By DSU Athletics Media Relations

Football holds off Western State Saturday, 15-12

Trailblazers rally from 9-0 deficit for road win in Colorado

The Dixie State football team overcame an early deficit and held off Western State for a 15-12 victory on Saturday at the Mountaineer Bowl in Gunnison, Colorado.

The Trailblazers (2-3, 2-2 RMAC) found themselves in an early 9-0 hole after the Mountaineers converted a 33-yard field goal and returned a DSU fumble on a backwards swing pass for a touchdown.

Dixie State responded with a 10-play, 78-yard drive to cut the lead to 9-6 with 6:54 remaining in the second quarter. Sophomore running back Sei-J Lauago (Paramount, Calif./La Mirada HS) rushed for 35 yards on the drive, including a 24-yard burst to push DSU across midfield for the first time. Lauago capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. Redshirt sophomore Blake Barney (St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) added 26 yards on the ground during the drive, including a 9-yard scamper to the 1-yard line to set up the touchdown run.

The Trailblazers forced a Western State punt on the ensuing possession and marched 70 yards to the WSCU 10-yard line. With a 1st-and-goal deep in the red zone, DSU seemed poised to take the lead before halftime. But, the drive stalled, and redshirt freshman kicker A.J. Yergensen (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) converted a 23-yard field goal on his first collegiate attempt to tie the game at 9-9 heading into the locker room.

The teams traded punts through the first eight minutes of the third quarter and neither squad managed to cross midfield. Dixie State bucked the trend on its next drive, marching 92 yards in seven plays to take a 15-9 lead with 3:54 remaining in the frame. Graduate senior quarterback Malik Watson (Pittsburg, Calif./Pittsburg HS) completed 4-of-5 passes for 43 yards on the drive, including a 29-yard strike to graduate senior receiver Josiah Blandin (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly) on 3rd-and-5. Freshman running back Lika Palmer (Winchester, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS) put the finishing touches on the drive four plays later, breaking free for 35 yards and his first collegiate touchdown.

Western State threatened to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter, marching to the DSU 24-yard line. But the DSU defense stiffened and forced a 43-yard field goal attempt. WSCU kicker Max Smith converted the attempt to cut the lead to 15-12 with 4:42 remaining in the game. But that was as close as the Mountaineers would get.

The Trailblazers ran the final 4:42 off the clock on the ensuing drive, marching 63 yards in nine plays to the WSCU 12-yard line before lining up in victory formation for the final play. DSU used a balanced attack of pass and run to run out the clock, including a crucial third down conversion from its own 37-yard line. Facing a 3rd-and-10 and the possibility a punt back to WSCU, Watson fired a 39-yard strike down the left sideline. Redshirt sophomore receiver Kasey Allison (Moreno Valley, Calif./Canyon Springs HS) made a diving catch at the WSCU 24-yard to extend the Trailblazer drive and seal the win.

Dixie State finished with 367 yards of total offense (239 rush/128 pass). Lauago led the attack with 111 yards rushing and a touchdown on 18 carries, marking the first Trailblazer to eclipse the century mark in back-to-back games this season. Barney added 82 yards on 18 carries, while Watson completed 11-of-14 passes for 131 yards. Allison finished with a team-high 58 yards receiving on four catches.

Defensively, the Trailblazers conceded a season-low 208 yards (106 rush/102 pass), while keeping the Mountaineers without an offensive touchdown. Senior linebacker Noe Perez (Santa Ana, Calif./Los Amigo HS) recorded a team-high seven tackles with three sacks, while junior linebacker Tane Tuifua (Waianae, Hawai'i/St. Louis HS) and sophomore linebacker Alex Lilliard (San Diego, Calif./Grossmont HS) added six tackles each.

Dixie State returns to Legend Solar Stadium for a two-game homestand, beginning with a showdown vs. Chadron State on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
 
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