Black Hills State football heads to Pueblo, Colo. for their RMAC season finale against CSU Pueblo on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off back-to-back wins over Fort Lewis, 34-20, on Oct. 28, and Adams State, 35-28, on Nov. 4 to secure the program's first back-to-back winning seasons since the 2005-2010 seasons.
Yellow Jackets Ranked
This season, BHSU ranks top-25 nationally in nine different statistical categories, including sixth in passing yards per completion (15.3), 13th in thrown interceptions (5), 19th in team passing efficiency (157.9), 20th in redzone ofense (87.9%), 23rd in yarads per kickoff return (22.9), 24th in passing offense (248.1), and 25th in blocked kicks (4).
Among individual ranks,
Tanner Clarkson sits ninth in the nation in passing yards per completion (15.1), 11th in yards per pass attempt (9.0), 16th in passing yards (2,405), and 20th in passing yards per game (240.5) and passing efficiency (155.5).
Nolan Susel ranks eighth in total touchdowns (15) 12th in total points scored (90), 14th in scoring (9.0) and 13th in rushing touchdowns (12).
On special teams,
Lovenski Simon is third in the nation with one kickoff return for a touchdown and is sixth in average yards per kickoff return (28.9).
Coleman Chapman's average of 1.1 field goals per game ranks him 19th in the nation, and
TJ Chukwurah is second in the nation in yards per reception (23.8).
CSU Pueblo
The ThunderWolves are 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the RMAC this season, with a non-conference win in week one over Midwestern State, and in the RMAC, falling only to then No. 25 Western Colorado and then No. 2 Colorado School of Mines.
CSUP leads the nation in yards per kickoff return with 28.9, and is also top-10 in the nation in two other categories, sixth in team sacks per game (3.4), eighth in passing offense (290.3), and 10th in scoring offense (42.0) In the RMAC, they lead six categories, and are top-3 in 25 categories.
Series History
The Yellow Jackets are 0-10 all-time against the ThunderWolves dating back to 2012.
Coverage
Yellow Jacket fans can catch Steve Ammerman on KDSJ 980 AM/103.5 FM, or live online at https://listen.streamon.fm/kdsjam. Ammerman is the voice of the Yellow Jacket Athletics and can be heard for every football, and women's and men's basketball game throughout the year.
A live video stream of the game can be viewed free at rmacnetwork.com/bhsu.
Yellow Jackets' Last Time Out
Black Hills State football downed the Adams State Grizzlies, 35-28 on Senior Day Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets (6-4, 5-3 RMAC) secured back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in the program's NCAA Division II era, and their first consecutive winning seasons since 2005-2010.
The offense was led by
TJ Chukwurah who had a three-touchdown day, totaling 144 yards on seven catches.
Mitch McKibbin hauled in five catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, while
Jamin Wurtz passed for a 33-yard touchdown.
Tanner Clarkson completed 14 of 22 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns while
Nolan Susel tallied 81 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
Defensively,
Kellen Collier made a team-high 11 tackles to go along with 1.5 sacks on the day.
Zecheriah Rodriguez-Brown hauled in a late-game interception to go with a breakup and his six tackles.
Cooper Brown made seven tackles, including a sack assist.
Aaron Thiele made nine tackles and
Ngankoy Mambele recorded a breakup.
Wurtz returned five kickoffs for 101 yards, including a long return of 41 yards, and returned one punt for 15 yards, and
Coleman Chapman was 5-of-5 on PATs.
The Yellow Jackets struck first on their opening drive, capping a 10-play, 56-yard drive with a direct snap to Susel who took it up the middle for five yards and a touchdown to give BHSU an early 7-0 lead.
ASU answered on their next drive to even the score at 7-7 midway through the first, but BHSU wasn't done, scoring once more in the first using a big 49-yard catch and run from McKibbin to put them back on top, 14-7.
Chukwurah hauled in an 11-yard pass for his first touchdown of the day in the second quarter, extending the lead to 21-7. ASU would score once more before halftime, though, giving the Yellow Jackets a 21-14 advantage after the first half.
Out of the locker room, the BHSU defense forced a 3-and-out before a flea-flicker out to Wurtz led to Chukwurah's second touchdown, deep downfield on the far side for 33 yards, making it 28-14 with 7:59 to go in the third.
ASU would get back to within one possession using a touchdown just ahead of the fourth quarter, making it 28-21 entering the game's final 15 minutes.
The Yellow Jackets started the fourth quarter with another touchdown drive, capped by Chukwurah's third and longest touchdown of the game, a 50-yard reception from Clarkson, to put BHSU up 35-21.
Adams State would score once more, but a late interception from Rodriguez-Brown would ice the game and all but seal the BHSU 35-28 win.
ThunderWolves' Last Time Out
Colorado State University Pueblo concluded the road portion of its 2023 regular season schedule here Saturday afternoon with a 35-28 hard fought victory over South Dakota Mines in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action in Dunham Field at O'Harra Stadium.
The Pack got on the scoreboard on its opening possession as Cook picked up a fumble on a pass caught by Retzlaff and returned it 35 yards for a score just 46 seconds into the game to give the Pack an early 7-0 lead.
After holding South Dakota Mines to a three-and-out on its first possession, the Pack took the ball over near midfield and Martinez capped the drive with his 8-yard touchdown run.
The Pack had a chance to make 17-0 midway through the first quarter, but a 43-yard field goal attempt from junior Jacob Willig (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) was missed wide right.
South Dakota Mines would get on the board late in the first quarter thanks to a 7-yard touchdown pass from Johannsen to Ben Noland to cap a 13-play, 67-yard drive that began following Willig's missed field goal. Noland's touchdown brought the Hardrockers' within 14-7.
The Pack extended its lead to 21-7 just a little under six minutes into the second quarter thanks to a 10-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Dvorak to cap an 8-play, 75-yard drive for the Pack.
SDSM pulled within 21-14 with 2:18 left in the second quarter thanks to a 20-yard touchdown pass from Noland to Henry Dryden.
On the Pack's ensuing possession following Dryden's touchdown, Fuller connected with Retzlaff for a 49-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left in the first half to give the Pack a 28-14 lead. The touchdown by Retzlaff was his school-record tying 12 of the season and capped a six-play, 75-yard drive for the Pack.
Neither team would do much scoring in the third quarter until the Hardrockers pulled within 28-21 with 1:54 left in the third quarter following a 99-yard drive in 18 plays that was capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Johannsen to Jalen Frye. The drive came after Fuller tossed an interception on its first possession of the second half and was aided by a targeting penalty called on freshman linebacker Gary Seidenberger (Fredericksburg, Texas/Fredericksburg).
Following the Hardrockers' 99-yard drive, the Pack responded as they drove 75 yards in five plays and capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to junior tight end Curtis Luckadoo (Reno, Nev./Bishop Manouge Catholic) on the final play of the third quarter to give the Pack a 35-21 lead.
On the ensuing drive by SDSM, the Hardrockers drove 65 yards in eight plays and capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Ty Harris to pull within 35-28 with 11:31 left in the final quarter.
The Pack responded with a nine-play, 63-yard drive, but the drive stalled at the Hardrockers' 12-yard line and Willig missed a 29-yard field goal attempt with seven minutes left in the game.
On the next SDSM drive, the Hardrockers offense was stopped thanks to that 12-yard sack by Bone.
Following that play, the Pack got the ball at midfield following a 49-yard punt and 10-yard return by Cook but were only able to drive eight yards in four plays before being stopped on downs with 3:25 left in the game.
On the ensuing Hardrockers drive, they lost 18 yards in three plays, including that sack by Scippio to force the final punt of the game.
The Pack defense forced three turnovers, recorded three sacks and had seven tackles for loss. SDSM entered the game having allowed just six sacks on the season.
Redshirt junior linebacker Jon Nuschy (La Junta, Colo./Northern Colorado) paced the Pack defense with 12 tackles and a forced fumble, while Bone had eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery.
The Hardrockers finished the game with 409 yards of offense against the Pack defense as they rushed 42 times for 166 yards and passed for 243 yards.
Johannsen was 19-for-35 passing for 223 yards and had two touchdowns and two interceptions and gained 24 yards rushing on 14 carries to finish with 247 yards of total offense.
Frye led the ground game for the Hardrockers with 92 yards on 18 carries, while Noland caught seven passes for 127 yards and had a touchdown reception and a touchdown pass.
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