GAME NOTES
 

• Following a bye week, the Snow College football team will travel to Dodge City, Kansas to take on Dodge City Community College Saturday.  Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. MDT inside Memorial Stadium. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.

• The Badgers are coming off a 45-3 victory against the St. George Junior College Eagles Sept. 9.  With the victory, they now have won two games in a row and improve to 2-1 overall to begin the season.

• Snow College tallied 537 yards of total offense in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.  Following the victory, the Badgers moved up to 6^th in the NJCAA Division I Football Poll.

• The Badgers forced five turnovers during the game including three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.  

• Snow College and DCCC have only squared off once since 2012.  The matchup came in the Salt City Bowl in 2015.  The Badgers, who were 11-1 at the time, defeated the No. 9 Conquistadors 38-14

• DCCC enters the weekend matchup with a 2-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark within the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.  The Conquistadors were defeated by No. 1 Iowa Western Community College 27-20 to start the season.

• DCCC has won consecutive games defeating Coffeyville Community College 26-17 followed by a victory against Highland Community College 14-7 Sept. 9.  

• The Conquistadors are 27^th in the nation offensively averaging 20.0 points per game.  They also rank just behind Snow College defensively.  DCCC is allowing opponents to score 17.0 points per game, good enough for 13^th overall behind the Badgers who give up 15.7 points per game this season.

 
LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College football team defeated the St. George Junior College Eagles 45-3 Saturday in Ephraim. The Badgers racked up 537 yards of total offense en route to the convincing victory.
 
The Badgers entered the weekend matchup coming off an impressive 27-13 victory over the No. 14-ranked New Mexico Military Institute the week prior.  Following the victory, Snow College moved up to 9th in the NJCAA Division I Football Poll.
 
The Badgers welcomed the Eagles to town for the first-ever meeting between the two teams.  The Eagles are a newly formed junior college or "gap year" football program and are the first such private team in the state of Utah.
 
The Eagles opened their 2023 season against NMMI in Roswell, New Mexico.  They suffered a 75-17 defeat at the hands of the Broncos.
 
Neither team scored on their first two possessions to start the game.  The Badgers broke through after Tremell Wright picked off Eagle's quarterback Emery Thorson and set them up at the STJC 40-yard line.
 
A 37-yard connection from Donovan Smith to Ayo Shotomide-King set the Badgers up at the Eagles goal line. AJ Tillman punched it in on the ground from three yards out on the next play to give the Badgers a 7-0 lead following the PAT.
 
It was the Snow College special teams who made the next impact of the game.  Diego Grateron penetrated the Eagle's punt formation and blocked the kick, which was eventually scooped up by Shandon King and returned for a touchdown.  This was the first time the Badgers have returned a blocked punt for a touchdown since Levi Thompson did it in 2012 against ASA Brooklyn.
 
Snow College would strike again a few possessions later to take a 21-0 lead.  The Badgers used a pair of 34-yard completions, one to Ethan Wood and the other to Amir McGruder, to find the end zone.  It was the pitch and catch from Smith to McGruder that went the distance.
 
STJC scored its only points of the game following a 16-play, 67-yard drive that resulted in a 40-yard field goal that split the uprights.  The Badgers responded immediately on the following drive.  Smith had four completions for 65 yards mixed around a pair of rushes by Hyrum Boren, the second of which was a 1-yard tote into the end zone to give the Badgers a 28-3 lead heading into the halftime break.
 
Tillman helped set up the Badger's fifth touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter.  Tillman had three rushes that went for a total of 57 yards, setting the Badgers up in Eagle territory.  Snow College scored two plays later as Smith again found McGruder from 35 yards out.
 
The Badgers struck again midway through the fourth quarter.  They sustained a drive taking nearly five minutes off the game clock but were forced to settle for a field goal attempt.  Casey Keeslar drilled the field goal from 32 yards out, giving Snow College a 38-3 lead.
 
The final touchdown for the Badgers came near the end of the game.  Three consecutive rushes from Spencer Lambert totaling 36 yards set the Badgers up in the red zone.  Tillman finished the drive two plays later from nine yards out extending the Badgers lead and giving them the 45-3 victory.
 
The 537 yards of total offense is the highest total for the Badgers in a game this season.  They also threw for 355 yards through the air, also a season high.  Including the blocked punt, the Badgers forced six turnovers and scored 21 points directly following those turnovers.
 
Smith went 16-32 for 324 yards and two touchdowns.  McGruder caught three passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns.  Tillman carried the ball 13 times totaling 92 yards and two touchdowns.  Lambert had 65 ground yards on 10 carries to aid in the victory.
 
Snow College will now have a bye week before traveling to Dodge City, Kansas to take on Dodge City Community College Saturday, Sept. 23.
 
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), Defensive Backs Coach Bryce Hampton (Purdue University; 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 continue its two-game road swing against Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Georgia Saturday, Sept. 30. 
 
The Bulldogs are 2-2 overall this season with wins over Georgia Christian College (54-0) and Lackawanna College (17-9).  Their two losses have come against IWCC (26-10) and Tyler Junior College (52-28).  GMC finished last season with an 8-2 overall record with one of its losses coming against the Badgers Oct. 1.  The Badgers claimed a 41-18 victory after holding the Bulldogs to just 162 yards of total offense.  Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. MDT inside Davenport Field. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.