The Western air campaign dominates the Black Hills State

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s top rushing attack spun Saturday as No. 8 Western Colorado University scored four touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Black Hills State University.

The Mountaineers racked up 399 yards through the air. Quarterback Drew Nash completed 346 yards and three touchdowns on 34 of 45 pass attempts.

Western’s offense got going on its second possession of the game, driving to the Yellow Jackets’ 26-yard line before the drive stalled. The Mountaineers lined up for a field goal attempt, but the kick was blocked and returned for a Yellow Jacket touchdown. It was Western’s first deficit since the second game of the season.

That seven-point gap quickly disappeared as Nash pushed the offense downfield. He first hit tight end Daniel Parsek for 9 yards, followed by a 65-yard touchdown to Victory David.

The Mountaineers exploded for three touchdowns in the second quarter, converting consecutive turnovers by the Yellow Jackets. The first was a six-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 53-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Sage Yazzie to a wide-open Josiah Ayon. Nash threw a long lateral out to Yazzie, who found Ayon downfield for the easy hit.

A fumble on Black Hill’s next play brought Western the ball to the opposing 20-yard line. Royce Pao took a handoff and sprinted untouched by the right tackle for a 20-yard touchdown gallop.
The Yellow Jackets then threw an interception on their next offensive play and gave the ball back to the Mountaineers’ offense at their own 43-yard line.

Western used 1:59 remaining to cap off a touchdown drive with a 12-yard pass from Nash to Yazzie. Black Hills State finally managed to score late in the third quarter, but failed the rest of the way.

After a fourth down and the Yellow Jacket’s incompletion, Western scored another touchdown on the short field. Nash completed a 4-yard pass to Parsek, tying the score for the day.

The win secured a 6-0 start to the Mountaineers’ season and a 4-0 RMAC record. Western next hosts South Dakota Mines in a Red Out game in the Mountaineer Bowl on October 19 at 1 p.m

(​Gregg Petcoff is the associate athletics director for communications at Western Colorado University and can be reached at [email protected].)