Game Notes: DIXIE STATE - PDF | UC DAVIS - PDF
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OPENING KICK: Dixie State (0-2) begins a stretch of playing three away games over the next four weeks this Saturday night as the Trailblazers head to NorCal for their road opener at No. 12 UC Davis (2-0).  
    Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. (MT) at UC Davis Health Stadium (10,000) in Davis, Calif.

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.

DIXIE STATE/UC DAVIS SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's game at UC Davis will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Aggies on the football field. The two sides are also scheduled to play in Davis in 2024, and again in 2025 in St. George.

LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State fell to 0-2 on the young season after dropping the second game of its season-opening homestand to in-state foe and current No. 8 Weber State, 41-3, last Saturday night at Greater Zion Stadium.    

NEW YEAR-NEW HOME: After making its D-I debut as one of three FCS independents last spring, Dixie State has started 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).   
    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 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 No. 3 South Dakota State on Oct. 2.
    In addition to have already played current No. 8 Weber State and traveling to UC Davis on Saturday night, the Blazers will play another road game at Big Sky member No. 5 Montana (10/9), and at CAA member No. 7 Delaware (10/30). Meanwhile, Missouri State, which will visit St. George in DSU's season final on Nov. 20, is ranked 19th in the latest the AFCA poll.
    Along with all the ranked teams listed, DSU will host to Stephen F. Austin, which received votes in this week's AFCA poll, on Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 23.

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 3-19 all-time (FCS and D-II combined) after the Weber State loss last Saturday night.  
    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.

ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS: Dixie State fell to 3-13 all-time in season openers (2-5 at home), in its NCAA era following its loss to Sacramento State (9/4).
    DSU has now dropped four of its last six season openers overall, though the Blazers did collect a win in their FCS debut last February, a 26-14 road win at then-No. 22 Tarleton State (2/27).
    In road openers, Dixie State is 2-13 all-time, however the Trailblazers have won their last two road debuts. DSU broke its 13-game road opening losing streak with a 23-14 win at Fort Lewis (9/14/19) in 2019, and repeated the feat with that win at Tarleton. 

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 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).
    
TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS: Junior QB Kody Wilstead became the second player DSU's NCAA era to reach the 3,500-yard career total offense plateau in last Saturday's loss to Weber State ... Wilstead (3,583 yards) rushed nine times for 52 yards and completed eight passes (8-14-1) for 67 yards in three quarters against the Wildcats.
• Wilstead (3,190 yds) is also the second player in Dixie State's NCAA era to eclipse the 3,000-yard total passing yard plateau (Griff Robles - 5,096 yds; 2012-13).
• Wilstead's second-quarter touchdown rush against Sacramento State (9/4) was the fifth of his DSU career.
• Wilstead accounted for all 70 yards in that eight-play scoring drive vs. the Hornets, with 54 of those yards coming through the air, including a clutch 25-yard strike to freshman WR David Fisher on 3rd and 10, which was followed by a 31-yard connection with senior WR Jalen Powell on 3rd and 19, which set up the junior QB's scoring run one play later.
• Wilstead saw his streak of not throwing an interception halted at 28-straight quarters and 231-straight pass attempts when a deflection on his second throw of the game resulted in the Blazers' lone turnover in the Sacramento State loss.
• Wilstead had not thrown an interception since midway through the 2019 season, when he was picked off just before halftime in a road win at Western Colorado (10/19/19).  
• Sophomore back-up QB Kenyon Oblad made his Trailblazer debut in the fourth quarter of the Weber State loss ... the UNLV transfer threw for 94 yards on 5-14-1 passing.
• Freshman RB Quali Conley saw his streak of leading Dixie State in rushing end at six-straight games after he was held to just 23 yards on eight carries vs. Weber State.
• 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 vs. both New Mexico State (3/7) and at Kennesaw State (3/20) ... the freshman also had 26 yards on eight carries in the Sacramento State (9/4) loss.
• Senior RB Drew Kannely-Robles got the start vs. Sacramento State (9/4), which was his first game back after missing the 2021 spring season due to injury ... Kannely-Robles rushed for 16 yards on five carries and caught two passes for 23 yards.
• Kannely-Robles racked up 66 yards of total offense against Weber State last Saturday, including 44 receiving yards, 30 of which came on DSU's opening drive on a 3rd and 6 play to set up the Blazers' first quarter field goal.
• Senior WR Jalen Powell extended his streak of catching at least one pass to 18-straight games after he caught six balls for 55 yards (both team highs) last Saturday vs. Weber State ... Powell (103 yds in 2021) also led DSU with 48 receiving yards on four catches a week earlier vs. Sacramento State (9/4).
• Sophomore Keith Davis posted a career-high 35 yard reception against Weber State and had 45 yards on two catches overall ... Fisher has caught six passes in two games this year for 75 yards overall.
• Freshman DB Tyrell Grayson had himself a night against Sacramento State (9/4) as he racked up a career-high 13 tackles, including 12 solo stops, and registered one TFL ... he followed that up with five solo tackles against Weber State last Saturday.
• Junior LB Malaki Malaki recorded his third-career double digit tackle game with 11 stops (1 TFL) in the opener vs. Sacramento State (9/4) ... the junior also led the DSU defense with nine total tackles (8 solo) vs. WSU.  
• Malaki accomplished the feat twice last spring, highlighted by a DSU single game record-tying 19 tackles at New Mexico State (3/7), which came on the heels of a 10-tackle day a week earlier at Tarleton (2/27).
• 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 loss, including 2.0 TFLs and his third sack of the year.
• Speaking of debuts, freshman LB Will Leota made an immediate impact against Sac State (9/4) as he collected eight tackles (6 solo) in his first collegiate game.
• 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.
* - Freshman punter Andrew Day punted five times for 241 yards (48.2 ypp) in last Saturday's loss vs. Weber State, including a 76-yard blast, which was the third-longest punt in DSU's NCAA era ... meanwhile his 48.2 ypp average was the fourth-best single game average in program history.

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 has 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 just the third time in the Peterson-era, and second time this season, the Trailblazers were held under 300 yards of total offense in the Weber State loss (253 yards in 52 plays).  
• DSU was also held to only 209 yards (in 55 plays) in the opener against Sacramento State, which broke a string of 15-straight games that the DSU offense had gained 300-plus yards.
• Prior to the first two games of this season, the last time DSU failed to gain at least 300 yards offensively came in Peterson's coaching debut at home vs. Colorado State-Pueblo (9/7) nearly two years to the day.
• Dixie State will look to get the scoring back on track this weekend after only putting up 10 total points over its first two games.
• Last season Dixie State averaged 31.4 ppg, and the Trailblazers were scoring at a 33.5 ppg clip (34.4 ppg in 2019) in Paul Peterson's first two years as head coach.
• Dixie State has been flagged 14 times for 109 yards over its first two games, including five penalties for 41 yards vs. Sac State, and nine flags for 68 yards vs. Weber State.
• Last season Blazers were penalized just 21 times for 208 yards in five games last spring.

#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 UC DAVIS "AGGIES": No. 12 UC Davis enters Saturday night's game with a 2-0 mark after posting road wins at FBS member Tulsa (19-17) in its season opener Sept. 2, and at San Diego (53-7) last Saturday night.
    The Aggies went 3-2 in their abbreviated season last spring, and were voted to finish sixth in the Big Sky Conference in both the 2021 Fall Coaches' and Media polls.
    UCD has scored eight touchdowns in two games this season, though only two of those scores have come in the red zone. The Aggies tallied seven TDs in their win at San Diego last Saturday, six of which were 20-plus yard scoring plays, including throws of 21, 49, 23 and 39 yards, to go with a 28-yard rushing score and an 85-yard punt return for good measure.
    Dan Hawkins (UC Davis, 1984) is in his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater, where he is 23-18 overall. Hawkins (134-80-1 career record), who led UC Davis to a share of the Big Sky title in 2018, also had head coaching stops at both Boise State (53-11 in five season) and at Colorado (19-39 in five seasons) prior to his return to Davis.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Dixie State will enjoy a bye week next week before heading back out on the road to face 2020-21 FCS runner-up and current No. 3-ranked South Dakota State on Saturday, Oct. 2.