Full Notes

Setting the Stage: The Black Hills State University football team took a quick 10-0 lead, but ultimately fell to Dixie State, 38-16, last week. Collin Powers finished with 126 yards and one interception. Phydell Paris led the ground attack, totaling 156 yards and two touchdowns. It was his second game this season with over 100-yards rushing. Erick Hairston-Belcher led all receivers with 47 yards. Defensively, Thayer Sauter had 13 total tackles, including six solo. Luis Bach had 1.5 sacks, while Jarrell Ganaway and Daylon Stutz each had a sack. Drew Hebel also recorded half a sack.  

Last Meeting: The Yellow Jacket football team fell to South Dakota Mines, 46-17, in last year's Battle for the Homestake Trophy. BHSU trailed, 22-17, at halftime in Rapid City, but the Hardrockers scored 24 second half points to take the rivalry game and hand the Green and Gold their first loss of the season. Ryan Hommel threw for 278 yards, while Phydell Paris had 116 yards rushing. Shandon Jones totaled five receptions for 102 yards. Defensively, Drew Hebel snagged an interception, while JJ Kilgore, Luis Bach, and Hebel each had nine tackles.

About South Dakota Mines: The Hardrockers most recently fell to No. 18-ranked CSU-Pueblo, 34-14, last weekend. They are now 2-1 overall, and 1-1 in RMAC play. SD Mines finished with 402 yards, including 300 through the air by quarterback Jake Sullivan, who had a touchdown and three interceptions. Kevin Thompson carried the ball 15 times for 50 yards, while Brandon LaBrie had 12 catches for 151 yards. Defensively, Blake Stone had 13 tackles.   

Series History: The Yellow Jackets and Hardrockers will meet for the 132nd time in this week's Black Hills Brawl. The rivalry is the longest running series in Division II. BHSU is 58-62-11 all-time against SD Mines.

Tickets: Tickets for the Battle for the Homestake Trophy will go on sale Friday, at 5 p.m. Tickets will be available for purchase before the Yellow Jacket volleyball game on Friday in the Young Center, as well as Saturday morning before the football game.

Coverage: Yellow Jacket fans can catch Steve Ammerman and Jim Kallas on the call on The Eagle, 95.9 and 96.3 FM. A free webcast can be found via Stretch Internet, the official video provider for RMAC Sports.

Temperature: The five-day forecast shows Saturday's temperature around kickoff to be 45 degrees. There is a 67 percent chance of precipitation and a wind at 7 mph.

General Notebook
A tradition like no other: The Black Hills Brawl between the Yellow Jackets and Hardrockers is the longest running rivalry game in Division II. This will be the 132nd meeting between the two programs, which are separated by 50 miles. SD Mines leads the series, 62-58-11, and has won the last two games. BHSU last won in 2014, when they took the Homestake Trophy, 42-30.

Rank and file: After three weeks of play, the Green and Gold remain ranked in the top-five in the RMAC in several categories. The Yellow Jackets are fifth in total offense (432.7 ypg) and third in rushing offense (217.3 ypg). They are also fourth in total defense (409.3 ypg), fifth in pass defense (206.3 ypg), fifth in pass defense efficiency (125.0), and third in interceptions (three).

Take it away: After finishing the 2016 season with the second most interceptions in the nation, the Yellow Jackets are off to a fast start in that category in 2017. The Green and Gold defense had three interceptions against Adams State in week one. The nation's leader a year ago, Drew Hebel, snagged one INT, while Sam Garcia, and Dimitri Butts each pulled an interception down as well.

Next man up: The injury bug has struck the Yellow Jackets this season. After starting quarterback Ryan Hommel went down with an injury in the game against Fort Lewis, Ben Sjobakken stepped in to fill the role. He finished with 126 yards passing, including a 42-yard touchdown pass to Erick Hairston-Belcher. Sjobakken was injured in his first career start against Dixie State, giving redshirt-freshman Collin Powers his first collegiate experience. Powers finished the game 126 yards passing.

Linebacker rotation: Injuries have affected the defensive side of the ball. This week's projected linebacking corp will be the third different combination in four games this year.

Depth Charge: Last year's initial depth chart shows that experience has been growing with 18 juniors and nine seniors listed on the depth chart. This season, the depth chart shows 14 juniors and 14 seniors. Those players, who experienced the success of last year, will look for more this year. There are eight sophomores and 10 freshman, nine of which are redshirt freshman, on the depth chart.

Win First: The Yellow Jackets won their season-opener for the second consecutive year, when they beat Adams State, 47-41, in double overtime. BHSU defeated Adams State, 34-33, in Alamosa, Colorado, last year for their first season-opening win since the 2008 season when the Green and Gold, then an NAIA school, upset NCAA Division II Southwest Minnesota State 21-14 on September 6, 2008.

Captains: The Yellow Jacket captains, as chosen by their teammates, are Phydell Paris, Shandon Jones, JJ Kilgore, and Thayer Sauter. Paris earned the Captain nod for the third-straight year, while Kilgore is a Captain for the second-consecutive season.

Rushing King: Senior Phydell Paris owns every major rushing record at Black Hills State. He ranked second last year in the conference with 1,314 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. He finished the season ranked number eight in the NCAA Division II level in rushing yards per game (131.4).

RMAC Honors: The 2016 season led to several Yellow Jackets being honored by the conference. Head coach John Reiners was named the Coach of the Year, while Drew Hebel was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Joining Hebel on the All-RMAC First Team were Shandon Jones and Phydell Paris. Earning Second Team honors were offensive lineman Andrew Blaylock and defensive tackle Cody Benne. On the Honorable Mention team were Isaiah Birkel, Travis Groves, Ryan Hommel, and Thayer Sauter. All but Benne and Groves return to BHSU in 2017.