Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | NEW MEXICO STATE
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OPENING KICK: Fresh off a successful NCAA D-I FCS debut last weekend, Dixie State (1-0) returns to action this Sunday afternoon as the Trailblazers square off against FBS member New Mexico State (0-1).
    Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. (MT), at The Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

DIXIE STATE VS. NMSU: Sunday's "road" game at New Mexico State will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Aggies on the gridiron. In fact, the game will mark the first time in program history that Dixie State will play a Football Bowl Subdivision program.

BLAZERS AND AGGIES GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD IN THREE SPORTS: Dixie State and NMSU will see a lot of each other over the next two weekends in three different sports. Not only will both schools meet on the football field this Sunday, the Trailblazers and Aggies will square off on the basketball court this Friday and Saturday nights in St. George, and on the baseball diamond next weekend in Las Cruces.  

DIXIE STATE ON THE AIR: All Dixie State Division I home and away games this season will be 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, both DSU home games this spring will be simulcast on KCEC-TV (TDS Cable Channel 22), with tape-delay rebroadcasts throughout the following week, and streamed live on Dixie State's YouTube channel (youtube.com/DixieStateAthletics).

HI, MY NAME IS ....: After 14 years as a competing member of the NCAA at the Division II level, Dixie State will officially kick off its D-I FCS era on Saturday at Tarleton.
    During their 14-year Division II era, the Trailblazers played to a 52-100 (.342) overall record, which included a combined 41-61 conference record in the GNAC (16-46; .258) and RMAC (25-15; .625) conferences.
    Dixie State posted winning records in three of its final D-II seasons, including a program best 8-3 mark (8-2 RMAC) last season Head Coach Paul Peterson's first season at the helm.

WE ARE INDEPENDENT...FOR NOW: Dixie State Athletics officially began its transition to NCAA Division I status this past July 1, with all sports except football joining the Western Athletic Conference. The transition also meant that the Trailblazer football program was going to begin its transition as one of three FCS independent programs in the country, joining Tarleton State and Presbyterian University.
    However the WAC announced last month an expansion plan that would include the addition of five new member schools, all of which sponsor football. Among the new members are current Big Sky Conference member and soon-to-be a new in-state rival Southern Utah, and Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin from the Southland Conference.
    The four Southland schools will join the WAC this upcoming July 1, while SUU will move over in July of 2022, thus rounding out a seven-team WAC FCS football league that begins play that fall.
    Fellow WAC member New Mexico State, which DSU plays on Sunday afternoon, will remain an independent D-I FBS program and will not be included in the new WAC football league.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME (SPRING) FOOTBALL?: Though the 2020 D-I FBS football season has come and gone, the National Football Foundation announced last month that more than 300 schools and 35 conferences in the FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III and NAIA levels are playing college football this spring.
    According to the NFF, Dixie State is one of more than 100 FCS programs which are putting on the helmets and pads for the 2021 spring season.

TRAILBLAZERS SHINE IN FCS DEBUT: Dixie State opened its NCAA Division I FCS era with a convincing 26-14 road victory at then-No. 22 Tarleton State last Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.  
    The Trailblazers never trailed as they racked up 445 yards of total offense, while the DSU defense forced five Texan turnovers, and allowed only one offensive touchdown, to pick up the well-earned victory.

DIXIE STATE AGAINST D-I FCS OPPONENTS: Well it took 10 tries but Dixie State finally recorded its first victory over a D-I FCS program when the Blazers knocked off Tarleton State last Saturday.
    Prior to last Saturday, DSU had played nine games against D-I FCS opponents over its 14 years as a D-II program (0-9), including eight games against current members of the Big Sky Conference, most recently at Idaho State in 2013 (L, 14-40; 9/7/13). DSU has also played road games Northern Arizona (2006), Montana State (2007, 2009), Weber State (2008), Southern Utah (2009, 2010) and Cal Poly (2009), and at current Pioneer Football League member San Diego in 2006, which was coached at the time by current Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh.

DIXIE STATE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: Last Saturday's win marked the third-straight season that the Trailblazers opened the season against a ranked opponent.  
    Last season, DSU kicked off the year at home against then D-II AFCA No. 9-ranked CSU-Pueblo (L, 7-36), which was one of two ranked teams the Blazers played last season. CSU-Pueblo was also ranked #14 in the AFCA D-II poll to begin the 2018 campaign when DSU faced them in Pueblo for that season opener.
    With the win at No. 22 Tarleton, the Trailblazers improved to 3-17 all-time in match-ups against ranked opponents. Prior to last Saturday, 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.

DIXIE STATE RECEIVING VOTES: Thanks to DSU's win at Tarleton, the Trailblazers collected 14 votes in this week's Stat Perform FCS Top-25 poll.
    DSU has only received votes in the top-25 just one other time in the program's NCAA era, that came during the 2019 season when the Blazers received 37 votes in the AFCA D-II Coaches' Poll (10/20/19) after a 6-1 start to that campaign. 

ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS: Dixie State improved to 3-12 all-time in season openers in its NCAA era with the win at Tarleton last Saturday.
    Prior to that, the Trailblazers' last season-opening win came at home in a 21-14 triumph over New Mexico Highlands on Sept. 1, 2016. DSU's last season-opening victory before that was a 37-28 home win over Adams State on Aug. 27, 2009.
    Saturday's win at Tarleton also marked the first season-opening road win in the program's four-year era (1-8).

HITTING THE TRAIL
* - Junior QB Kody Wilstead threw for a career-high 350 yards and one touchdown at Tarleton last Saturday.
* - Wilstead completed 21-of-38 of his passes and did not throw an interception.
* - Wilstead's touchdown pass was the 19th of his career, which moved him into a tie for third place with Judd Thompson (2006-09) on DSU's career passing TD list.
* - Wilstead also rushed for another score, his second career rushing TD, in the third quarter.
* - Senior TE Chase Hess picked up right where he left off a season ago as he hauled in five catches for 96 yards at Tarleton, highlighted by a 43-yard catch and run for his eighth career TD, which pulled him into a tie for ninth on DSU's career TD receptions list.
* - Senior WR Deven Osborne recorded a career-high 67 receiving yards at Tarleton ... Osborne, who had only six total catches a season ago, caught five balls, but none were bigger than his highlight-reel 46-yarder that got DSU to the 1-yard line and set up the Wilstead rush TD.
* - Freshman RB Quali Conley made the most of his collegiate debut at Tarleton as he carried the ball 22 times for 73 yards and his first collegiate touchdown, a 1-yd dive in the first quarter to put Dixie State on the board.
* - Conley also caught three passes out of the backfield for 60 yards, including a 48-yd catch and run, to finish with 133 total yards on the day.
* - DSU's offense racked up 445 total yards at Tarleton, marking the fourth-straight game dating back to last season that the Trailblazers had gained at least 440 total yards of offense.
* - DSU eclipsed the 400-yard plateau offensively nine times last season, highlighted by a 677-yard day (#2 all-time at DSU) vs. Black Hills State (10/5/19).
* - Dixie State scored in all four quarters for the second game in a row overall.
* - Dixie State was flagged just two times at Tarleton for 32 total yards
* - Junior safety Darrius Nash collected two strip sacks at Tarleton, including a big one on the Texans' first possession of the game that help set up Dixie State's first touchdown.
* - Nash picked up his second sack and forced fumble early in the fourth quarter, and finished with 10 total tackles (6 solo) and a pass break-up.
* - Junior LB Malaki Malaki matched Nash's 10 total tackles, which included three solos stops.
* - Junior CB Kaejin Smith-Bejgrowicz and junior DB Devin Chandler accounted for both Trailblazer interceptions, while Smith-Bejgrowicz also forced a fumble to halt the Texans' first sustained drive of the second half.
* - Senior PK James Baird went 2-for-3 in the field goal department at Tarleton, including a career long 48-yd field goal early in the fourth quarter.
* - Not only was that kick a career best for Baird, it was also the second-longest field goal make in DSU's NCAA era (Jameson Schulz 50-yd FG at Colorado Mesa, 2011).
* - Dixie State special team surrendered a 93-yard Tarleton kick-off return for a touchdown in the third quarter last Saturday... that KOR broke a string of 55-straight games since the last time a DSU opponent housed a kick off (11/8/14 vs. Colorado Mesa).

DIXIE STATE LANDS SEVEN ON PHIL STEELE PRESEASON ALL-INDY TEAM: Though its seems forever ago, July 24, 2020 to be exact, but Dixie State landed seven player on the annual Phil Steele 2020 Preseason FCS Independent Team.
    Four of the Blazers' seven selections were on the offensive side of the ball, including redshirt junior quarterback Kody Wilstead, senior tight end Chase Hess, senior wide receiver Jalen Powell and junior offensive lineman Nathen Aceves.  
    Dixie State redshirt junior defensive lineman Dylan Hendrickson was the Trailblazers' lone representative on the Steele defensive team, while senior placekicker James Baird and redshirt senior quarterback/punter Keaton Mott (who opted out of the 2021 spring season) were special teams selections.

#AB3FOREVER: Just prior to the start of its first NCAA Division I fall camp, Dixie State Football announced that senior running back D'Arman Notoa was awarded the No. 3 jersey for the 2020 season.
    The awarding of the No. 3 jersey is the first of what will 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.
    "When we thought of a player to carry on his legacy and have the honor of wearing the number three, D'Arman was clearly the best candidate. We know D'Arman will continue to exemplify our team culture, carry on Abe's legacy and help propel us into becoming an elite D-1 football program."
    Notoa played in all 11 games in his first season at Dixie State in 2019, during which he rushed for 308 yards on 75 carries and three touchdowns. He also caught 16 passes out of the backfield for 124 yards with one more touchdown.

NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES: The Dixie State University football program was presented the Life Saving Medal Award last September by the DSU Department of Public Safety for its heroic efforts in the St. George community The award was presented to the team at Greater Zion Stadium by DSU Chief of Police/Director of Public Safety Blair Barfuss and several DSU Police officers.
    This past August 7, the Trailblazer program received national attention when several football players and coaches sprang into action to rescue a rappeler who was stranded in mid-air below the face of the "Dixie Rock" located on the Dixie Sugarloaf that overlooks the city. The entire team was at the Sugarloaf as part of an annual tradition prior to the start of fall preseason camp when the call for help came.
    Then two weeks later on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 23, two members of the team, along with two other fellow students, helped lift a vehicle off another Dixie State student who was trapped under water during a sudden flash flood as a result of a massive thunderstorm that hit the St. George area.
    "I am really proud of this team, we have some really good young men on this team," Coach Peterson said. "We are trying to establish a culture of positivity and to champion everything that we do. We definitely want to give back to our community.

SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE: New Mexico State enters its second, and final 2021 spring game with an 0-1 record after dropping a 43-17 decision to Tarleton State back on Feb. 20 in El Paso.
    The Aggies were held to 241 yards of total offense, while the NMSU defense gave up 501 yards of offense to the Texans.
    Junior quarterback Jonah Johnson threw for 187 yards on 17-of-31 passing with one touchdown, but was picked off three times. Redshirt freshman Juwaun Price carried the ball 14 times for 31 net yards, while redshirt junior receiver Terrell Warner caught five passes for 77 yards vs. Tarleton.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State makes its NCAA FCS home debut next Saturday night, March 13, with a return game vs. Tarleton State. Kick off inside Greater Zion Stadium is slated for 7 p.m.