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Utah Tech University Athletics

2019 FB - Wilstead vs. CSUP - FLC Recap
Stan Plewe/Utah Tech Athletics
23
Winner Dixie State DSFB 1-1 , 1-1
14
Fort Lewis FLC 1-1 , 1-1
Winner
Dixie State DSFB
1-1 , 1-1
23
Final
14
Fort Lewis FLC
1-1 , 1-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
DSFB Dixie State 0 0 10 13 23
FLC Fort Lewis 7 7 0 0 14

Game Recap: Football | | By DSU Athletics Media Relations

Trailblazers rally for 23-14 win at Fort Lewis

DSU overcomes 14-0 halftime deficit to claim first win

There's just something about the second half at Ray Dennison Memorial Field in Durango, Colorado.
 
Less than two years after the Dixie State football team rallied for a 23-13 win over Fort Lewis in its last trip to Durango in 2017, the Trailblazers (1-1, 1-1 RMAC) did it again on Saturday, erasing a 14-0 halftime deficit to claim a 23-14 win, the first for Paul Peterson on the DSU sideline.
 
The stories were almost identical. Trailing by two touchdowns with no points scored at halftime, Dixie State came alive in the second half to emerge victorious.
 
After totaling just 126 yard of total offense in the first half, the Trailblazers exploded for 311 yards of offense in the second half, while holding the Skyhawks to just 105 yards of production over the final two quarters.
 
"There was no panic at halftime," Peterson said. "It was just about everybody doing their job, having each other's back, and trusting what their assignment was. We came out and stepped it up in the second half and made the plays."
 
Dixie State struggled to move the ball past the FLC 40-yard line in the first half, but that all changed on the opening drive of the second half.
 
With Kody Wilstead at quarterback, the Trailblazers engineered their longest touchdown-scoring drive of the game, marching 73 yards down the field in nine plays. Wilstead started the drive with a 7-yard run, followed by a pass interference call on a pass intended for Rickie Johnson. After a pair of D'Arman Notoa rush attempts, Wilstead found a wide-open Dejuan Dantzler for a 37-yard touchdown strike. James Baird nailed the PAT to cut the lead to 14-7 at the 11:57 mark of the third quarter.
 
Dixie State would force a punt on the ensuing Fort Lewis drive, but just two plays into the Dixie State possession, FLC defensive back Ka'lonn Milton snared a leaping, one-handed interception to get the ball back. But the DSU defense wouldn't allow the momentum to change with the possession, forcing an immediate 3-and-out to get the DSU offense back in business.
 
Beginning at their own 4-yard line, the Trailblazers marched to the FLC 4-yard line with hopes of tying the game. But the drive stalled, and Baird connected on his first DSU field goal attempt, a 22-yarder, to cut the lead to 14-10 at the 2:50 mark.
 
Fort Lewis looked to answer on the ensuing drive, needing just four plays to set up at the DSU 4-yard line. The Skyhawks seemed destined to find the end zone and push the lead to 21-10. But Alex Lilliard would not allow it.
 
Facing a 2nd-and-goal early in the fourth quarter, FLC quarterback Jake Lowry kept the ball on a run to the left. Lilliard read the play, chasing him down from behind. What happened next saved the game for the Trailblazers. Lilliard ripped the ball from Lowry on the way to the ground, gaining DSU's first defensive takeway of the season.  
 
"That was a big stop," Peterson said. "It's always big when the defense can give us a short field or get the ball back. Those types of plays are huge for us."
 
The Trailblazers wouldn't take advantage of the turnover with any points, but the stop held the Skyhawks out of the end zone, setting up the DSU go-ahead touchdown later in the final stanza.
 
After forcing another FLC 3-and-out, Wilstead found Smith down the right sideline on the first play of the drive. Wilstead delivered a strike, and Smith sprinted untouched down the sideline for a 58-yard score to give DSU a 16-14 lead with 4:31 to play.
 
The Dixie State defense would then force two turnovers over the last four minutes of the game, combined with a 72-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Conner Miller on a critical third-down play, to seal the come-from-behind 23-14 victory.
 
The Trailblazers finished the game with 437 yards (368 pass, 69 rush) of total offense. Wilstead completed 16-of-32 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Miller finished with a team-high 110 yards receiving and one touchdown on three catches.
 
Defensively, Dixie State allowed 328 yards (212 pass, 116 rush) of total offense. Darrius Nash and Simote Lokotui finished with a team-best seven tackles, while Nash added an interception and Lokotui added two sacks.
 
The Trailblazers will continue their three-game road swing next Saturday at New Mexico Highlands. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
 
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