Dixie State enjoyed strong early start, but a 35-point South Dakota State second quarter quashed any hopes of a upset as the Trailblazers dropped a 55-7 decision the No. 2/3-ranked Jackrabbits on Saturday night at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

Playing its third nationally-ranked team in as many games, the Trailblazer defense set the early tone, holding the Jackrabbits (4-0) to just 23 first-quarter yards as both sides battled to a scoreless draw over the first 15 minutes. It marked the first time this season that an opponent held South Dakota State without a first quarter point this season.

Dixie State (0-4) also registered the first sack of the season (two total on the night) allowed by the SDSU offensive line, which came on a big third-and-13 play when junior defensive back Kaejin Smith-Bejgrowicz bolted into the Jackrabbit backfield and brought down SDSU quarterback Chris Oladokun for a 12-yard loss.

Though SDSU did not find the end zone in the opening period, its offense was in the midst of a sustained drive as the game moved to the second quarter. The Jackrabbits wound up putting first points on the scoreboard two plays into the frame when Pierre Strong Jr. scampered 21-yards on a first down carry to stake his side a 7-0 lead.
 
After a nine-play DSU possession stalled, SDSU marched 72 yards in six plays on its next possession, which culminated with an Oladokun 11-yard touchdown pass to Mike Morgan to make it a 14-0 game midway through the quarter.

From that point forward, the game quickly got away from the Trailblazers as South Dakota State struck for three more touchdowns over the final seven-plus minutes of the period as the Jackrabbits cruised into the halftime break with a comfortable 35-0 cushion.
 
Aided by two costly Blazer turnovers, SDSU found the end zone twice in the span 96 seconds. Facing third and four on the DSU 29, sophomore Kenyon Oblad had a potential first-down completion slipped through the hands of a Blazer receiver and into the waiting hands of Jackrabbit cornerback Dalyn Beanum, who weaved his way 36 yards to pay dirt.
 
Then on the ensuing kickoff, the Trailblazers muffed the return and it was recovered by the Jackrabbits at the DSU 38. SDSU needed only four plays to cover the short field as Strong Jr. cashed in the miscue with his second TD run from 3-yards out.
 
SDSU would tack one more touchdown just before halftime when Oladokun found Zach Heins for a 4-yard pitch-and-catch. The Jackrabbits added a third quarter touchdown to go with a pair of fourth-quarter field goals and a another TD.
 
Meanwhile, the Trailblazer offense only managed to cross into SDSU territory three times, the first came right before halftime thanks to a penalty. DSU did it two more times in the fourth quarter, including its first possession of the stanza, but that drive was thwarted by another Blazer turnover.
 
Dixie State avoided the shutout in its final possession when reserve QB Kobe Tracy threaded the needle to tight end Cade Veach from 16-yards out with six seconds remaining, which capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive.
 
DSU managed just 253 yards of offense, 247 of those came through the air as Oblad (126 yds) and Tracy (121 yds) combined to go 28-for-48 passing, though the duo was picked off two times apiece and sacked a combined four times. The Trailblazers were also held to a season-low six net rushing yards, thanks in large part to those four sacks. The six yards were also the fifth-lowest team rushing total in the program's NCAA era.

Eleven different Trailblazers caught at least one pass, with senior Jalen Powell catching seven of his 11 targets for 32 yards, while Veach hauled in three passes for a team and career-high 55 yards to go with his first collegiate TD.

South Dakota State racked up 404 yards of offense, 200 of which came on the ground. Strong Jr. finished with 88 yards on 15 carries to go with his two touchdowns. However the Trailblazer defense denied him his fourth-straight 100-yard game and held him four yards under his yards-per-carry average.
 
Oladokun completed 8-of-18 passing for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Dixie State will close out its three-game road swing in Big Sky Country next Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers travel to Missoula for a road test at No. 4 Montana. Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m. (MT).