GAME NOTES:

• The Snow College football team will culminate homecoming week and welcome No. 2 Iowa Western Community College to town Saturday. Kickoff for the game is slated for 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium.

 

• The Badgers, who are coming off a bye week, will enter Saturday's game on the heels of a 55-38 come-from-behind victory against No. 15 Lackawanna College. This snapped the brief two-game skid the Badgers were riding entering the matchup.

 

• Historically, under Erekson, the Badgers have seen success in games coming off a bye week. Since 2020, Snow College is 8-0 in games following a bye, including the matchup against Lackawanna.

 

• Snow College defeated the Falcons despite being outgained and surrendering nearly 500 yards. It is just the fourth win under coach Erekson when allowing more than 400 yards of total offense and the first since giving 406 yards and earning a 35-18 victory against New Mexico Military Institute Nov. 2, 2024.

 

• Saturday's game against the Falcons also marked a rare occurrence for the Badgers. As a team, the Badgers surrendered 100 rushing yards to Lackawanna's Hassan Akanbi. Bryson Luter, from Army's junior varsity team, also gained 100 ground yards against the Badgers' defense. It's the first time the Badgers have allowed consecutive 100-yard rushers since 2011.

 

• Snow College running back Seth Rigtrup has rushed for 100 or more yards in three consecutive games, including gaining 195 yards and scoring three touchdowns. As a result of his strong performance, he was named the NJCAA Player of the Week.

 

• Through five games this season, Rigtrup has rushed for 523 total yards, which is fourth-most in the nation. His 104.6 rushing yards per game lands him fifth overall among players who have played at least four games this season.

 

• The Reivers enter Saturday's game with a 4-1 overall record after defeating No. 14 Coffeyville Community College. Their lone loss this season came in a rematch of the 2024 National Title Game – a 30-27 defeat to No. 1 Hutchinson Community College Sept. 13.

 

• The Badgers are just 1-7 all time against the Reivers. Their only victory came in a 31-30 win March 27, 2021, in Council Bluffs. They have lost five consecutive games to the 2022 and 2023 National Champions.

 
LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College football team rallied to secure a 55-38 come-from-behind victory against No. 15 Lackawanna College Saturday in Ephraim. Seth Rigtrup led the Badgers offensively as he racked up 195 rushing yards and three touchdowns to help the Badgers earn their third victory of the season.
 
Snow College entered Saturday's top-15 matchup off the heels of a heartbreaking 31-29 loss to the Army West Point junior varsity team. The Black Knights returned a 97-yard fumble in triple overtime to secure the two-point victory.
 
The Badgers found themselves trailing early in the game as Lackawanna scored on its opening drive after forcing a punt. The Falcons went up 14-0 after scoring a touchdown on their second possession.
 
Snow College responded by putting together a 90-yard drive on the subsequent possession. The biggest chunk came on a 54-yard pitch and catch from Jack Thow to CJ Rabb III to put the Badgers inside the Falcons' 10-yard line. Matt Wilson finished the drive on the next play from six yards out, and Lackawanna led 14-6 after the failed 2-point attempt.
 
 Both teams exchanged field goals to open up the second quarter. A 26-yard Lackawanna field goal preceded a 40-yard kick from Joseph Brandt that split the uprights and brought the score to 17-9.
 
The Badgers forced a punt on the Falcons' next possession and took possession with great field position near midfield. Rigtrup started the drive with a 17-yard carry before a sack put the Badgers behind the chains.
 
Thow again found Rabb III over the middle on 3^rd-and-11 for 18 yards to keep the drive alive. A few plays later, the Badgers pulled out the trickery. Snow College ran a fake reverse, but Thow kept the ball. He found Miles Peters wide open in the end zone for the 21-yard touchdown. Thow finished the drive with a quarterback keeper to secure the 2-point conversion and even the game at 17 apiece.
 
After forcing a pair of punts, the second of which from Lackawanna's own endzone, Snow College took over at the Falcons' 21-yard line. The Badgers wasted no time, scoring on the first play of the drive as Thow once again found Rabb III for the touchdown.
 
Snow College would score again before the end of the half. After forcing a turnover on downs with just over a minute to play, the Badgers moved quickly down the field. With the second quarter clock waning, Brandt was called upon to extend the lead. His 33-yard field goal was true, and the Badgers entered halftime leading 27-17.
 
The Badgers started the third quarter with a bang as Rigtrup broke free on the first play for the Badgers. He raced 87 yards down the field, outrunning all pursuers for the score. It's the longest rush a Badger has recorded since Targhee Lambson had an 89-yard rush against McDougle Technical College Sept. 18, 2021.
 
The Falcons quickly responded on a big play of their own just 72 seconds later. A 64-yard passing touchdown saw the Badgers' lead trimmed to 34-24 with just under 12 minutes to play in the third quarter.
 
Lackawanna edged ever closer after regaining possession midway through the period. The Falcons scored a touchdown after a 65-yard drive to trim the lead to just three points. The Badgers responded and got a good kickoff return from Colby Williams, setting them up at the Lackawanna 25-yard line.
 
Thow threw his third touchdown pass of the game, this time finding Kael McCoy for the 20-yard touchdown, and the Badgers extended their lead back to 10, 41-31. It was Lackawanna's defense that halted the Badgers' momentum as the Falcons returned an interception for a touchdown to get back within three points.
 
Rigtrup struck again with another long run to give the Badgers a little breathing room. He scampered for a rushing touchdown, this time from 57 yards out, to bring the score to 48-38 with four minutes to play.
 
The Badgers' defense set up the final touchdown of the game as Salehe Koonooka-Williams sacked Falcons' quarterback Jacob Tiberi, forcing a fumble, which was picked up by Okusitino Sa and returned to the Lackawanna 3-yard line.
 
Rigtrup punched in his third rushing touchdown of the game on the next play to give the Badgers the 55-38 lead. Teni Worthen secured the victory for the Badgers as he intercepted a pass from Tiberi with less than a minute to play.
 
In addition to his three touchdowns, Rigtrup racked up 195 total rushing yards on just 18 carries – more than a 10-yard per rush average. The 195 rushing yards are the most by a Badger since Seth Kaelin ran for 232 yards in a 69-18 victory against Ellsworth Community College May 1, 2021. Through five games, Rigtrup has tallied 523 rushing yards – fourth most in the nation.
 
Thow went 12-25 for 204 yards and three touchdowns while Rabb III caught four passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the Badgers were led by Tayson Reid, who recorded 15 total tackles, an interception, and a pass breakup.
 
The Badgers will now have two weeks to prepare for No. 2 Iowa Western Community College. The Reivers own a 3-1 overall record and will take on Coffeyville Community College next Saturday. The matchup with the Reivers will take place Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.
 
ON THE SIDELINE: Zac Erekson returns for his sixth season at the helm for the Badgers. He is 41-10 all time as head coach for the team and has won nine games in each of the previous two seasons.
 
The Badgers have been ranked inside the top 15 every week during his five seasons and have won 10 games against ranked opponents under Erekson. Additionally, Erekson has not lost a game to an unranked opponent over his first five seasons, going a perfect 30-0 in such matchups.
 
Snow College went 5-1 in home games last year while sporting a 4-1 road record. Erekson is 23-3 all time within the friendly confines of Terry Foote Stadium. His teams have also amassed an impressive 18-4 mark in road games since 2020.
 
Three coaches from the 2024 staff will return to the program for the 2025 season, including Trever McFalls (Southern Utah University), who will serve as the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach in his fourth season with the program. Michael O'Neal (Norwich University) will serve as the defensive backs coach/special teams coordinator and JV head coach in his second season. Matt Beecher (Brigham Young University), also in his second season with the team, will serve as the running backs coach.
 
Erekson will welcome four new coaches to the staff, including Mark Wilson (Abilene Christian University), who will take over the defensive coordinator responsibilities. Michael Dixon (Doane University) will serve as the wide receivers coach, while Colby Hyder (Southern Virginia University) will coach the linebackers, and Stevie Tu'ikolovatu (University of Southern California) will serve as the defensive line coach.
 
UP NEXT: Snow College will travel east to Milledgeville, Georgia, and take on No. 6 Georgia Military College Saturday, Oct. 25 at 11:00 MDT. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.
 
The Bulldogs are 6-1 this season and have won five consecutive games since suffering their only loss of the season to No. 2 IWCC. One of those victories came in a 49-34 result against Lackawanna Sept. 20. GMC, which is averaging 60.4 points per game, sports the nation's number one offense and number nine defense. The Badgers are 4-3 overall against the Bulldogs and have won three of their last four despite a 31-24 overtime loss last season in Ephraim.