GAME NOTES
The Snow College football team begins the second half of its season against No. 8 Tyler Junior College Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium in Ephraim.
 
The Badgers are coming off a 39-30 defeat against Trinity Valley Community College last weekend. Despite jumping out to an 11-0 lead, the Badgers were outscored 39-19 the rest of the way.
 
The Badgers gained over 400 yards of total offense against the Cardinals Saturday night. It's just the second time under Head Coach Zac Erekson they have lost when gaining at least 400 yards of total offense. The other loss came last season against the Army Junior Varsity squad. The Badgers are 27-2 overall in such games under Erekson.
 
Snow College nearly doubled up the Cardinals in time of possession. The Badgers were on offense for over 39 minutes Saturday. On average, Snow College possesses the ball for nearly 36 minutes per game.
 
Over the last two games, Snow College has gone just 15-41 (.366) on third-down conversions. This comes after the Badgers went 16-37 (.432) in their first two games of the season.
 
The Badgers went 5-5 on fourth-down conversions against TVCC. The Badgers are converting on nearly 65 percent of fourth downs this season.
 
After recording seven sacks in their first game of the season, the Badgers have recorded just four sacks in the three games since their victory against Garden City Community College.
 
Erekson has never lost three consecutive games in his seven seasons as head coach of the team.
 
The Apaches enter Saturday's game with a 4-1 overall record. Their lone loss came in a 38-33 result against Trinity Valley Community College Sept. 12. They are 2-1 in Southwest Junior College Football Conference play this season.
 
Snow College and Tyler have played just one game against each other in program history. The Badgers were defeated by the Apaches 26-12 in Ephraim last season. Tyler went on to win the SWJCFC Tournament Championship after going undefeated in conference play.
 
LAST TIME OUT: A pair of defensive touchdowns proved to be the difference as No. 7 Trinity Valley Community College defeated Snow College 39-30 Saturday inside Terry Foote Stadium.
 
The Badgers outgained the Cardinals on the ground, held the ball for more than 39 minutes and converted all five of their fourth-down attempts. However, Trinity Valley scored on a blocked field-goal return and an interception return to hand Snow College its second consecutive loss.
 
The Badgers put together a 12-play, 75-yard drive to begin the game. Aquaylis Jordan converted a fourth-and-2 attempt with a 7-yard run before Jadyn Buckner broke a 19-yard rush into TVCC territory. Dylan Story later found Buckner for a 15-yard touchdown on third and 10. Grayden Dumas ran in the 2-point conversion to give Snow College an 8-0 lead.
 
The Cardinals threatened on their opening possession, moving the ball to the Snow College 3-yard line. TVCC fumbled, and Will Warner recovered the ball before returning it 14 yards.
Snow College added to its lead late in the quarter. Story connected with Buckner for 17 yards to extend the drive before Ian Sanches made a 43-yard field goal. The Badgers led 11-0 after the opening period.
 
TVCC responded with consecutive touchdown drives in the second quarter. A 48-yard pass on the first play of the second quarter set the Cardinals up inside Badger territory. Four plays later, TVCC found the end zone on a 22-yard pitch-and-catch to bring the score within four.
 
The Cardinals took the lead later in the second quarter. TVCC converted four first downs before throwing a 31-yard touchdown to take a 14-11 advantage.
 
Snow College's ensuing drive was promising, but the offense stalled and was forced into a field-goal attempt. The kick hit the upright, and the Badgers were unable to trim the deficit.
 
Special teams created another momentum swing late in the half. TVCC blocked a Snow College punt out of the end zone for a safety, stretching the lead to 16-11. The Cardinals then drove 48 yards in the final 1:22 and made a 44-yard field goal as time expired to give the Cardinals a 19-11 halftime lead.
 
Neither team scored in the third quarter. Hyrum-Benjamin Moors recorded a sack to help the Badgers force a punt on TVCC's opening possession. The Cardinals later missed a 37-yard field goal.
 
Snow College took over and put together a 16-play drive that carried into the fourth quarter. The Badgers converted a fourth-and-1 attempt and reached the TVCC 8, but penalties pushed them back to the 28. Sanches' 35-yard field-goal attempt was mishandled, and the Cardinals returned it 87 yards for a touchdown to extend their lead to 25-11.
 
The Badgers responded with an 11-play, 80-yard drive. TVCC committed penalties on third and fourth down to keep the possession alive before Buckner scored on a 2-yard run on fourth and goal. Sanches made the extra point to trim the deficit to 25-18 with 7:45 remaining.
 
The Cardinals answered just 42 seconds later on a 60-yard touchdown. They then added another defensive score on a 61-yard interception that was returned for a touchdown, giving TVCC a 39-18 lead.
 
Snow College continued to battle. Buckner opened the next possession with consecutive runs of 14 and 11 yards. Story later converted a fourth-and-1 attempt with a 12-yard run before finding Buckner for a 5-yard touchdown.
 
The Badgers got the ball back with 1:24 remaining and drove 85 yards. Buckner picked up 18 yards on third and 10 before Story connected with Denver Fauntleroy for a 45-yard touchdown on the final play of the game, producing the 39-30 final.
 
Snow College finished with 429 yards of offense, including 243 rushing yards. The Badgers recorded 33 first downs and held the ball for 39:08.
 
Buckner rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He also caught five passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Louie Hamilton added 56 yards on 11 carries.
Story completed 20 of 39 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Seven different players caught a pass for the Badgers.
 
Snow College fell to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in SWJCFC play. The Badgers will remain home to take on Tyler Junior College Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.
 
UP NEXT: Snow College will head back out onto the road and take on Blinn College Saturday, Oct. 3 in Brenham, Texas. The Buccaneers are 2-2 overall this season and 0-2 within conference play. They will play Kilgore College this weekend in Kilgore, Texas.
 
The Badgers and Buccaneers have only faced each other once in program history. Snow College defeated Blinn 43-41 in the El Toro Bowl Dec. 2, 2017, in Yuma, Arizona. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. MST. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.