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Fort Lewis College Athletics

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Jeff Hansen vs. South Dakota Mines 202
Angela Roberts, FLC Athletic Communications
Jeff Hansen (16) celebrates his first rushing touchdown of the season last week against South Dakota.

Football Hayden Mangan, Athletic Communications Assistant

Skyhawks challenge Yellow Jackets on the road

DURANGO, Colo. – Last week was a tough loss at home, but the Fort Lewis College football team showed its most productive growth all season, and they're ready to carry it into this week on the road at Black Hills State University for yet another Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, October 29
12:00 p.m. MDT
Vs. Black Hills State
Lyle Hare Stadium
Spearfish, S.D.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Network
Play-by-play: Steve Ammerman
Radio: KDSJ 103.5 FM & 980 AM
 
WEATHER REPORT
Saturday's contest is looking like a cold one, with a high of 59 degrees Fahrenheit accompanied by overcast skies and 5-10 mile per hour winds.
 
SERIES VS BLACK HILLS STATE
This week's matchup will mark just the 10th meeting all-time between Black Hills State and Fort Lewis. The Yellow Jackets currently lead the series 6-3 after winning the last two games 45-17 (2021) and 13-7 (2019). There was no contest in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
 
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
The green and yellow had a fantastic 5-0 start to the season, the best the program has seen since 1951. Black Hills made quick work of Dickinson State University (N.D.) 17-2 and William Jewell College (Missouri) 38-1 to kick off the 2022 campaign, then managed to edge out Chadron State 32-23, Colorado Mesa 31-28, and South Dakota Mines 24-17. Lately, however, the Yellow Jackets are riding a three-game losing streak following close contests with New Mexico Highlands 30-28, Western Colorado 28-27, and No. 9/18 Colorado School of Mines 38-0.
 
Statistically speaking Black Hills has the third-best defense in the conference, holding opponents to an average of 23.1 points per game. Offensively the Yellow Jackets sit seventh in the RMAC, scoring an average of 24.6 points per game.
 
Spearheading the BHSU offense is graduate student Nolan Susel. Susel, a native of Florence, Arizona, is the fourth-leading rusher in the conference with an average of 62.5 yards per game. Additionally, Susel has the third-most total net yards in the conference with 500 to pair with his second-most nine rushing touchdowns.  
 
Commanding the Yellow Jackets is Chance Eben. The junior from Greeley, Colo., has been selective yet effective in the air. With a quarterback efficiency rating of 116.82, Eben has completed just 84 passes on 133 attempts (63.16%) for 827 total yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Although suffering a loss last week 65-20 to South Dakota Mines, the Skyhawks are coming off of the best game offensively this season. Fort Lewis has made steady improvements each week, and last game it began to show. Brayden Miller led the FLC offense late in the game to 371 yards of total offense, the program's highest since 2018. Miller connected with Christopher Thomas Jr. for a 72-yard receiving touchdown, while Drake Cortez and Jeff Hansen each added touchdowns as well.
 
SKYHAWKS LEADERS
Hansen has emerged as the Skyhawks leading rusher in recent weeks and after last Saturday's game against South Dakota Mines, he is the only FLC running back to eclipse 100 net rushing yards and score a touchdown. Braden Wingle stands as the go-to in the air raid, completing 134 of his 240 (55.83%) passing attempts for 1,051 total yards, five touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. True freshman Carter Cameron continues to command the defensive side of the ball for Fort Lewis with 55 total tackles (37 solo, 18 assisted), 6.5 tackles for a 23-yard loss, and one interception.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Next Saturday, Oct. 5, is senior day and the final home game for Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks will celebrate 'Chamber Day' as they welcome the Western Colorado Mountaineers for an RMAC contest scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
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