GAME NOTES
 
• The Snow College football team will play its final game of the regular season against Monroe College Saturday in Mount Vernon, New York.  Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. MST inside The Stadium at Memorial Field.
 
• The Badgers are coming off a thrilling 33-32 victory over the Garden City Community College Broncbusters last weekend in Garden City, Kansas.  Jared Wilson caught the go-ahead pass from Donovan Smith with 1:42 remaining to give the Badgers the 1-point lead and the eventual victory.
 
• Despite the victory, the Badgers dropped one spot in the NJCAA Division I Football Poll, which was released Monday.  By falling out of the top four, the Badgers, as of now, are no longer in line to secure a berth into postseason play.  In all likelihood, the Badgers would need a big win Saturday to crack the top four spots necessary to make the NJCAA Playoff.
 
• Donovan Smith threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns in the Badgers victory over the Broncbusters.  This is the second time all season he has thrown for over 300 yards in a game.  He threw for 324 yards and a touchdown against St. George Junior College Sept. 9. 
 
• Over his last five games, Smith has thrown 15 touchdown passes and now sits at 3rd in the country in total passing touchdowns with 23.  He is also 3rd in total passing yards at 2,186 and in total completions with 174.
 
• The Badgers pace the nation in red zone touchdowns.  They have converted on 66 percent of their trips inside the opponents 20 this season scoring 25 touchdowns on 38 attempts.  They are also first overall in total third down conversions with 70.
 
• Monroe enters the matchup with a 6-3 overall record.  They are coming off a 38-36 overtime loss against Lackawanna College last weekend.  While not ranked, they are receiving votes in the NJCAA Division I Football Poll.
 
• The Badgers and the Mustangs lone meeting against each other came last year in the penultimate game of the season for Snow College. The Badgers won that matchup by a score of 34-14.
LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College football team claimed a thrilling 33-32 victory over Garden City Community College Saturday in Kansas.  Jared Wilson caught the go-ahead touchdown pass with 1:42 remaining to give the Badgers their fourth consecutive victory.
 
The Badgers entered the weekend following a convincing 50-21 victory over No. 12 Lackawanna College in their final home game of the season.  Following the victory, the Badgers moved up to fourth in the NJCAA Division I Football Poll.  
 
The first quarter went by without a score from either side as the Badgers forced the Broncbusters to punt on each of their first four possessions.  The Badgers broke the scoreless tie early in the second quarter.  It was an 18-yard pass from Donovan Smith to Wilson that gave Snow College the 7-0 lead. 
 
GCCC responded on its next possession, but the extra point was missed, and the Badgers maintained a 7-6 lead.  Snow College needed just one play on the ensuing drive to score again.  AJ Tillman broke a 68-yard rush that went the distance to give the Badgers a 14-6 lead.
 
GCCC responded a few minutes later as they returned a Badger punt 74 yards for a touchdown to cut into the deficit.  The Broncbusters would take the lead just over a minute later on a 60-yard passing touchdown, giving them an 18-14 lead.  
 
Following the score, Snow College took over with 56 seconds left.  They marched down the field and Smith found Ayo Shotomide-King for a 24-yard touchdown with 19 seconds remaining in the half.  The Badgers would take the 21-18 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Broncbusters opened the third quarter with a touchdown on its first possession.  They used 13 plays and 75 yards to take a 26-21 lead following a successful 2-point conversion.  GCCC got the ball back less than two minutes later following a Badger turnover.
 
GCCC scored again to take a 32-21 lead just three plays later.  The Badgers punched back on their ensuing possession.  They gobbled up 70 yards on 11 plays and used over five minutes of action to score a touchdown on a 20-yard rush from Hyrum Boren. The PAT was blocked, however, and GCCC held a 32-27 lead.
 
No team was able to gain any traction throughout most of the fourth quarter until the Badgers took over at their own 38-yard line following a punt.  On the second play of the drive, Smith was sacked setting up a 3rd-and-14.  Smith found Wilson on the next play for 20 yards to keep the drive alive.
 
Smith found Shotomide-King on the following play for a massive 39-yard completion, setting the Badgers up at the GCCC 12-yard line.  Two plays later, Smith floated a ball into the back of the end zone where Wilson was able to reel in the pass despite being smothered by a defender to score a touchdown.  Holding a 1-point lead, the Badgers went for two, but the attempt failed, and they kicked the ball to the Broncbusters leading 33-32.
 
The Broncbusters completed three consecutive passes to start their final drive.  A 3-yard completion, an incomplete pass, and a 2-yard completion saw GCCC faced with a 4th-and-5 near midfield with just under a minute to play.  They gained just four yards on the 4th-down play and turned the ball over on downs.  The Badgers took over and were able to kneel the ball to run out the time, earning the 33-32 victory.
 
Smith went 24-39 for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns.  AJ Tillman rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts.  Shotomide-King caught nine passes for 161 yards and a touchdown while Wilson caught seven passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns to aid in the victory.
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: The Badgers will need to wait until the final Division I Football Poll of the regular season comes out to see if they land within the top four and receive a berth into NJCAA Football Playoff.  For additional information, visit snowbadgers.com.