Dixie State football dropped a hard-fought decision to Stephen F. Austin on Homecoming Saturday, falling 37-20 to the Lumberjacks inside Greater Zion Stadium.
 
The Trailblazers (0-7, 0-2 WAC) finished with 410 yards (243 pass/167 rush) of total offense in the loss. Senior running back Drew Kannely-Robles powered the DSU offense, posting a career-high 183 yards rushing and one touchdown on 24 carries. The career-best performance also marked the first time Kannely-Robles has eclipsed the century mark as a Trailblazer, and was the first 100-yard rushing day by a Blazer back in the program's new FCS era. The senior back's 183 yards on the ground were also the ninth-best single game rushing total in DSU's NCAA era. 
 
The teams traded punts early in the first quarter as both sides managed one first down on their respective opening drives before being forced to kick the ball away. Both drives accounted for less than five minutes of game time as the Lumberjacks began their second drive of the opening frame at the 11:09 mark.
 
Stephen F. Austin would burn nearly the rest of the first quarter on its ensuing drive, marching 85 yards in 14 plays before capping the series on a 1-yard plunge into the end zone to take a 7-0 lead at the 3:07 mark. In all, the SFA scoring drive took eight minutes and two seconds off the clock.    
 
The Lumberjacks would tack on 13 more points in the first half,  including a 43-yard field goal, a 14-yard touchdown pass, and a 53-yard field goal to push the lead to 20-0 at the 2:32 mark of the second quarter.
 
Trailing by three scores, Dixie State mounted its best drive of the first half just before the halftime break. Redshirt freshman quarterback Kobe Tracy, who made the first start of his collegiate career, sparked the drive with a 14-yard scamper on 3-and-9 from the DSU 16-yard line. After a pair of pass-interference penalties, Kannely-Robles broke free for a 17-yard sprint inside the SFA 10-yard line. With 1st-and-goal from the SFA 3-yard line, the Trailblazers looked to find the end zone for the first time. However, the Lumberjack defense stiffened, and DSU settled for a 20-yard field goal by freshman kicker Connor Brooksby to cut the SFA lead to 20-3 as time expired on the first half.
 
After managing just 91 yards of total offense in the first half, DSU quickly marched to the Lumberjack 20-yard line on the opening possession of the third quarter. Kannely-Robles accounted for 41 yards on the drive, while sophomore receiver Rickie Johnson also made a 9-yard catch. But an interception derailed the promising drive, as SFA defensive back Willie Roberts snagged a DSU pass in the end zone.
 
Despite the interception, the Trailblazers had built some momentum, as the defense promptly forced a Lumberjack punt on the ensuing drive. Three plays later, Tracy connected with senior receiver Deven Osborne on a 23-yard toss for Osborne's first catch of the season. Kannely-Robles ripped off a 47-yard touchdown run, his longest scoring run as a Trailblazer, on the next play to cut the SFA lead to 20-10 with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter.
 
Dixie State looked to force another punt on the next possession, but disaster struck on the fifth play of the drive as SFA quarterback Trae Self launched a deep pass into double coverage in search of receiver Lawton Rikel. The Trailblazer defenders prevented Rikel from making the catch, but the ball was deflected in the process, allowing SFA receiver Xavier Gipson to catch the tip and run untouched into the end zone for a 60-yard score to extend the lead to 27-10.
 
Behind runs of 19 yards and 18 yards by Kannely-Robles, and a 13-yard catch-and-run by freshman running back Quali Conley, the Trailblazers moved into the red zone early in the fourth quarter. But like the drive just before halftime, the SFA defense stiffened and forced a field goal. Brooksby connected from 34 yards and trimmed the lead to 27-13.
 
The Lumberjacks looked to answer the DSU field goal with another touchdown, marching quickly to the Trailblazer 20-yard line. But this time, the Dixie State defense stiffened, stopping the offense on three consecutive plays, including a third-down sack by junior linebacker Malaki Malaki, to force a field goal. SFA converted the attempt from 40 yards to push the lead back to 30-13 at the 7:56 mark of the fourth quarter.
 
Stephen F. Austin would add another touchdown late in the fourth quarter to extend its advantage to a game-high mark of 24 points at 37-13.
 
Dixie State answered the SFA score with a 6-play, 75-yard drive in just over a minute of game time to score its second touchdown of the game and push the score to the final tally of 37-20. The Trailblazers capped the drive with a 35-yard pitch-and-catch from Tracy to redshirt sophomore receiver Michael Moten, who snagged the short pass at the SFA 32-yard line and sprinted to the end zone for his first touchdown as a Trailblazer.
 
Dixie State's 410 yards of total offense represent the second time the Trailblazers have surpassed the 400-yard mark this season. Tracy enjoyed a career night under center, completing 22-of-38 passes for a career-high 243 yards and one touchdown. Moten led all DSU receivers with 73 yards on four catches, while Johnson finished with a game-high five receptions for 56 yards.
 
Defensively, the Trailblazers conceded 460 yards (326 pass/134 rush) of total offense. Freshman linebacker Will Leota finished with a game-high eight tackles, while Malaki added seven tackles and one sack. Junior defensive lineman Bradley Brown and freshman defensive lineman Syrus Webster also finished with one sack each.
 
The Trailblazers head back on the road next week, traveling to take on No. 23 Delaware on Saturday in Newark. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern Time (11 a.m. MT).