BLACK HILLS STATE  at  Fort Lewis   SATURDAY, OCT. 2 // 12 P.M. // DURANGO, COLO. // RAY DENNISON MEMORIAL FIELD Live Stream / Live Stats / Radio / Game Notes

Black Hills State football heads to Durango, Colo. to face Fort Lewis on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 12 p.m.

This Yellow Jackets (3-1, 1-1 RMAC) look to continue their hot start and improve their record against the struggling Skyhawks (0-4, 0-3 RMAC).

Last Time Out
Black Hills State football overcame a 21-point deficit Saturday to win an overtime thriller against Adams State, 51-48 on Swarm Day.

Down 24-3 at halftime, the Yellow Jackets, (3-1, 1-1 RMAC) sent the 2021 homecoming and hall of fame crowd of 2,784 home happy, earning the win in overtime after tying the game in the closing minutes.

Chance Eben and Nolan Susel each totaled three rushing touchdowns on the day. Eben ran 19 times for 113 yards, and also completed 16 of 27 passes for 190 yards.

Susel added 13 carries for 51 yards, while Matthew Collier finished with 174 yards on 23 carries. In the air, Susel and Kielar Harpham each had four catches, Susel totaling 63 yards, and Harpham 55.

Doodles Quinones was everywhere on defense, totaling 21 tackles. Lovenski Simon broke up three passes, and Isaiah Tivis and Ryder Blair each had two.

Fort Lewis
The Skyhawks are 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the RMAC to start the season. Over their four games, FLC has been outscored 216-14 after they were picked to finish last in the conference. The team finished with a 3-7 record in 2019.

Series History
This will be the ninth meeting all time between the two programs, and the first since Sept. 28, 2019 which saw a 13-7 Yellow Jacket victory. BHSU is 5-3 against FLC, first meeting in the 2012 season.

Weather Forecast
According to the 10-day weather forecast, the weather on Saturday, October 2 in Durango, Colo. projects to be clear with a high of 64 degrees and a low of 39.

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

Homecoming Comeback
BHSU trailed Adams State 24-3 at halftime of their Sept. 25 matchup before winning 51-48 in double overtime. Overcoming the 21-point deficit is the team's largest comeback since a 28-point comeback on Sept. 2, 2017 - also against Adams State. That season, BHSU had three wins in which they came back from down at least 18 points.

Largest Comebacks Since 2012 (Division II Era):
Down 28 points - Sept. 2, 2017 vs. Adams State (W, 47-41 2OT)
Down 21 points - Sept. 25, 2021 vs. Adams State (W, 51-48 2OT)
Down 18 points - Sept. 23, 2017 vs. South Dakota Mines (W, 25-24)
Down 18 points - Sept. 30, 2017 @ N.M. Highlands (W, 50-40)

Off to a Good Start
With their three wins to open the 2021 season, the Yellow Jackets are off to a 3-1 record, their best start since the 2016 season when they started 5-1 and finished 7-4 overall.

First for Breske
Since being hired on as head coach in 2019, Josh Breske had only 2 games under his belt entering the 2021 season. After a wait of nearly two years, Breske earned the first win of his head coaching career on Sept. 2 in a 30-24 victory over Dickinson State.

Breakout Year for Collier
Running Back Matthew Collier entered this year with only 22 total yards in his collegiate career, all accumulated in the 2019 season. Now in his junior season, he's already scored four touchdowns while accumulating 433 rushing yards over four games. He's twice ran for over 100 yards this season, totaling 174 against Adams State (9/25) and 125 against Dickinson State (9/2).

Captains
The Green and Gold Captains for the 2021 season are Jacob Parks, Kielar Harphame, Keyshawn Farmer, Cody Hooker, Clayton Koch, Lathan Stevens, Jarrell Ganaway, Joseph Moraga and Jordan Pace.

Key Returners
Some with the help of the covid year, key returning seniors include WR Kielar Harpham, DL Jarrell Ganaway, OL Joseph Moraga, LB Cody Hooker and K Jacob Parks who holds the school record for longest field goal (53 yards).

Key returning juniors include S Bailey Rosenstrauch, DB Brady Morris, OL Sam Ambrogio and WR Jordan Pace.

Quarterback Chance Eben leads the returning sophomore class along with WR Hasaan Williams and WR Mitch McKibbon, OL Troy Mittelstedter, DL Morgan Tigner and DL Nikolas Arnold.