Dixie State looking for offensive explosion against DII Fort Lewis on Saturday
After taking its lumps for the last nine games, the Dixie State football team will have a chance this Saturday to deal out some punishment of its own against DII and former RMAC foe Fort Lewis.
In playing seven teams currently ranked in the FCS top-25, the Trailblazers have had to grow up fast in just their second year of Division I play.
Last Saturday, Dixie saw what the best of the FCS has to offer in Sam Houston State, with the #1 ranked Bearkats handling the Trailblazers 59-10.
SHSU jumped out to a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and was up 45-0 by halftime.
"As a coach, there weren't too many good takeaways, honestly," DSU Head Coach Paul Peterson said. "I didn't feel like we came out with a lot of juice early. We got down quick. In the first couple of minutes we were down 14-0... (We) made some early mistakes and we weren't ready to bounce back."
Dixie and Fort Lewis both come into Saturday's contest winless on the year (a combined 0-19), but it could be a big day for both Dixie's offense and defense.
Fort Lewis averages just 6.2 points per game while allowing 52.8 points per game. Opponents are averaging almost 300 yards per game on the ground and 266 through the air against the Skyhawks.
"We can't go backwards because of the opponent we're playing. We need to continue to get better," Peterson said.
The defensive struggles by Fort Lewis could mean that quarterback Kobe Tracy and running back Drew Kannely Robles are in for huge evenings.
Dixie has yet to cross the 30-point plateau this season and has only topped 20 points three times.
The Trailblazers handled Fort Lewis during spring football in March by a score of 60-0.
Kody Wilstead threw for 283 yards and five scores in that contest while Quali Conley racked up 77 yards and a score on the ground. Deven Osborne had seven catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2019, Dixie needed a second-half rally after falling behind 14-0 at halftime against the Skyhawks before escaping with a 23-14 win.
Peterson is looking for his team to play a full 60 minutes, highlighting individual halves against Montana and Weber State as signs of positive growth throughout the campaign.
"I'm excited for our guys to play in a game where it's a little bit flipped, right? We're kind of the big dog and they're trying to get after us I guess (as the) underdog," he said. "It will be good to have our guys have some success for all the hard work they've put in throughout the season. It's been really hard to score points and to stop some of the teams that we're facing."
Sean Ellertson is a sports reporter for the St. George Spectrum & Daily News. To continue to support his work, please subscribe to The Spectrum. Follow Sean on Twitter @SeanEllertson.
This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Dixie State looks to get right on Saturday against old rival Fort Lewis
