Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | TARLETON STATE - PDF
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OPENING KICK: After a four-week, three-game road gauntlet against three top-15 ranked teams, Dixie State (0-5/0-0 WAC) returns to Greater Zion Stadium for its first-ever Western Athletic Conference football game this Saturday night when the Trailblazers host Tarleton State (2-3/0-1 WAC). Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. (MT).

DIXIE STATE ON THE AIR: All Dixie State home and away games this season are broadcast live on ESPN Radio 97.7 FM, with Devin Dixon calling the play-by-play action and Andy Thompson providing color commentary. A live stream of the radio broadcast will be available at sportsradio977.com.
    Along with the radio coverage, all Dixie State home games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
     In August, the Western Athletic Conference announced a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement with the "The Worldwide Leader" that will see over 500 annual events on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. This will include all Dixie State football, men's basketball, and women's basketball home games and WAC road games.

DIXIE STATE/TARLETON SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's game vs. Tarleton State will be the third meeting between the Trailblazers and Texans on the gridiron.
    In the first NCAA D-I FCS season for both programs played last spring, the two sides split a pair of games, with each claiming victory on the other's home field.
    Dixie State made its FCS debut on the road at then #22 Tarleton in Stephenville, Texas back on Feb. 27, and came away with a hard-fought 26-14 victory.
    The Texans then returned the favor two weeks later when they came to St. George and handed DSU a 37-15 loss in the Blazers' first D-I home game (3/13).

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State fell to 0-5 on the season after a 31-14 decision at No. 6 Montana last Saturday in Missoula.
    The Trailblazers gave the ranked Grizzlies all they could handle in the first half. DSU's defense held Montana to one field goal and 173 total yards, while the offense had a pair of near-misses on its end as the Blazers went into the halftime break trailing by a 3-0 count.
    However Montana struck for a pair of touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters to keep Dixie State at bay. Three of those TDs came before DSU found the end zone itself in the fourth, thanks to a Devin Chandler 38-yard fumble return. The Trailblazer offense provided the final score of the day when quarterback Kenyon Oblad found tight end Cade Veach for a 3-yard pitch and catch with under two minutes to play.

NEW YEAR-NEW HOME: After making its D-I debut as one of three FCS independents last spring (including Tarleton), Dixie State is in its first season as a football playing member of the WAC, joining the other 14 Trailblazer Athletic programs under the conference umbrella.
    Due to previous game contract agreements for 2021, the Trailblazers were not eligible to be listed in the preseason WAC Coaches' Poll, and will face only three of the five football playing conference members.
    Following Saturday's game vs. Tarleton, DSU will host WAC newcomer Stephen F. Austin next weekend for Homecoming (10/23), and will close out its 2021 road slate at WAC newcomer and current No. 1-ranked Sam Houston, which is the defending 2020-21 NCAA FCS champion, on Nov. 6.  
    Starting in 2022, Dixie State, Tarleton, SFA, Sam Houston, Lamar and Abilene Christian, and current Big Sky member and soon-to-be a new in-state rival Southern Utah, will make up the seven-team WAC FCS conference.

SO ABOUT THAT SCHEDULE: To paraphrase the legendary Ric Flair - "To be the best, you gotta beat the best!!!" And judging by who is on the Trailblazers' 2021 schedule, they will have plenty of opportunities to do just that.
    Dixie State's 2021 fall slate is arguably the toughest schedule in the country at the FCS subdivision, a schedule that features seven FCS Spring playoff teams, and an 11-team list that posted a combined .714 overall winning percentage (record based on last completed season).   
    To date, eight of the 11 teams on DSU's slate are listed in the current 2021 AFCA FCS Coaches' top-25 poll, including seven ranked opponents, five of which are ranked in the top-15 overall.
    Defending NCAA FCS champion and WAC newcomer Sam Houston tops the poll and will host DSU on Nov. 6, while the Blazers have already faced current No. 6 Montana (L, 14-31; 10/9), No. 8 South Dakota State (L, 7-55; 10/2), No. 12 UC Davis (L, 27-60; 9/18), and No. 18 Weber State (L, 3-41; 9/11).
    In addition to playing at Sam Houston on Nov. 6, DSU will travel to CAA power No. 15 Delaware (10/30), and will host No. 23 Missouri State in the season finale on Saturday, Nov. 20.
    Along with all the ranked teams listed, DSU will welcome Stephen F. Austin, which received votes in this week's AFCA poll, to St. George for Homecoming next weekend.

DIXIE STATE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: Dixie State's 2021 schedule has given the Blazers a chance to improve on their record against ranked opponents, which currently stands at 3-22 all-time (FCS and D-II combined) after the loss at Montana last Saturday.
    DSU did split a pair of games against ranked opponents last spring, highlighted by its third-ever triumph over a ranked foe in last spring's season opener at then No. 22 Tarleton (Stat Perform ranking, 26-14; 2/27/21). Dixie State also dropped a hard-fought 37-27 decision at then-No. 9 Kennesaw State (AFCA and Stat Perform; 3/20/21).
    Prior to the Tarleton road result, the last DSU win vs. a ranked opponent came on Nov. 3, 2018, in a 52-45 thriller at home against then-No. 6 Colorado School of Mines. DSU claimed its first win over a ranked opponent in a 38-31 victory at then-No. 23 Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction in 2016.

HITTING THE TRAIL: Last spring, Dixie State traveled over 7,500 miles for its three road games at Tarleton State (Stephenville, Texas - 2,220 miles), at New Mexico State (played in El Paso, Texas - 1,458 miles), and at Kennesaw State (Kennesaw, Ga.)
    In fact, the KSU jaunt was a near 3,844-mile round trip, which was the longest road trip in program history, and marked the first time that the Trailblazers played a game EAST of the Mississippi River.
    This season, the Blazers are scheduled to travel over 12,000 miles for their five road dates, including a new program record road trip to Newark, Delaware (4,664 miles) for their game at UD on Oct. 30. DSU will also travel nearly 2,700 to play at South Dakota State (10/2), and just over 2,000 miles to play at Sam Houston (11/6).

GRAYSON EARNS DSU'S FIRST WAC AWARD: Freshman defensive back Tyrell Grayson was named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his stellar play in the Trailblazers' road loss at No. 6 Montana.
    Grayson helped lead an overall strong Trailblazer defensive effort against the nationally-ranked Grizzlies as he racked up 14 tackles (eight solo), including a big first-quarter strip sack inside the DSU red zone that thwarted a possible Montana scoring drive.
    The sack was the freshman's first collegiate and one of two tackles for loss he recorded on the day. Meanwhile his 14 total tackles marked the third time in five games this season that Grayson recorded double figures in tackles.
    In addition, Grayson's forced fumble was the second of his young career, which was the first of four turnovers the DSU defense notched on the day, and he finished a pair of pass breakups for good measure. 

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS:
• Sophomore QB Kenyon Oblad passed for 208 yards and one touchdown last Saturday at Montana ... Oblad went 16-of-30 with one interception, while the sophomore was sacked three times.
• Oblad made his first Trailblazer start at UC Davis (9/18), against which he threw for 342 yards and a collegiate career-high four touchdowns in the loss.
• Oblad's four TD passes eclipsed his previous career-high total of three, which he recorded twice, also on the road, during his freshman year at UNLV in 2019 (at Fresno State 10/18/19; at Nevada 11/30/19).
• Oblad completed 32 of his 58 pass attempts, though he was intercepted five times, and the UCD defense sacked him six times.
• Last spring the DSU offensive line surrendered only five total sacks in five games.
• RS-Freshman QB Kobe Tracy came off the bench and went 14-23-2 for 121 yards at South Dakota State (10/2), which included his third career TD pass when he found fellow freshman Cade Veach from 16 yards out with six seconds left.
• Veach finished that night at SDSU with three catches for a career-high 55 yards to go with his first collegiate TD.
• Veach caught his second TD pass in as many games when he connected with Oblad for a 3-yard pitch and catch late in the fourth quarter at Montana.  
• Freshman RB Quali Conley notched his first touchdown of the year at UC Davis (9/18), which came on a first quarter 8-yard screen pass from Oblad that got the Blazers on the board.
• Conley has scored at least one touchdown in five of his first 10 collegiate games overall, including four of five starts last spring ... four of Conley's seven TDs have come on the ground, while his catch at UCD was his third TD reception.
• Conley was held to a career-low three yards rushing at Montana last Saturday, though he caught three passes out of the backfield for 17 yards.
• Conley was DSU's leading rusher in all five spring games, highlighted by a 97-yard night vs. Tarleton State (3/13), and a pair of 81-yard outings at both New Mexico State (3/7) and at Kennesaw State (3/20) ... the freshman also tallied a team-high 26 yards on eight carries in the Sacramento State (9/4) loss.
• Senior RB Drew Kannely-Robles led DSU with 56 yards on 15 carries at Montana and wound up with 69 all-purpose yards overall after he made two catches for 13 yards.
• Kannely-Robles rushed for a season-high 61 yards on nine carries at UC Davis (9/18) and caught two passes for nine yards to finish with a season-best 70 all-purpose yards.
• Kannely-Robles has racked up 206 all-purpose yards over his last three starts overall, including 67 yards (22 rush/45 rec) at SDSU (10/2).
• Sophomore WR Rickie Johnson led DSU's receiving corps with career-highs of five catches and 92 yards at Montana last Saturday, including a highlight reel 47-yard diving grab in the fourth quarter.
• Sophomores Taylor Alvarez and Malcolm Ross-Turner each collected their first collegiate TD receptions at UC Davis (9/18) ... Alvarez, who had played offensive line during his first two seasons as a Trailblazer before moving to tight end this year, found himself wide open for 4-yard TD toss in the first quarter.
• Ross-Turner found the end zone on DSU's second possession of the third quarter when he broke two tackles on his way to a 35-yard catch-and-run score.
• Freshman WR David Fisher racked up a career-high 77 receiving yards and his fourth-career TD at UC Davis, which came on a 26-yard strike from Oblad as time expired in the third quarter.
• Fisher's 77 receiving yards eclipsed his previous high of 63 yards, which came on two TD tosses, last spring vs. Tarleton State (3/13).  
• Junior DB/LB Kaejin Smith-Bejgrowicz registered his first career sack in the first quarter at SDSU (10/2) ... it was also the first sack the Jackrabbit o-line gave up this season (one of two on the night), and it came on a big 3rd-and-13 stop midway through the stanza.
• Grayson tied a DSU single-game record with 19 total tackles (15 solo) in the UC Davis loss (9/25) ... Grayson joined junior LB Malaki Malaki (at New Mexico State, 3/7/21) and former LB Robert Metz (at Central Washington, 11/14/15) atop the single-game list.
• Grayson had himself a night against Sacramento State (9/4) when he racked up a then-career high 13 tackles, including 12 solo stops, and registered one TFL ... he followed that up with five solo tackles against Weber State (9/11), and he made eight tackles (6 solo) at SDSU (10/2).
• Grayson's team-leading 59 total tackles would rank him 10th-nationally at the FCS level, while his team-high 46 solo stops would tie him for second in the FCS rankings, however Dixie State is not eligible to be ranked statistically during its NCAA D-I transition period.  
• Malaki recorded his fourth-career double digit tackle outing with a game-high 17 tackles (eight solo) at Montana.
• Malaki opened the season 11 stops (1 TFL) in the opener vs. Sacramento State (9/4) ... the junior also led the DSU defense with nine total tackles (6 solo) and a sack at SDSU (10/2), this after he recorded nine tackles (3 TFLs) a week earlier at UC Davis (9/25).  
• Malaki reached double figures in tackles twice last spring, highlighted by his record day at NMSU (3/7), which came on the heels of a 10-tackle effort in DSU's D-I debut win at Tarleton (2/27).
• Freshman LB Will Leota posted his first collegiate double-digit tackle game with 11 stops at Montana last Saturday ... Leota also registered 1.0 TFL and picked off his first collegiate pass in the second quarter.
• Junior CB Devin Chandler scored DSU's first defensive touchdown of the season at Montana when he returned a fumble 38 yards in the fourth quarter to get the Blazers on the scoreboard ... Chandler finished the day with six total tackles and a PBU to go with his TD.
• Chandler's fumble return was the DSU's first in nearly four years, with the last instance coming during the 2017 season when Remington Kelly (46 yards) took one back to the house at home against Adams State (10/28/17).
• Freshman DL Syrus Webster had himself a day at Montana as well with a career-high nine tackles and 1.5 TFLs, including his first collegiate sack and forced fumble, which Chandler cashed in with his TD ... Webster also recovered the fumble on the Grayson strip-sack in the first quarter.
• Senior DL Livingston Paogofie enjoyed a solid Trailblazer debut in the Sac State (9/4) game ... the Colorado State transfer was credited with four solo tackles, including three TFLs and one of DSU's two sacks ... Paogofie added three more tackles to his season ledger in the Weber State loss (9/11), and registered his team-leading third sack of the year last Saturday at Montana.
• In all, DSU's defense tallied a season-high 12.0 TFLs and four sacks, with 11 different Trailblazer defenders accounting for those 12 total stops.
• After not notching a sack last spring, junior DL Dylan Hendrickson picked up his 11.0 career sack in the opener vs. Sac State (9/4) ... Hendrickson now stands three sacks shy of becoming DSU's career sack leader.

TEAM NOTES:
• Dixie State won the turnover battle by a 4-2 count at Montana last Saturday ... this after a two-game stretch that saw DSU commit 10 of its 16 total turnovers on the year (5 TOs at UC Davis/5 TOs at South Dakota State).
• Despite the loss at then-No. 3 South Dakota State (10/2), Dixie State's defense hung a pair of "firsts" on SDSU - including being the first team hold the Jackrabbits scoreless in the first quarter.
• DSU also became the first team to register a sack against the SDSU offensive line and finished with two sacks and five total TFLs on the night overall.
• Dixie State tallied a season-high 442 yards (90 plays) of total offense in the UC Davis loss on Sept. 18, including a season-best 389 yards passing.
• Dixie State racked up 400-plus yards of offense in two of five games this past spring, including a season-high 483 yards at New Mexico State (3/7).  
• DSU eclipsed the 400-yard plateau offensively nine times in Paul Peterson's first year at the helm in 2019, highlighted by a 677-yard day (#2 all-time at DSU) vs. Black Hills State (10/5/19).
• However, for the fifth time in the Peterson-era, and the fourth time this season, the Trailblazers were held under 300 yards of total offense in the Montana loss (261 yards in 66 plays), which included only 35 net rush yards (-37 lost yardage).  
• Dixie State was limited to a season-low six net rush yards at SDSU, thanks in large part to four QB sacks that erased 31 rushing yards.
• The six yards gained rushing (0.25 ypc - #4 all-time low) was fifth-lowest total in DSU's NCAA era, and were the fewest yards since DSU was held to minus-1 yard at home vs. Western Colorado (10/13/18) nearly three years to the day in a game that DSU actually won, 17-10 ... DSU QBs were sacked six times in that game, though the DSU defense racked up seven sacks of its own in the win.  
• DSU was also limited to 253 yards vs. Weber State (79 plays), and 209 yards (in 55 plays) in the season opener against Sacramento State, which broke a string of 15-straight games that the DSU offense had gained 300-plus yards.
• After scoring 10 total points over its first two games, Dixie State put 27 points on the board in the first three quarters at UC Davis (9/18), though the Blazers were held scoreless in that decisive fourth quarter.
• Dixie State (11.6 ppg in 2021) avoided being shutout for the first time in 73 games when Tracy found Veach in the waning moments of the SDSU loss (10/2) ... the last time DSU was held scoreless was in a 44-0 home loss to Central Washington (11/16/13) during the 2013 season.
• Last spring Dixie State averaged 31.4 ppg, and scored at a 34.4 ppg clip in Paul Peterson's first year as head coach in 2019.

YOU'RE IN GOOD HANDS: Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced on Sept. 24, that Dixie State post-graduate student wide receiver Deven Osborne has been named to the 30th-Anniversary 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
    Osborne is among 22 football student-athletes and one honorary coach selected to the 30th-Anniversary team. In all, 109 student-athletes from all divisions across the nation were with stories of exemplary community service, alongside academic dedication and impact on and off the field.
    The final 22-member team and honorary coach, were selected by a committee made up of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team members and journalists.
    Osborne is the fifth college football student-athlete from the state of Utah to be selected to the Good Works Team, joining former Utah defensive backs Morgan Scalley (2004) and Eric Weddle (2006), former BYU quarterback Riley Nelson (2010) and former Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keaton (2014). In addition, Osborne is one of two Trailblazer football players to have earned the honor as former DSU transfer running back Jeffrey Coprich (2017) was named to the 2014 Good Works Team while at California.
    Fans will have the opportunity to help Osborne become the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain through online voting by visiting ESPN.com/Allstate. Voting is open now through Nov. 22, 2021.

#AB3FOREVER: Junior linebacker Malaki Malaki has been awarded the No. 3 jersey for the 2021 season.The awarding of the No. 3 jersey is the second instance in what has become an annual tradition honoring the memory of former Dixie State football player Abraham Reinhardt, who passed away unexpectedly on March 22, 2019.
    DSU Head Football Coach Paul Peterson noted that the No. 3 jersey would be awarded to a student-athlete who best exemplified Reinhardt's leadership, both on and off the field.   
    "When we lost a great young man in Abraham [in 2019], we wanted to honor him and his legacy the best we possibly could," Coach Peterson said. "Abe was a perfect representative of our team culture which focuses on toughness, hard work, trust and accountability.
    "Malaki exemplifies everything that we are trying to build here at Dixie State. He is tough, works tremendously hard, is a great student and leader. Malaki will wear AB3's jersey this season in honor of his legacy."

ABOUT THE TARLETON STATE "TEXANS": Tarleton State, which like DSU is in its second year of reclassification to NCAA Division I status, makes its second-ever trip to St. George this Saturday carrying a 2-3 record in tow.
    The Texans, who enjoyed their bye week last weekend, have alternated losses and wins over their first five games, with both victories coming at home against RMAC opponents Fort Lewis (54-7; 9/11) and New Mexico Highlands (40-21; 9/25).
    Tarleton also suffered a narrow 40-35 loss to future WAC foe Southern Utah (9/18) in a game played in Globe Life Park in Arlington, which is home of MLB's Texas Rangers.
    Junior QB Steven Duncan, who is back calling the signals for the Texans, has thrown for 984 yards and six touchdowns over his first five games. Last season, Duncan threw for four touchdowns and 347 yards in Tarleton's win at Greater Zion Stadium.  
    Duncan's favorite target is senior receiver Tariq Bitson, who has 21 receptions for 429 yards and three TDs. Bitson has 10 total TDs catches in a season-plus with the Texans, two of which came in Tarleton's win at DSU last March.   
    Defensively, senior DB Devin Hafford has five takeaways to his credit (3 INTs/2 FUM), which would rank him among the leaders in FCS if Tarleton was eligible for national rankings. Hafford did return one of his three interceptions for a touchdown, that came in loss vs. SUU on Sept. 18.
    Tarleton is averaging 28.4 ppg and 412.2 yards of total offense, while allowing 21.6 ppg and 388.8 yards in five games.  
    
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State will wrap up its brief two-game homestand next Saturday as the Trailblazers celebrate Homecoming by welcoming WAC newcomer Stephen F. Austin to Greater Zion Stadium. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. (MT).