Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | SACRAMENTO STATE - PDF
Dixie State Football Media Central
Live TV: NONE
Live Streaming Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: ESPN RADIO 97.7 FM
Live Stats: vs. Sacramento State
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | @DixieState_FB | #DixieBlazers | #WeAreONE | #TheRISE | #WACfb

OPENING KICK: Dixie State begins its second (and first full) season of NCAA Division I FCS play this Saturday night as the Trailblazers welcome in Big Sky Conference member Sacramento State to Greater Zion Stadium. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m.
    Live stats and streaming video information for this Saturday's game can be found online at www.dixiestateathletics.com.

DIXIE STATE ON THE AIR: All Dixie State 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, 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.

ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS: Dixie State is 3-12 all-time in season openers in its NCAA era, which includes a 26-14 road win at then-No. 22 Tarleton State in last spring's season opener (2/27). That result marked the time in the program's four-year history that it began a season with a road win (1-8).  
    Prior to that victory, the Trailblazers' last season-opening win came at home in a 21-14 triumph over New Mexico Highlands on Sept. 1, 2016.
    Saturday's game vs. Sacramento State will be seventh time the Blazers will have opened a campaign at home, where they are 2-4 all-time in season debuts.

DIXIE STATE/SACRAMENTO STATE SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's game vs. Sacramento State will be the first-ever meeting between the Blazers and Hornets on the gridiron.
    The two sides are also scheduled to square off in the 2022 season opener in Sacramento on Saturday, Sept. 3.

DSU/SACRAMENTO TIES: Even though Saturday's tilt is the first-ever game between DSU and Sacramento State, two members of the Dixie State coaching staff are very familiar with the Hornet program.
    Head Coach Paul Peterson served as offensive coordinator and QB coach at Sac State from 2012-17, while OL Coach/Run Game Coordinator John Hughes was a defensive assistant and assistant defensive line coach there in 2013-14.  

NEW YEAR-NEW HOME: After making its D-I debut as one of three FCS independents last spring, Dixie State begins 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 (at home vs. both Tarleton State and Stephen F. Austin; on the road at Sam Houston) this season.
    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 with a combined .714 overall winning percentage (record based on last completed season).   
    Nine of the 11 teams on DSU's slate are listed in the 2021 AFCA FCS Coaches' top-25 preseason poll, including six ranked teams, five of which are ranked in the top-10 overall.
    Defending NCAA FCS champion and WAC newcomer Sam Houston tops the poll and will host DSU on Nov. 6, while the Blazers will travel to FCS runner-up South Dakota State on Oct. 2.
    Dixie State will welcome No. 6 Weber State to St. George next weekend, and the Blazers will play road games at No. 21 UC Davis (9/18), No. 9 Montana (10/9) and No. 5 Delaware (10/30).
    Sacramento State is one of DSU's three other opponents which received votes in the AFCA poll, along fellow Trailblazer home opponents SFA (10/23) and Missouri State (11/20).

DIXIE STATE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: Dixie State's 2021 schedule will also give the Blazers a chance to improve on their record against ranked opponents, which currently stands at 3-18 all-time (D-II and FCS combined).
    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 (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.

BLAZING TRAILS ON THE ROAD: 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 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).

2021 SPRING QUICK RECAP: Dixie State played to a 2-3 record in its abbreviated FCS debut season last spring, which included a narrow loss at FBS member New Mexico State (29-36; 3/7), and a 1-1 road mark against two ranked FCS teams (DSU 26, at then-No. 22 Tarleton State 14 – 2/27; at then-No. 9 Kennesaw State 37, DSU 27 – 3/20).
    DSU also went 1-1 at home, dropping a 37-15 decision to Tarleton (3/13), before blanking former RMAC rival Fort Lewis by a 60-0 count (3/27) in the spring finale.
    
2021 QUICK PREVIEW
• Paul Peterson (Boston College, 2005) returns for his third season as Trailblazer head coach ... Peterson is 10-6 through his first two campaigns at DSU, including an 8-3 mark in the program's final D-II season in 2019, and a 2-3 record this past spring.
• Peterson also welcomes back all but one coach to his staff heading into the 2021 fall campaign.
• Justin Ena (BYU, 2001) was named as DSU's new DC in late May ... Ena, who played four seasons at BYU and four more in the NFL, also served as defensive coordinator at Southern Utah (2008-13/ DC - 2010-13), Weber State (2014) and Utah State (2019-20 DC - 2019), and also spent three seasons on the staff at Utah (2015-18).
• Peterson made one other change on his staff as he promoted Mike Fassel to assistant head coach ... Fassel, who came with Peterson to DSU in 2019, will also continue in his role as special teams coach.
• Dixie State averaged 31.4 ppg and 420.8 ypg (298.4 pass/122.4 run) in its five spring games.
• DSU returns nine offensive starters in 2021, including junior quarterback Kody Wilstead, and virtually his entire offensive line ... freshman running back Quali Conley also returns after a standout spring season, as do four of Wilstead's top five passing targets from the spring.
•  Wilstead completed 57.5 percent of his passes in the spring (96-167-0) for 1,339 yards and 10 touchdowns ... Wilstead averaged 267.8 yards in the air over his five starts with two 350-yard outings, highlighted by a 373 yards and two TDs at New Mexico State (3/7), which was his sixth-career 300-yard passing game overall ... Wilstead also tied his career high and DSU single game record with five TD tosses in a 60-0 rout of Fort Lewis (3/27).
• Wilstead completed passes to 14 different receivers, 12 of whom return this fall, with five of those receivers catching at least one TD pass from the junior.
• Additionally, Wilstead did not throw an interception during the spring campaign, and extended his streak without an interception to 28-straight quarters (230 pass attempts) overall.
• Conley, who was named to the WAC's 2021 Preseason Team, carried the ball 83 times for an even 400 net yards and four touchdowns, three of which came on the road ... Conley scored his first collegiate TD on DSU's first FCS scoring drive at Tarleton (2/27), and repeated that feat a week later to get DSU on the board at NMSU (3/7), one of two touchdowns he scored on the day.
• Conley racked up 97 all-purpose yards with a touchdown at Kennesaw State (3/20), and just missed his first collegiate 100-yard game with 98 yards on 22 carries at home vs. Tarleton (3/13)
• Conley also caught 14 balls out of the backfield for 207 yards and two more touchdowns, highlighted by a fourth quarter 75-yard catch-and-run at NMSU.
• Dixie State's top two returning receivers, seniors Deven Osborne and Jalen Powell, are back for an extra season thanks to the NCAA's blanket eligibility waiver for all 2020 fall student-athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In his first season as a starter, Osborne notched career highs in receptions (30), yards (441) and touchdowns (3) ... Osborne posted his first collegiate 100-yard receiving game at Kennesaw State (3/20), against which he caught a career-high nine passes for 121 yards, including a 27-yard TD.
• Osborne followed that up a week later in the shutout win over Fort Lewis (3/27) with career-bests of 147 yards (7 rec.) and two touchdowns.
• Meanwhile Powell caught 21 passes for 305 yards and a score in five games last season ... Powell notched his second career 100-yard receiving game at NMSU (3/7) as he hauled in six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
• DC Justin Ena inherits a unit that returns all 11 primary defensive starters from the spring that surrendered 24.8 ppg and 393.0 ypg, including just 168.8 yards passing in five spring games.
• Senior Isaac Fotu led the defensive line with 28 total tackles (11 solo), which included a team-high 5.5 TFLs along with 2.5 sacks ... Fotu also tallied two hurries, broke up a pass and recovered a fumble in five spring starts
• Junior DL Dylan Hendrickson looks to return to his 2019 form after he was credited with only five total tackles in four games in the spring ... however the junior did notch 1.5 TFLs, though he did not register a sack, and collected a team-high four hurries to go with an interception.
• Junior Malaki Malaki is back after a stellar spring, which saw him lead the team in total tackles (39) and solo stops (20), and he only played in four games ... Malaki tied a DSU single-game record with 19 tackles at NMSU (3/7), including a team game-high 2.5 TFLs and a forced fumble against the Aggies.
• Sophomore Mark Lopez also enjoyed an impressive spring season, complementing Malaki's efforts with 37 total tackles (17 solo) of his own ... Lopez recorded seven or more tackles in four of his five outings, including a career-high nine vs. Tarleton (3/13), and eight stops at both Tarleton (2/27) and NMSU (3/7).
• Dixie State boasts arguably one of the most talented secondary units in both the WAC and region, headlined by junior DB Darrius Nash ... Nash put together a standout spring campaign, which got off to a bang in DSU's FCS debut at Tarleton State, against which he collected two strip sacks, including a big one on the Texans' first possession that helped set up DSU first D-I touchdown.
• Nash racked up 10 (6 solo) of his 30 tackles on the year in that Tarleton win, and the junior finished with 3.0 TFLs, to go with a team-highs of four PBUs and three forced fumbles in five starts.
• Freshman Malini Ti'a announced his presence with authority in his rookie year as he finished third on the team with 31 total tackles (13 solo) and two PBUs ... ten of his 31 tackles came at NMSU (3/7), and he tallied five solo stops at home six days later vs. Tarleton (3/13).
• Fellow freshman Tyrell Grayson also put together a productive debut season with 16 tackles and one forced fumble.
• Junior Kaejin Smith-Bejgrowicz is back after he racked up 22 total tackles (2.0 TFLs) in five spring starts ... Smith-Bejgrowicz was one of three Blazers to intercept a pass during the spring season and forced one fumble for good measure.
• Corners Devin Chandler (Jr.) and Amari Duncan (Fr.) more than held their own in their first D-I seasons ... Chandler picked off one pass and registered two PBUs, along with 16 tackles (10 solo; 1.0 TFL), while Duncan broke up three passes and tallied 11 tackles (8 solo) with 2.0 TFLs.

TEAM NOTES:
• Dixie State broke three team records in its 60-0 rout of Fort Lewis in the spring finale on March 27 ... DSU set records for total points (60), first half points (44) and margin of victory (60) ... meanwhile the shutout win was DSU's first at home and  just the second in the program's NCAA era (55-0 at NM Highlands; 9/21/19).
• DSU's defense surrendered 120 yards (third-lowest in program history) of total offense and 38 yards passing (second-lowest in program history) vs. FLC, both of which were season lows.
• Dixie State racked up 400-plus yards of offense in two of five games in the spring, including a season-high 483 yards at NMSU (3/7).  
• DSU eclipsed the 400-yard plateau offensively nine times in HC 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).
• Dixie State scored in 13-of-16 red zone trips last spring with 10 touchdowns.  
• Dixie State saw its scoring streak stopped at 15 quarters after the Blazers were held scoreless in the first half vs. Tarleton (3/13).
• Prior to that, the last time DSU was held scoreless in a quarter was in the first quarter at Colorado School of Mines (11/9/19) during the 2019 season.
• Meanwhile, the last time the Trailblazers were held scoreless in a half was early in the 2019 season at Fort Lewis (9/14/19), in a game Dixie State scored 23 unanswered points after halftime en route to a 23-14 road win.
• Dixie State did not turn the ball over in its loss to Tarleton (3/13) ... the last time the Blazers achieved that feat was in a 52-22 home win vs. Black Hills State (10/5/19) during the 2019 season.
• DSU gave up a defensive fumble return for a TD early in the second quarter at Kennesaw State (3/20) ... that TD broke a string of 30-straight games that DSU had not had surrendered a defensive fumble return for a TD (vs. Chadron State; 10/7/17).
• Dixie State was flagged just 21 times for 208 penalty yards last spring, while the five Blazer opponents racked up 312 yards on 35 accepted penalties.  
• Dixie State special team surrendered a 93-yard Tarleton kick-off return for a touchdown in the third quarter of its season opener (2/27)... 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).

#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 SACRAMENTO STATE "HORNETS": Sacramento State will see its first game action in 673 days when the Hornets take the field on Saturday night. The Hornets, who did not play last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, went 9-4 in 2019, which included a second round appearance in the 2019 NCAA FCS Playoffs.
    Sacramento State was picked to finish fifth in both the Big Sky Coaches' and Media polls. Head Coach Troy Taylor, who was tabbed as both the Big Sky and Eddie Robinson National FCS Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm in 2019, has Utah ties as he served as offensive coordinator at Utah in 2017-18.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State will welcome in-state foe and defending Big Sky champion No. 6 Weber State to St. George next Saturday night, Sept. 11. Kick-off is slated for 8 p.m.