Setting the Stage: The Black Hills State football team moved back into a tie for first place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference after upsetting then No. 13 Colorado Mesa last Saturday. The Yellow Jackets had a balanced offensive attack with 367 yards passing and 207 yards rushing while the defensive had four interceptions and sacked the CMU quarterback on four occasions. The 48-34 victory helped Black Hills State receive votes in the AFCA Coach's Poll for the first time in the NCAA era with nine points. Black Hills State is 5-1 for the first time since 2010, the same year they started 6-1.

Last Meeting: Black Hills State held Austin Eckler to 146 yards rushing but the passing game propelled Western State to a 62-23 victory over BHSU. Western State tallied 604 yards of offense while the Yellow Jackets countered with 404 yards. The Yellow Jackets scored first and held a leads of 7-0 and 10-7 but a second quarter drought doomed BHSU as Western State scored 24 unanswered points in the quarter.

About Western State: Western State enters Saturday's game with a 4-2 record, with losses to Colorado Mesa and Dixie State but own the RMAC's best rushing attack at 257.5 yards per game and the nation's top rusher in senior Austin Ekeler at 180 yards per game. WSCU is coming off a 13-6 victory at Fort Lewis where the Mountaineers rushed 40 times and threw a pass on eight occasions. Ekler ran for a season-low 85 yards while quarterback Cameron Shumway rushed for 69 yards. Shumway was 5-of-8 passing and 94 yards. Of his five completions, Isaac Fuqua was on the receving end of two passes for 53 yards including a 34-yard touchdown. Defensively, Carter Wasser leads the team with 49 tackles, including four sacks, while Cade Wasser is second with 45 tackles. Will Halligan leads the team with three interceptions.

Series History: The series is knotted at 2-2 over four meetings.

Coverage: Yellow Jacket fans can catch Steve Ammerman on the call on The Eagle, 95.9/96.3 FM, or live online at MyEagleCountry.com. Ammerman is the voice of Yellow Jacket Athletics and can be heard on every football and men's/women's basketball game throughout the season.

Temperature: Saturday's five-day outlook shows partly cloudy skies and a high of 65. There is a 10 percent chance of precipitation with a WNW at 14 mph.

GENERAL NOTEBOOK

Last Time 5-1: Black Hills State owned a 5-1 record during the 2010 season. In that year, the final year of NAIA play, the Yellow Jackets won six games.

Receiving Votes: For the first time in the NCAA era, the Black Hills State football team received votes in the AFCA Top-25 Coach's Poll. The Yellow Jackets received nine votes in the poll dated October 10, 2016, essentially ranking them 32nd in the nation.

Player of the Week (Volume 2): After spending five years in the RMAC without a single Player of the Week honor, the Yellow Jackets have earned a weekly honor two weeks in a row. Phydell Paris earned the RMAC honor in Week 5 of the season. In Week 6, Travis Groves and Alberto Mastrovito each garnered the honor. Groves had 12 tackles and an interception in the victory over Colorado Mesa while Mastrovito scored 12 points in his first career game. Mastrovito went 2-of-2 on field goal attempts and 6-of-6 on PAT's.

Player of the Week (Volume 1): When Phydell Paris was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week, he became the first Yellow Jacket football player to snag the weekly honor from the conference. The Yellow Jackets last Player of the Week came on October 4, 2010, when Levi Milliken was named the Dakota Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

Looking for a Fifth Win: Black Hills State, who is looking to win its fifth game of 2016, last won five games in a single season in 2010. The Yellow Jackets have already set a new standard for wins in a single season during the NCAA era.

Records are Made to be Broken: The Yellow Jackets set two school records in the 36-10 victory over New Mexico Highlands. Phydell Paris broke the single-game rushing record with 244 yards on 31 carries. Overall, the Yellow Jacket team broke the single-game record with 447 yards rushing. True freshman Payten Gilmore also tallied over 100 yards with 107 on the afternoon.

Hebel Leads the Nation: Drew Hebel leads the nation with six interceptions over four games. The redshirt sophomore snagged his first career interception on the first play of the 2016 season and proceeds to average 1.0 per game.

Leader in the Nation (Part Two): Black Hills State leads the nation 16 interceptions in 2016. Drew Hebel is the team leader with six interceptions while Allan Stubbs has tallied three. Twice the Yellow Jackets have recorded four interceptions in one game, at Adams State and against Colorado Mesa.