The Dixie State football team battled to a 38-24 victory over Chadron State on Saturday at Legend Solar Stadium.
The Trailblazers (3-3, 3-2 RMAC) overcame two costly turnovers and two empty red-zone possessions to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Dixie State eclipsed the 500-yard mark for the first time of the 2017 campaign, racking up a season-high 516 yards (268 passing, 248 rushing) of total offense. Defensively, DSU held Chadron State (3-3, 3-2 RMAC) to 288 yards of total offense, holding the Eagles to their lowest offensive output of the season.
Chadron State took an early lead after marching to the Dixie State 19-yard line on the game’s opening drive. The DSU defense stiffened as the Eagles neared the red zone, and the Eagles converted a 37-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 10:47 remaining in the first quarter.
Dixie State looked to respond on the ensuing drive and promptly drove to the CSC 9-yard line. But the drive stalled, and a 26-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right, allowing the Eagles to maintain its 3-0 lead.
After forcing a Chadron State punt, the Trailblazers saw another promising drive stall in the red zone but tied the game at 3-3 when junior kicker Anthony Reyes nailed a 31-yard field goal with 2:59 remaining in the first quarter.
The Trailblazers took their first lead of the game two drives later, marching 69 yards in nine plays, capped by a 21-yard touchdown strike from senior quarterback Malik Watson to senior receiver Josiah Blandin to give DSU a 10-3 lead with 11:55 to play in the second quarter. Watson also found junior receiver Orlando Wallace for a 23-yard pass on the drive to set up the scoring play, while redshirt sophomore Blake Barney and freshman running back Lika Palmer combined to rush for 23 yards on the drive.
Chadron State answered less than three minutes later when after forcing a DSU punt attempt blocked the kick and recovered the loose ball in the end zone to tie the game at 10-10 with 9:04 remaining in the period.
Dixie State looked to answer on its next drive, as Wallace returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the DSU 46-yard line. With favorable field position, Watson found sophomore tight end Tyler Krepsz on a play-action pass for 34 yards to the CSC 12-yard line. But, the drive stalled, and a field goal attempt from 31 yards sailed wide left.
With the game destined for a 10-10 halftime tie, the Trailblazers made certain they would take the momentum into the locker room when junior safety Trayvon Watson picked off a CSC pass and returned the interception to the Eagles 20-yard line. After 10 yards were added to the run on a CSC face mask penalty, senior fullback Landon Cook scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard dive three plays later to push DSU to a 17-10 halftime lead.
The teams traded punts through the first seven minutes of the third quarter before Chadron State tied the game at 17-17 with a 37-yard fumble-recovery touchdown when a DSU fumble bounced directly into a CSC defender’s arms with 3:50 remaining in the period.
Unfazed, the Trailblazers responded on the first play of the ensuing drive, when Watson found sophomore receiver Dejuan Dantzler on a slant route across the middle. Dantzler made the catch and raced 65 yards to the end zone for his first touchdown of the season to put DSU back in front at 24-17 with 3:33 remaining in the third frame.
After Dixie State forced a punt on the next CSC drive, the Chadron State offense came to life in the fourth quarter. The Eagles rallied behind a new quarterback and promptly marched 80 yards in less than three minutes to tie the game at 24-24 with 13:45 to play in the fourth quarter.
Dixie State answered on its next drive and marched 70 yards in nine plays in three and half minutes to retake the lead at 31-24 with 10:15 remaining in the game. Senior running back Jeffrey Coprich and Palmer combined to rush for 73 yards on the drive as Dixie State kept the ball on the ground through the first seven plays of the drive. Watson then sold a play-action fake on the eighth play of the drive and found senior fullback Ernest Quiocho in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
Chadron State looked to counter on its next drive, but sophomore linebacker Alex Lilliard snagged his first interception of the season on the seventh play of the drive.
The Trailblazers put the game out of reach on the ensuing drive, marching 87 yards in 12 plays to take a 38-24 lead with 2:26 remaining. DSU converted a crucial third down on the play when Watson found Blandin across the middle for an 18-yard pitch-and-catch to move the chains and keep the clock rolling. Blandin was rewarded for his efforts five plays later when Watson delivered a 25-yard strike to the senior receiver on 4th-and-4 for Blandin’s second touchdown of the game.
Dixie State forced a CSC turnover on downs on the next drive and lined up in the victory formation to seal the victory.
Watson connected on 15-of-25 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns, marking his second four-touchdown performance of the season. Coprich eclipsed the century mark for the first time in a DSU uniform, rushing for 124 yards on 23 carries, while Palmer added 97 yards on 19 carries. Blandin finished the game with four catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns to lead the receivers.
Watson recorded a team-high nine tackles with an interception, while Lilliard added eight tackles and the second DSU interception of the day to lead the defense. As a team, the DSU defense held the Eagles to a season-low 128 yards passing, 168 yards below its season average. The Trailblazers also held Chadron State, the second-leading passing team in the RMAC, to a season-low 16 pass completions.
Dixie State wraps up its current two-game homestand next Saturday, hosting No. 21 Colorado Mesa at 6 p.m., at Legend Solar Stadium.
Keric Seegmiller is Assistant Coordinator of Media Relations at Dixie State University and the Voice of Trailblazer Athletics. Contact him at keric.seegmiller@dixie.edu.