Black Hills State football plays host to Chadron State in both its home opener and RMAC opener Saturday evening at 6 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets defeated Southwest Baptist last weekend, 39-33 behind big games from
Tanner Clarkson and
Nolan Susel.
BHSU is building off a 2022 season which saw them finish 7-4 overall, and 5-4 in the RMAC for a fifth-place finish. After going 5-0 to open last season, Black Hills State football received votes on the Week 6 AFCA Division II Coaches' Top 25 Poll on Oct. 10 for just the second time in program history, and the first time since Oct 10, 2016.
Chadron State
The Eagles are 1-1 this year after a 3-8 finish to last season. CSC defeated Quincy University 35-34 in week one, and are now coming off a 27-3 loss to Augustana on Sept. 9.
Series History
Chadron State is the second-most played opponent in BHSU football program history. CSC leads the series, 60-16-2, however, the Yellow Jackets won their meeting last season, 32-23, and now looks to make it two straight wins against the Eagles for the first time since joining NCAA DII.
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 defeated Southwest Baptist 39-33 to earn the team's first win of the season.
The Yellow Jackets (1-1, 0-0 RMAC) ran a well-balanced offense all game, totaling 221 passing yards and 250 rushing yards as a team.
Tanner Clarkson totaled 221 yards passing and 112 on the ground for 333 yards of total offense. Under center he completed 14 of 24 attempts for two touchdowns, including a long completion of 71 yards.
Nolan Susel rushed 10 times for 54 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while
Cameron Goods rushed eight times for 60 yards to average 7.5 yards per carry. Susel also added 73 yards receiving.
Also on the ground,
Connor Boyd added an 8-yard touchdown rush.
Receiving,
TJ Chukwurah hauled in three catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, and
Hasaan Williams also found the endzone with four catches for 43 yards.
Defensively,
Nicc Quinones led the way with ten tackles.
Coleman Chapman went 2-of-2 on field goal tries, with a long of 41 yards.
SBU scored on their opening drive to take an early 7-0 lead. But Susel helped the Yellow Jackets answer, using a big 41-yard catch before a 2-yard touchdown rush capped the 6-play, 65-yard drive and tie the game 7-7 at 8:34 in the first.
The Bearcats would score again on their ensuing drive with another touchdown to move back ahead 14-7 with six minutes to go in the first.
But BHSU wasn't done either, as Chapman booted a 41-yard field goal through the uprights to make it a 14-10 game. SBU would add a field goal at the end of the first to hold a 17-10 lead through 15 minutes of play.
Back-to-back touchdown passes in the second quarter to Willams 14-yards, and Chukwurah, 71 yards, put BHSU in front 23-17 with 5:14 to play in the first half. But two 40-plus-yard field goals from SBU in the final minute of the first half locked the score at 23-23 going into the locker room.
Out of the break, BHSU used a 7-play, 80-yard drive that saw Susel punch in a 14-yard touchdown run and put BHSU back ahead 30-23 at 11:55 in the third.
Both defenses went back-and-forth until the end of the third when SBU found the endzone at the 1:20 mark to tie the ballgame for the third time, 30-30.
Boyd scampered eight yards for a touchdown in BHSU's first drive of the fourth quarter to re-collect the lead, 36-30.
Then later in the quarter, the Yellow Jackets would drive down the field with the help of a 23-yard completion to
John Noordsy and a 31-yard run by Goods to get in range for Chapman, who then made a 24-yard field goal and extend the lead to two possessions, 39-30, with 5:41 remaining.
In the final minutes of the game, SBU connected on a late field goal, but BHSU was able to run out the clock to secure the 39-33 victory.
Eagles' Last Time Out
The Augustana Vikings cashed in on three extra-long touchdown plays and put the clamps on the Chadron State offense much of the time while winning a 27-3 non-conference decision in Chadron on Saturday afternoon.
Quarterback Casey Bauman connected on touchdown passes of 80 yards to Jack Fisher and 60 yards to Canyon Bauer just 2 ½ minutes apart in the first quarter after both receivers got open behind the Eagles' defense.
In addition, the Vikings' Devon Jones ran through a host of would-be tacklers while returning a punt 89 yards early in the fourth quarter that sealed the verdict.
Augustana also scored on a one-yard plunge by Jarod Epperson to cap an 11-play, 88-yard drive a midway through the third period.
Chadron State's only points came on a 45-yard field goal by Wilson Yee on the last play of the first half after quarterback Heath Beemiller had completed four passes for perhaps the Eagles' best drive.
Led by the 6-foot-7 Bauman's 15 completions in 30 attempts for 291 yards the Vikings finished with 400 yards in total offense. Chadron State managed just 214 yards, most of them through the air as Beemiller completed 19 of 26 passes for 152 yards.
Both defenses limited the damage that was done by the opponent's rushing attacks.
Augustana ran the ball 31 times for 97 yards, paced by Rashad Lampkin's nine carries for 44 yards, one of them a 26-yard jaunt.
Chadron State managed to only 47 yards on 30 rushes. Alternate quarterback Preston Pearson led the Eagles on the ground with 14 carries for 41 yards. CSC was just two of 16 on third down conversions and punted 11 times.
Augustana was four of 11 on third downs attempts, and punted five times. Both Chadron State's Bodie Eisenbaum, who delivered 10 punts, and the Vikings' Avery Book, who did all of his team's punting, averaged more than 43 yards.
Bolstered by his 80-yard TD reception, Fisher was the game's leading receiver with four catches for 122 yards. Bauer also caught an 11-yard toss to go with his 60-yard score. Freshman Rolliin George led CSC in receiving with five for 44 yards.
Augustana's Jones also returned a punt 85 yards the previous Saturday during his team's 38-7 win over the University of Mary.Â
The star of the game defensively was Chadron State safety Dax Yeradi, who intercepted three passes and took part in six tackles. Eagles' linebackers Reed Henkel and Joey Geil were the busiest tacklers with 10 and eight, respectively.
Both linebacker Kade Lynott and back Peyton Buckley had seven tackles for Augustana while sophomore lineman Gradee Sherman was credited with all three of the Vikings' quarterback sacks that cost the Eagles 19 yards of offense.
-BHSUAthletics.com-
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