MEDIA INFORMATION Date Sat., Sept. 8 | 6 p.m.  MT Location Trailblazer Stadium | St. George, Utah TV CEC-TV (TDS Channel 22) Radio Radio Dixie 91.3 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) , Fort Lewis Twitter @DixieAthletics #RMACfb #DixieBlazers DIXIE STATE - FORT LEWIS SERIES Series Dixie State leads, 2-1 At DSU Series Tied, 1-1 At FLC Dixie State leads, 1-0 First Meeting 12/2/06; FLC 24, DSU 14 (@ DSU) Last Meeting 11/11/17; DSU 23, FLC 13 (@FLC) DIXIE STATE TRAILBLAZERS Record 0-1, 0-1 RMAC Ranking NR Last Game Sept. 1, 2018 (lost at #14 CSU-Pueblo, 14-56) Head Coach Shay McClure (Southern Oregon, 1995) Career: 11-12 (3rd Season) DSU Record: Same FORT LEWIS SKYHAWKS Record 0-1, 0-1 RMAC Ranking NR Last Game Sept. 1, 2018 (lost vs. N.M. Highlands, 31-45) Head Coach Joe Morris (Fort Lewis, 2005) Career: 5-7 (2nd Season) FLC Record: Same

After opening the season on the road, Dixie State football is set to host Fort Lewis on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Trailblazer Stadium in the 2018 home-opener.   
 
Live coverage is scheduled on television (CEC-TV – TDS Channel 22), radio (Radio Dixie 91.3 FM), and internet (DSU Stretch Internet Portal), with Keric Seegmiller providing play-by-play. Live stats will also be available at DixieStateAthletics.com.
 
CHARTWAY CLASSIC KICKOFF: Saturday's home-opener is a red-out and will be filled with festivities as part of the Chartway Classic Kickoff, beginning with the DSU Tailgate Party from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Innovation Plaza field. Kids 18-years-old and younger will receive free admission to the game, while adult general admission tickets can be purchased for just $5.
 
The first 2,000 fans inside the stadium will receive a free red Trailblazer t-shirt. The game's halftime show will mark DSU history with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new east grand stand. The fun continues after the game with a fan fest, including free ice cream and a movie at the stadium (Remember the Titans).
 
 
ALL-TIME IN HOME-OPENERS: Saturday's game marks the first home game of the 2018 season for Dixie State. The Trailblazers are 5-7 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. The Trailblazers grabbed a 21-14 victory over New Mexico Highlands on Sept. 1, 2016, for its first season-opening win as a member of the RMAC. DSU earned its most recent home-opening win last season in a 38-16 victory over Black Hills State.
 
ALL-TIME VS. FORT LEWIS: Saturday's game marks the fourth meeting between Fort Lewis and Dixie State on the gridiron. The teams first met in the Dixie Rotary Bowl in St. George on Dec. 2, 2006. Fort Lewis rallied for a 24-14 victory, after trailing 14-3 at halftime, to claim the victory. The Trailblazers earned their first win in the series in 2016 in a 16-14 thriller in St. George, clinching their first winning season in the process. Dixie State rallied for a 23-13 comeback triumph last season in the most recent matchup between the teams. Dixie State holds a 2-1 lead in the overall series, while the series is tied at 1-1 in games played at Trailblazer Stadium.
 
KNOW YOUR FOE: Fort Lewis enters Saturday's game with an 0-1 record following last week's 45-31 loss to New Mexico Highlands. The Skyhawks exploded for 549 yards, outgaining the Cowboys by nearly 100 yards, but couldn't overcome three turnovers and 12 penalties. Quarterback Jake Lowry connected on 23-of-46 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another 136 yards and two more scores. Ta'Jon Mondy-Smith was Lowry's favorite target, catching five passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Brayden Lucero complimented Lowry in the ground game with 90 yards on 23 carries.
 
Defensively, the Skyhawks allowed 455 yards (246 pass/209 rush) of total offense. Donell Pleasant III led the FLC defensive attack with eight tackles, while Dre Cortez snagged the lone Skyhawk interception and Nathan Aguilar recorded the lone FLC sack.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State dropped its 2018 season-opener on Saturday in Pueblo, Colorado, suffering a 56-14 loss to Colorado State-Pueblo at the Thunderbowl. The Trailblazers fell victim to the big play in the setback, conceding six scoring plays of 65 yards or more, including two 80-yard touchdown runs in the third quarter.
 
DSU finished with 253 yards of total offense (185 pass, 68 rush). Trent Darms (Chico, Calif./Pleasant Valley HS) completed 12-of-31 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown in his Dixie State debut. Lawrence Starks (Fontana, Calif./Etiwanda HS) rushed for 47 yards on 14 carries, while Desmond Davis picked up 42 yards on 16 carries. Xavier Smith (Kansas City, Mo./Ruskin HS) led the receiving corps with three catches for 76 yards and one touchdown, while Brad Duran (Corona, Calif./Santiago HS) made five catches for 47 yards, and Dejuan Dantzler (Moreno Valley, Calif./Citrus Hill HS) also snagged three passes for 39 yards.

Defensively, the Trailblazers conceded 573 yards of total offense (496 rush/77 pass). Shiloh Pritchard (American Samoa/Leone HS) led the defense with seven tackles and one sack to go with a pick-six. Abraham Reinhardt (Wailuku, Hawaii/H.P. Baldwin HS), Mike Jones (San Diego, Calif./Mount Miguel HS), and Jaylen Moore (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS) added five tackles each.
 
MAKING HISTORY: Freshman punter Josh Carlson (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert HS) set a new Dixie State record in his Trailblazer debut with an 81-yard punt in the third quarter at Fort Lewis, eclipsing the previous mark of 78 yards set by Nate Lewis against Humboldt State in 2007.
 
UP NEXT: The Trailblazers continue their three-game homestand against New Mexico Highlands next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.