OPENING KICKOFF: The Snow College football team will play its final home game of the season against Monroe College Saturday inside Terry Foote Stadium in Ephraim.
 
The Badgers have had two weeks off since their last game against US Air Force Academy Preparatory School Oct. 21.  Snow College won that game 42-22 to earn its sixth win of the season.  Since then, the Badgers had a game against Community Christian (Detroit) canceled and then they had a scheduled bye before the matchup with Monroe.
 
At 6-2, the Badgers have moved up to fifth in the NJCAA Division I Football Rankings which puts them just outside the playoff window.  In order to make the NJCAA playoffs, Snow College would need to finish within the top four of the rankings.  
 
The Badgers do have a window to enter the top four as No. 1 Hutchinson plays No. 4 Iowa Western Community College this week and it's possible that the team that loses that game could drop out of the playoff window.  The Badgers would have to win out to have any chance to make the playoff.
 
Snow College will honor the sophomores who will be moving on from the school and are playing in their final home game Saturday.  The matchup with Monroe will take place Saturday at 12 noon inside Terry Foote Stadium. 
 
KNOW YOUR FOE: The Mustangs enter Saturday's matchup with a 3-4 overall record and are coming off a bye week.  Their last game resulted in a 21-14 loss against No. 11 Lackawanna College Oct. 29.  Monroe has lost two of its last three with the two losses sandwiching a 42-0 win against Wagner College Junior Varsity Oct. 14. 
 
The Mustangs sport on of the country's best defenses in points per game allowed.  They are allowing just 15.9 points per game defensively and have not allowed more than 28 points in a single game this season.  Monroe has needed the defensive help as it is only scoring 22.4 points per game, good for 24^th in the country.  
 
The Mustangs offense has been led by Mason Boothe who is a top-10 quarterback in the nation this season. Boothe has played in all seven games this year for the Mustangs and has thrown for 1,357 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. 
 
Monroe has really struggled to move the ball on the ground this season as it is averaging just 80.7 yards per game rushing which is 32^nd in the country.  Conversely, Snow College has been one of the best teams at stopping the rush this season as the Badgers allow just 87.3 yards per game which is good for seventh in the country.
 
LAST TIME OUT:  The Snow College football team earned a 42-22 victory over the US Air Force Academy Preparatory School Friday in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The victory ensures Snow College will finish with a winning percentage.  This is the third consecutive year under Head Coach Zac Erekson the Badgers accomplished the feat.  
 
The Badgers entered the matchup coming off a 23-20 victory over Garden City Community College Saturday, which bumped them up to No. 7 in the NJCAA Division I Football Rankings after falling to No. 9 after their loss to Iowa Western Community College the week prior.
 
Snow College came out firing and scored a touchdown on its first drive to take an early 7-0 lead.  It was a Targhee Lambson 3-yard rushing touchdown that capped off the 12-play, 85-yard drive to open the game.  Long, sustained drives would become a theme for the Badgers as five of their eight drives were nine plays or longer.  Snow College would not punt once throughout the matchup.
 
The Badgers forced a punt on the Huskies first drive but turned the ball over on downs in their own territory to give USAFPA the ball right back at the Snow College 24-yard line.  The Huskies would score on the next play on a well-executed option play.  They went for two and were successful to take an 8-7 lead late in the first quarter. 
 
Snow College responded immediately to regain the lead.  A few long runs from Carsen Manookin and a 20-yard pass to Dawson Tanner set up the Badgers in Husky territory.  Marquise Montgomery caught a pair of passes on the drive – one of 15 yards and the other of 27, which was caught in the end zone for a touchdown giving the Badgers a 14-8 lead after the successful extra point.
 
It was back and forth from there to finish the half as USAFAP would score on its next drive.  Snow College moved the ball quickly going 75 yards on seven plays in just over two minutes.  The Badgers were able to move the ball through the air and were aided by a roughing the passes penalty.  Lambson finished the drive with a pair of rushes finding the end zone on a 14-yard tote. 
 
USAFPA proceeded to respond with a long drive of its own.  They used a 13-play 77-yard drive to score with under 90 seconds to go in the first half to take a 22-21 lead into halftime.
 
Snow College's defense would make some adjustments at halftime and would not allow another Husky score throughout the rest of the game.  The Badgers would continue to add on and score on its opening drive of the third quarter after forcing a punt on the Huskies opening drive.
 
Badger quarterback went a perfect 3-3 on the drive and passed for 48 yards and added 13 yards on the ground as well.  Ultimately, it was Manookin who found the end zone on a 1-yard scamper to give Snow College a 28-22 lead with under six minutes to go in the quarter.  
 
The Badgers would score again as the third quarter expired.  They forced a 3-and-out and marched the ball down the field on the back of Lambson who rushed for 55 of the 75 total yards gained on the drive.  He scored on a 9-yard rush putting the Badgers ahead 35-22. 
 
Snow College would notch one more tally before the day was over, this time behind the legs of Manookin.  He carried the ball for 55 yards on the drive and found the end zone on a 15-yard rush to extend the lead to 42-22, where it would stay throughout the rest of the game, giving the Badgers their sixth victory of the season.
 
Snow College had a balanced attack throughout the game gaining 246 yards passing and 275 yards on the ground for 521 yards of total offense.  The Badgers were an impressive 8-11 on third down conversions.
 
Cash finished going 21-34 for 246 yards and a touchdown.  Manookin led the charge offensively as he totaled 142 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns.  Lambson flirted with the century mark as he finished with 90 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns.  Lambson and Manookin have combined to score 10 touchdowns for the Badgers this season.
 
Montgomery caught four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Duece Roberson totaled 52 yards also on four catches. Three Badgers finished with double figures in tackles with Kini Vunipola leading the way with 11 and Zach Nowatzke and David Sterzer each having 10.
 
COACHING STAFF: Zac Erekson (Brigham Young University, 2007: 34-19 overall record) is entering his third season at Snow College (19-4), second as the head football coach and his 13th year overall in coaching. In Erekson's first season as Head Football Coach he led the Badgers to an 8-0 regular season finish and a trip to the National Championship game. Prior to coming to Snow College, Erekson served as the athletics director and head coach at Skyline High School in Salt Lake City. Before his tenure at Skyline, Erekson coached high school football throughout Texas for 8 years. Erekson coached at 5A Abilene Cooper in Abilene, TX where his team went 12-2 in 2011.

Erekson is joined on the sidelines by Defensive Coordinator Jordan Pulou (Missouri S&T; 1st season), Special Teams and Wide Receivers coach James Dye (Brigham Young University; 1st season), Defensive Backs coach Dustin Pressley (Arkansas Monticello; 1st season), Offensive Line coach Trever McFalls (Southern Utah University; 1st season), Running Backs coach Ryan You (Arizona State; 4th season), Defensive Line coach Kyle Murray (Dixie State; 1st season), and Linbackers coach Devon McKinney (Louisiana Tech; 1st season).

BREAKING DOWN THE SCHEDULE: Snow College will play a total of 11 games this season including six home games and five road games.  The Badgers will play host to Trinity Valley Community College (8/25; 7 p.m.), Gila River Community College (9/17; 7 p.m.), Georgia Military College (10/1; 1 p.m.), Garden City Community College (10/15; 1 p.m.), and Monroe College (11/12; 12 p.m.), while playing road games against New Mexico Military Institute (9/3; 4 p.m.), Butler Community College (9/10; 1:30 p.m.), Iowa Western Community College (10/8; 12 p.m.), Us Air Force Academy Preparatory School (10/21; 1 p.m.), and Lackawanna College (11/19; 11 a.m.).

The Badger's biggest test came against No. 1 New Mexico Military Institute.  The Badgers suffered a 38-7 loss.  Snow College also faced off against No. 3 Iowa Western Community College, both of which were in the NJCAA national title game last season. The reigning national champion New Mexico Military Institute Broncos finished the season 12-1 and culminated the season defeating IWCC 31-13 in the National Title game.  IWCC defeated Snow College in last year's semi-final game 30-29 in overtime and finished the season 10-1 with its lone loss coming at the hands of the Broncos. 

Snow College will also face two other opponents currently ranked inside the NJCAA DI top 15 and another who recently fell out of the top 15 but received votes in the lates poll.  In addition to facing No 1. NMMI, and No. 2 IWCC, and No. 10 GMC, the Badgers will also take on No. 11 Lackawanna College November 19.  The Badger will also take on Monroe College, who boasted a preseason ranking of 13.  As mentioned earlier, TVCC was not ranked during their meeting, but now sit at No. 3 in the current rankings.
 
UP NEXT:  Snow College will travel the Scranton, Pennsylvania to take on No. 11 Lackawanna College in the final matchup of the regular season.  
 
Lackawanna currently holds a 6-1 overall record and has won four games in a row.  The Falcons are the fifth highest scoring team in the nation averaging 36.3 points per game just behind East Mississippi and Northwest Mississippi who are averaging 36.4 and 36.5 points per game, respectively.  The Falcons also find themselves just outside the top five in the country defensively as they are allowing just 15.4 points per game.  The matchup with the Falcons will take place Saturday, Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. MST on Penfed Field at Scranton Memorial Stadium.