SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University football team looks to pick up their first win of the season as the intensity of the season ramps up in a new trophy game with Chadron State on Saturday, September 13. It will be the first-ever Battle for the Buckle for the two long time regional rivals, as the Yellow Jackets look to extend their 3-game win streak in the series at 6 p.m. at Don Beebe Stadium in Chadron, Nebraska.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, September 13 / 6 p.m. / Chadron, Neb. / Don Beebe Stadium
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online at the link above.
RMAC Network: Beginning in the 2025-26 season the RMAC Network will now move to Pay-Per-View. Fans can purchase a single game pass ($10), monthly ($25) or annual subscription ($130). Individuals with bhsu.edu or yellowjackets.bhsu.edu email address can still take advantage of the Peak Pricing Promotion by using the code Y26-RMACEDU.
KDSJ Radio: Black Hills State football continues to air live on KDSJ Radio with the voice of the Yellow Jackets, Steve Ammerman, giving the play-by-play for all the action.

BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State currently sits at 0-2 on the season after a 36-48 loss at No. 3/5 Grand Valley State this past Saturday night in Allendale, Michigan.
• The Yellow Jacket's two non-conference opponents are a combined 4-0 this season as (RV/--) Sioux Falls is 2-0 and No. 3/5 Grand Valley State is 2-0. It is the best combined opponent's record for an RMAC school thus far in the early stages of the season.
• The Yellow Jackets finished tied for fifth in the RMAC a year ago and are predicted to finish tied for fifth in the standings in 2025.
• BHSU enters Saturday 6-6 all-time in RMAC openers but have won three straight after a dominant 33-7 victory over Fort Lewis last season.
• The Green & Gold are only 3-9 in RMAC road openers after last year's 52-24 defeat at No. 4/7 Colorado School of Mines; however, they are 2-1 in such games the last three seasons.
• Black Hills State is coming off their third consecutive winning season, extending the longest stretch for the program in their NCAA Division II era (2011-present) and marking the longest stretch since they posted six straight from 2005-10.
• Returning starting quarterback Luke Duby completed 38-of-51 passing attempts for 359 yards and three touchdowns against the Lakers last week. The outing set new career-best marks for completions, attempts, yards, and touchdowns. He has notched six career 200-yard passing games and two 300-yard passing games in his career, and he has surpassed 2,500 yards through the air during his now 13 career games as a Yellow Jacket. He currently leads NCAA Division II with 31.0 completions per game, ranks third in passing touchdowns (7), ninth in points responsible for (42), and 11^th in passing yards (607), passing yards per game (303.5), and points responsible for per game (21.0). Duby leads the RMAC in completions per game, passing touchdowns, and passing yards per game.
• BHSU has only rushed the ball 41 times in two games this season for a net gain of 79 yards, with Cameron Goods and Danny Davis each receiving the bulk of those carries with 16 and 13 apiece respectively. Goods has ran the ball for a net gain of 46 yards while Davis has tallied 62 yards. Each back posted a long run of 22 yards on the year, occurring in the opener against The Coo. Goods entered the season with 1,535 yards on the ground in his career and has found the end zone 13 times. In his final outing of 2024, he became just the fifth running back for BHSU to rush for 150 or more yards and three touchdowns in a single game since 2004.
• Black Hills State has shown the importance of TJ Chukwurah's return at the wide receiver position as he has notched back-to-back 100-yard receiving games to begin the year and leads all divisions of NCAA football (FBS, FCS, DII, and DIII) with six receiving touchdowns. Against GVSU he set career-bests of 12 receptions and 182 receiving yards, while the three receiving touchdowns matched a career-high. He is the only player in the school's DII history to have multiple three receiving touchdown games, having done so now three times. He also ranks second nationally in DII in receiving yards per game (145.5), receptions per game (11.0), total receiving yards (291), and scoring 18.0)
• A young offensive line, anchored by redshirt senior and 2024 First Team All-RMAC selection, Jayson Rouse, stepped up to the task against Sioux Falls, not allowing a sack in the season opener. The game marked the fifth time since the start of the 2024 season that the Yellow Jacket o-line has not surrendered a sack in a game.
• While the defensive line continues to be spearheaded by returners with Kellen Collier, a 2024 First Team All-RMAC selection, and Cooper Brown, the 2022 RMAC Defensive Freshman of the Year, both Isaiah Morales and Hershel Craig III. Collier is currently second on the team with 13.0 total tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, and two quarterback hurries. Morales leads the team with 3.0 sacks and tackles-for-loss and has 5.0 total tackles on the year. Craig has posted 1.5 tackles-for-loss and three quarterback hurries, and Brown has 1.0 sack and tackle-for-loss to go along with one quarterback hurry.
• Run Tepolt and Wes Koenig have emerged as two players to watch in the linebacker unit. Tepolt is tied for second on the team with 13.0 tackles and two quarterback hurries. Koenig has added 9.0 total tackles and 1.0 tackle-for-loss through two games already after only having 15.0 total tackles in all 11 games a year ago.
• Terrence Curtis, a redshirt freshman transfer from Kennesaw State, and Beto Ledezma have emerged as the top players in the secondary as Curtis leads the team with 15.0 total tackles and Ledezma is tied for second with 13.0. Additionally, Curtis was able to block a Laker field goal last week, marking the sixth consecutive year BHSU has blocked a kick.
• Josh Breske is in his sixth season as the head coach at his alma mater and is now tied as the third-longest active tenured coach in the RMAC. Additionally, he will be just the tenth coach in school history to reach the 6-year threshold. His six wins in 2024 brought him into the top-10 all-time in Yellow Jacket history with a career record of 23-25 guiding the program, currently ranking ninth in victories.

CHADRON STATE STORYLINES

• Chadron State enters the RMAC opener with a record of 0-2 on the season after a 41-21 loss at Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday.
• The Eagles enter the contest having lost their last four conference openers, having not earned a victory in one since they defeated Black Hills State 48-31 in 2019.
• CSC has also lost their last four home openers, last winning their first home game of the season in 2020 when they beat South Dakota Mines 41-25.
• Chadron State was picked to finish in a tie for seventh place in the league standings in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll earlier this fall.
• DJ Ralph has been the primary quarterback for the Eagles this season, completing 32-of-57 passing attempts for 365 yards, one touchdown, and he has thrown three interceptions. In the season opener against Northern Colorado, he went 20-of-33 for 228 yards.
• Daytuawn Pearson and Quincey Ryker have each rushed for 100-yards on the ground this season, tallying 107 and 103 yards respectively. Pearson is averaging 6.7 yards per carry while Ryker has averaged 4.0 yards per carry. Ralph and Anthony McMillian are the only two to score a touchdown on the ground this season.
• Tommy Thomas is the leading wide receiver target for the Eagles, hauling in ten passes for 126 yards. The lone receiving touchdown of the year was caught by Devon Sundgren against UNK last week.
• Logan O'Brien and Griffin Clubb lead the defense with 13.0 and 9.0 tackles respectively from the linebacker spot. They also have been able to record 1.5 and 2.0 tackles-for-loss respectively.
• In the secondary, Dax Yeradi and Tucker Peterson are the players to watch, having made 12.0 and 8.0 tackles respectively. Peterson has been able to break-up one pass thus far on the year.
• The Eagles defensive line has yet to find themselves in the backfield for a sack this season, but William Stemler and Ryder True have each been able to record a quarterback hurry to go along with their 5.0 tackles a piece.
• Former Black Hills State head coach, Jay Long, is now in his 14^th season as the head coach at Chadron State, having guided the Eagles to a 62-66 record during his tenure. Adding in the three years leading the Yellow Jackets, he has posted a 77-81 career record in his 17^th season as a collegiate head coach.

SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday will mark the 79^th all-time meeting on the gridiron between Black Hills State and Chadron State, with the Eagles leading the all-time series 59-17-2.
• With a 21-18 victory over the Eagles last year at Lyle Hare Stadium on October 26, 2024, the Yellow Jackets have now won three straight over CSC.
• BHSU's current 3-game win streak is the longest in the series since 1964-66.