Black Hills State football heads back on the road to Grand Junction, Colo. where they will take on Colorado Mesa, Saturday, Sept. 23 at 1 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets defeated Chadron State in last weekend's BHSU home opener, 55-19 behind a record-breaking game from senior WR
Hasaan Williams who finished with 246 receiving yards and four touchdowns on eight catches.
Yellow Jackets Ranked
Through three games this season, BHSU ranks top-15 nationally in 11 different statistical categories, including third in blocked kicks (3), fourth in team passing efficiency (199.3), eighth in passing yards per completion (17.4), ninth in fewest turnovers lost (2), 13th in total offense (464.3), 14th in 4th down conversion (75%) and completion percentage (67%) and 15th in passing offense (300.7).
Among individual ranks,
Tanner Clarkson sits second in the nation with a 208.0 passing efficiency, eighth in completion percentage (69%) and yards per completion (17.2), ninth in total offense (330.3), 12th in passing touchdowns (9), and 15th in passing yards (845).
Hasaan Williams is second in the nation with his five receiving touchdowns this year, seventh in receiving yards (339), and 11th in receiving yards per game (113). His five receiving touchdowns also ranks him 13th nationally in total touchdowns (5).
Nolan Susel ranks fifth in the nation in scoring (14.0), total points scored (42) and total touchdowns (7), and seventh in rushing touchdowns (5).
Colorado Mesa
CMU is 2-1 this year after a 4-6 finish to last season. The Mavericks fell to Texas A&M Kingsville, 30-10, to open the season, but has now won two in a row with wins over San Diego (28-21, OT) and South Dakota Mines (38-30).
Mesa has had strong playmakers on defense so far this year, sitting first in the RMAC with four interception and second in the conference in sacks per game (2.3). As a team their scoring defense sits fourth in the league (27.0)
Series History
BHSU is 3-8 all-time against the Mavericks dating back to 2012, and won their most recent meeting with a 31-28 win last season on Sept. 24, 2022.
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 rolled past Chadron State 55-19 Saturday night in the team's home opener at Lyle Hare Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets (2-1, 1-0 RMAC) posted 556 total yards of offense, and had three players with over 100 yards and multiple touchdowns.
Hasaan Williams had a record setting night, finishing with four touchdowns and 246 receiving yards on eight catches, highlighted by 72-yard, 63-yard and 50-yard touchdown receptions. Hist 246 receiving yards is the most in a game in program history, while his four touchdown catches in a game ties for first all-time.
Tanner Clarkson was outstanding under center, completing 18 of 24 passing attempts for 343 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. On the ground he had 41 net yards and a rushing touchdown to finish with six total touchdowns on the night.
Nolan Susel rushed for 138 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns, and added a third touchdown on two catches for 13 yards.
On defense,
Ryder Blair had a team-high 12 tackles while
Zecheriah Rodriguez-Brown broke up three passes.
Nikolas Arnold had a sack for an 11-yard loss,
Cooper Brown tallied two QB hurries, and
Lovenski Simon hauled in an interception.
After CSC scored first, BHSU halted the Eagles' 2-point try to hold them to an early 6-0 lead. A couple of possessions later, though, the Yellow Jackets would get on the board and take a 7-6 lead they wouldn't relinquish on a 10-yard scramble from Clarkson who found the end zone with 5:03 left in the first.
Later, in the final seconds of the first quarter, Clarkson found Susel for a 12-yard completion to make it 14-6 through the first 15 minutes of play.
A quick 3-and-out from the defense gave the ball right back to BHSU who marched down the field before adding on with a 1-yard rush up the middle from Susel to extend the lead to 20-6 early in the second.
Another CSC 3-and-out led to a big 63-yard touchdown catch from Williams to make it 27-6, and then a Simon interception in the end zone continued to keep the Eagles off the board.
BHSU would score once more before halftime, using a 50-yard touchdown pass to Williams to extend the lead to 34-6 at the break.
Out of the locker room, CSC scored on their opening drive to make it 34-13, but the Yellow Jackets answered right back with a 72-yard bomb from Clarkson to Williams again for the touchdown and stretch the lead to 41-13.
Facing a 4th and 1 midway through the third, Susel took a direct snap 56 yards to the house, building the lead to 48-13.
One more Yellow Jacket touchdown in the fourth, a 17-yard catch by Williams, would put a bow on the win before the game went final, 55-19.
Mavericks' Last Time Out
Have a day, Jason Thome.
The Colorado Mesa freshman safety intercepted three passes and the Mavericks got contributions from all three phases in their 38-30 victory over South Dakota School of Mines to open conference play.
Thome set the tone on the second play of the game, delivering a jarring hit to break up a pass to help force a three-and-out.
Kash Bradley's 50-yard punt return set up the Mavs' first touchdown, but it wasn't his biggest return of the day.
After quarterback Gavin Herberg scored from 4 yards out, Thome picked off the first pass of his career, returning the ball 53 yards. Mesa's ensuing drive resulted in a 26-yard field goal by Henry Katleman, and the Hardrockers responded with a touchdown drive.
Bradley took the kickoff in the end zone and elected to run it out, which proved to be the right decision. He found a seam and raced 100 yards down the sideline for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead.
The teams combined for 38 points in the first quarter alone, with the Mavericks taking a 24-14 lead into the second 15 minutes. Herberg, who played the entire game at quarterback after he and Leslie Richardson had split time in the first two games of the season, broke off a 38-yard touchdown run with 2:27 left in the quarter.
The defenses took over in the third, with the only scoring an 8-yard run by the Mavs' Myles Newble to cap a 9-play, 53-yard drive. That score was set up by Thome's second interception of the game, a diving catch near midfield.
Earlier in the quarter, CMU's defense stopped the Hardrockers on 4th-and-2 from the Mavericks' 6. Cam Nathan stuffed Jalen Frye after only one yard to give the ball back to the offense.
Newble's touchdown, his first of the season and second of his career, made it 31-14 after Katleman's PAT kick — those ended up being key in the game. South Dakota Mines scored four minutes into the second half, but Hadyn Steffens got a hand on the point-after kick and knocked it down, keeping the Mavericks in charge, 31-20.
Thome, out of Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, picked off his third pass with just less than five minutes to play in the third quarter, returning it 22 yards. He became the first Maverick with three interceptions in a game since Damar'ren Mitchell picked off Black Hills State three times on Oct. 20, 2018. Thome had 75 return yards, broke up one pass and had one tackle.
The Hardrockers had to settle for a field goal early in the fourth quarter after the Mavs' defense held inside the 5-yard line, and it took only two plays for Herberg to push the lead to 15 points.
His short pass over the middle to Trevin Edwards was turned into a 53-yard touchdown, which was also set up by the special teams. Freshman Jamel Acosta-Lewis broke a tackle near the 20-yard line on the kickoff return and sped to the Mavs' 45.
Up eight in the final three minutes, the Mavericks again held on fourth down to get the ball back. The offense couldn't quite run out the clock, but ran it down to 43 seconds before Ben Sargent punted. With 24 seconds remaining, Colin Stuhr broke through the line on a blitz and forced a fumble, which Chad Gilman recovered to seal the Mavericks' victory.
Colorado Mesa, which returns to Stocker Stadium to face Black Hills State on Sept. 23, ran for 71 yards, led by Herberg's 43 yards on 15 carries, and threw for 207 yards. Edwards had four catches for 121 yards and one touchdown. Herberg completed 12 of 24 passes.
Steffens led the Mavericks' defense with a dozen tackles and the blocked point-after attempt, and Nathan had nine more tackles.
Despite giving up 498 yards of offense to the Hardrockers, the Maverick defense came up big when it counted, forcing four turnovers and holding three times on fourth down.
-BHSUAthletics.com-
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