GAME NOTES
 

• The Snow College football team will welcome a new opponent in the form of Pacific Northwest Christian College Saturday in Ephraim.  This will be the first time the two teams have met as PNCC is a new member of the Division I ranks.

 

• Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium.

 

• Snow College is coming off a dominant 58-0 victory over St. George Junior College last weekend.  This was the second meeting of the season, and the Badgers outscored the Eagles by a cumulative score of 103-3.

 

• AJ Tillman racked up 124 rushing yards and scored four touchdowns in the Badgers shutout victory against SGJC.  Tillman leads the team in rushing touchdowns with seven so far this season.

 

• The Badgers gained 194 rushing yards against the Eagles.  This is the most rushing yards they have compiled in any game this season.  They have gained 180 rush yards or more in three of their seven games this season.

 

• Snow College also gained 283 yards through the air against SGJC, which is the second most in a game this season.  The Badgers threw for 355 yards in the first meeting between the two teams Sept. 9.

 

• The Badgers lead the nation in multiple different categories including total first downs, passing first downs, first downs per game, total 3^rd and 4^th-down conversions, fumbles recovered, and time of possession.

 

• With the offensive explosion last weekend, the Badgers moved up 12 spots in the NJCAA offensive ranks.  They now sit just outside the top 10 offenses in the nation at 30.7 points per game, 0.6 points per game behind New Mexico Military Institute.

 
LAST TIME OUT:
 
The Snow College football team earned a dominant 58-0 victory over the St. George Junior College Eagles Saturday in Ephraim.  AJ Tillman tallied four rushing touchdowns to aid in the victory.
 
The Badgers were coming off a tough loss against No. 2 Iowa Western Community College the previous weekend.  Snow College failed to score in the second half and suffered the 20-13 loss at the hands of the Reivers.
 
Snow College was originally supposed to host the US Air Force Preparatory Academy for homecoming, but due to a cancellation, welcomed the Eagles to town instead.  The Badgers defeated STJC 45-3 earlier in the season.
 
The Badgers wasted no time in taking a 7-0 lead as they scored on the seventh play of the game.  Donovan Smith threw for a total of 68 yards during the drive, including a 40-yard pitch and catch that dropped into the hands of DJ Overstreet, who sauntered untouched into the end zone.
 
Snow College would strike again two minutes later after forcing a 3-and-out.  This time, it was Smith who found Amir McGruder in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-0 lead just five minutes into the game.  
 
The Badgers would strike one more time in the first quarter as they scored on each of their first three drives to start the game. Tillman compiled 30 rushing yards including a 3-yard rush that hit pay dirt for his first of four rushing touchdowns of the game.
 
Snow College added on to start the second quarter.  It was once again Tillman, who capped off a 5-play, 57-yard drive with a 10-yard rush to the end zone, giving the Badgers a 27-0 lead following a missed extra point.
 
The Badger defense forced the Eagles to punt on their first possession of the second quarter giving the ball back to the offense.  Tillman toted the ball four times on the possession, tallying 37 ground yards and finished the drive from 11 yards out, giving the Badgers a 34-0 lead.
 
Snow College would add one more score before the half ended.  A deep 50-yard pass from Kamen Best to Shandon King extended the Badger's lead, 41-0.
 
In addition to the offensive outburst, the Snow College defense was also stout, holding the Eagles to negative yardage until the final minute of the second half.  The Eagles finished with just 18 total yards in the first two quarters.
 
The Badgers would score three more times in the third quarter.  The first came following a fumble recovered by the Badgers on the Eagle's first play of the second half.  Snow College weren't able to gain a first down, but Bradford Willis nailed a 33-yard field goal to extend the lead, 44-0.
 
The Badgers surpassed the 50-point mark for the first time this season as Best found Christian Bailey for a 4-yard passing touchdown giving Snow College a 51-0 lead.
 
The final points of the game were scored by Tillman, who scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a 9-yard rush allowing Snow College to claim the 58-0 victory.  With the win, the Badgers improve to 5-2 overall with four games remaining on the schedule.
 
In addition to the four touchdowns, Tillman tallied 124 rushing yards while also catching a pair of passes for 29 yards.  Smith went 12-19 for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns.  As a team, the Badgers gobbled up 477 yards of total offense and limited the Eagles to just 72 yards throughout the game.
 
The No. 8 Badgers will continue its current four-game home stretch as it welcomes Pacific Northwest Christian College for the first time Saturday.  The Gladiators are a new member to the NJCAA Division I ranks beginning with the 2023 season.  
 
The meeting will take place Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium in Ephraim.  For video streaming, ticket, and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.
 
BREAKING DOWN THE SCHEDULE: Snow College will face a total of 11 opponents during the 2023 season including the defending champion IWCC.  The Badgers are scheduled to face five NJCAA preseason top-15 opponents including No. 15 TVCC, No. 13 GMC, No. 1 IWCC, No. 14 Lackawanna, and No. 9 Garden City Community College.
 
Following the matchup with the Cardinals, the Badgers will return to Ephraim to begin their home schedule against the 2021 National Champion New Mexico Military Institute Sept. 2 at 7:00 p.m.
 
The Badgers will welcome a new opponent to Terry Foote Stadium in the newly formed Junior College partner St. George Eagles.  The St. George Eagles are the first private Junior College and "Post Graduate" team in the state of Utah.  They were formed from the USA Collegiate and The Coaches Team Foundation, and 2023 will serve as their first season as a program.  The Badgers will host the Eagles Sept. 9.
 
Snow College will play back-to-back road games Sept. 23 and 30 against Dodge City Community College and GMC.  The Badgers were victorious in their lone meeting against DCCC earning a 38-14 victory Dec. 5, 2015, in Hutchinson Kansas. 
 
The Badgers will begin a four-game home stretch that will span the entire month of October beginning with the reigning National Champion and NJCAA preseason No. 1-ranked IWCC Oct. 7.  Snow College will host the US Air Force Academy Preparatory School the following week.  The first-ever meeting between Snow College and Pacific Northwest Christian College will take place Oct. 21 in Ephraim.  The Badgers will wrap up their home slate of games against Lackawanna College Oct. 29.
 
Snow College will take on GCCC Nov. 4 in Garden City, Kansas before heading out on its longest trip of the season with a matchup against Monroe College in New Rochelle, New York to conclude its season Nov. 11.
 
ON THE SIDELINE: Erekson will once again be on the sideline for the Badgers as he enters his fourth season as the head coach.  Erekson has compiled a 24-5 record for Snow College in his tenure including a remarkable 14-1 record at home.  In Erekson's first season as head coach, he led the Badgers to an 8-0 regular season finish and a trip to the National Championship game.  In 2021, the Badgers returned to the NJCAA DI Football Playoffs following an 8-2 overall record.  Before coming to Snow College, Erekson served as the Athletic 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 eight years.  Erekson coached at 5A Abilene Cooper in Abilene, Texas where his team went 12-2 in 2011. 
 
Erekson will be joined on the sideline by Defensive Coordinator Jordan Pulou (Missouri S&T; second season), Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coordinator Trevor McFalls (Southern Utah University; second season), Defensive Line Coach Kyle Murray (Utah Tech University; second season), Running Backs Coach Hunter Batten (Lamar; first season), Tight Ends Coach Lanny Owens (McMurray; first season), and Wide Receivers Coach Neil Pau'u (Brigham Young University; first season).
 
UP NEXT: Snow College will wrap up its home schedule against Lackawanna College Saturday, Oct. 28 in Ephraim.  The matchup will serve as sophomore day for the team.
 
The Falcons are 6-1 overall this season and are ranked 13^th in the NJCAA Division I Football Poll for week 8.  Their only loss this season came at the hands of Georgia Military College Sept. 16.  The Badgers have never lost to the Falcons winning each of the first four meetings since 2019.  The Badgers are averaging 31.3 points per game against the Falcons in their four victories.  The Game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium.  For video streaming, ticket, and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.