GAME NOTES

•The Snow College football team will welcome the St. George Junior College Eagles to Ephraim for a matchup Saturday.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium.

• Saturday's game will serve as the first-ever matchup between Snow College and SGJC.  The Eagles are in their first season as a program.  The St. George Eagles are the first private Junior College and "Post Graduate" team in the state of Utah. 

• The Badgers are coming off a convincing 27-13 victory over New Mexico Military Institute last weekend.  Snow College racked up 403 yards of total offense including 192 rushing yards in the victory.

• The Badgers did not commit any turnovers in Saturday's victory.  This is just the eighth time in the Zac Erekson era the Badgers have not committed a turnover in a game, and the first time since 2021.  They are an undefeated 8-0 in those games. 

• Snow College dominated time of possession holding onto the ball for 37:42, nearly 70 percent more than the Broncos.

• The Badger's defense allowed just 33 total rushing yards against the Broncos.  Snow College was the sixth-best team in the nation a season ago at preventing the rush allowing an average of 80.1 rushing yards per game.

• The Eagles were defeated by NMMI 75-17 in week one of the season.  They surrendered 436 yards of total offense including 302 yards through the air.  They also threw four interceptions throughout the game.

• The Eagles are coached by Greg Croshaw, who was recently inducted into the NJCAA Hall-of-Fame.  During his NJCAA coaching career, Croshaw compiled a 214-56-1 overall record including 17 conference titles and two national runner-up finishes.

LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College football team claimed its first victory of the season over No. 14 New Mexico Military Institute Saturday in Ephraim.  The Badgers scored 21 points in the second half to earn the 27-13 victory.

Coming off a tough, last-second loss last week against Trinity Valley Community College, Snow College entered the matchup with the Broncos as the 10th-ranked team in the nation in the NJCAA Division I Football Poll.  Conversely, the Broncos entered the top 15 after receiving votes in the preseason poll following a 75-17 victory against the St. George Junior College Eagles in week one.

NMMI opened the scoring midway through the first quarter on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Koby Muasau to Treyvion Beamon.  The Broncos held the 7-0 lead for only a few minutes before the Badgers responded near the end of the first period.

Badger's quarterback Donovan Smith found Ethan Wood in the end zone for a touchdown, but a missed extra point prevented Snow College from evening the score.

The Badgers immediately got the ball back after intercepting a Muasau pass and took over at the NMMI 32-yard line.  They couldn't maintain the momentum as a costly holding penalty put them behind the chains, forcing them to give the ball back a few minutes later.

Snow College controlled the ball for much of the second quarter.  The Broncos only had two possessions lasting a total of four minutes and 45 seconds.  Despite dominating the time of possession, the Badgers were unable to score throughout the rest of the first half. 

After receiving the second-half kickoff, Snow College put together a 9-play, 60-yard drive which culminated in a 1-yard touchdown rush from Hyrem Boren.  A failed 2-point conversion attempt gave the Badgers a 12-7 lead. 

The Broncos gained one first down on their first drive of the second half but were forced to punt after possessing the ball for only a couple of minutes.  The Badgers offense wouldn't give the ball back to the Broncos until a minute left in the third quarter.

Snow College forced two punts in the fourth quarter before getting the ball back with 6:43 to go.  Smith completed three consecutive passes on the drive, the final of which being a 19-yard pitch and catch to Ayo Shotomide-King for a touchdown.  Max Barker converted the 2-point try, giving the Badgers a 20-7 lead. 

Needing two scores, the Broncos went into a hurry-up offense and marched the ball 77 yards down the field in just two and a half minutes on the subsequent possession.  They scored a touchdown on a 10-yard completion with 58 seconds remaining.  The 2-point conversion attempt failed as did the onside kick off attempt.

On the second play of the ensuing Badger's possession, Boren took the ball down the middle of the field and scored on a 53-yard rushing touchdown, sealing the 27-13 victory for the Badgers.

Snow College dominated time of possession controlling the ball for over 37 minutes of action, over 15 minutes more than the Broncos.  The Badgers also did not turn the ball over nor did they allow a sack throughout the entire game.  They outgained NMMI by 160 yards totaling 403 yards of total offense including 192 yards on the ground.

Defensively, the Badgers allowed just 33 rushing yards on 23 attempts.  They also had two sacks and six other tackles for losses throughout the game.

Smith threw for a total of 211 yards and two touchdowns.  Boren gained 91 yards on the ground on 13 attempts while Austin Bell gobbled up 76 yards on 14 attempts.  Jared Wilson caught five passes for 83 yards in the winning effort. 

Snow College will now prepare to take on the St. George Junior College Eagles next week.  The Eagles were idle last weekend but opened their season with a 75-17 loss to NMMI Aug. 26.  Saturday's game will serve as the first-ever meeting between the Badgers and the Eagles. 

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: Following a bye week, the Badgers will travel to Dodge City, Kansas to take on Dodge City Community College Saturday, Sept. 23.

The Badgers and the Conquistadors have only faced each other one time since 2015.  Snow College was victorious in that matchup winning 38-14.  DCCC has started the 2023 season with a 1-1 overall record.  The Conquistadors were defeated by No. 1 Iowa Central Community College to begin the season 27-20 before earning a 26-17 victory last weekend against Coffeyville Community College.  The matchup will take place inside Memorial Stadium with kickoff scheduled at 12:00 p.m. MDT.  For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.