GUNNISON, Colo. - On Saturday, Western State Colorado University football will host Black Hills State University. The Mountaineers and Yellow Jackets will kickoff at 1 p.m. from Mountaineer Bowl.

Western (4-2, 4-2 RMAC) is still chasing a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title after defeating Fort Lewis College on the road last week, 13-6. The Mountaineers will face a tough test with the league leading BHSU Yellow Jackets (5-1, 5-1 RMAC).

BHSU is coming off a 48-34 upset of then ranked No. 13 Colorado Mesa University last Saturday. It was the first loss of the season for CMU and moved the Yellow Jackets into a three-way tie for first place in the RMAC with the Mavericks and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (5-1, 4-1 RMAC).

The Yellow Jackets are currently receiving votes in the national coaches' poll.

Fans unable to make Saturday's homecoming game will be able to follow all the action live over the internet (live stats, live video, live audio) and social media (@WSCUMountaineer, @MountaineerFB).

Game Notes

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will mark the fifth meeting between Black Hills State University and Western. After losing the first two matchups, the Mountaineers have won the previous two, including the last game played in Gunnison, 34-13 in 2014.

Western has won the previous two games by an average of 30 points.

CHASING A CHAMPIONSHIP
Last week, BHSU defeated then ranked No. 13 and previously undefeated Colorado Mesa University 48-34. The Yellowjackets are now tied with CMU and South Dakota Mines for the RMAC lead.

With the three league leading teams each having one loss, Western, with two losses, still has a shot at a piece of the RMAC title. The Mountaineers have yet to face BHSU and South Dakota Mines, but will need the Mavericks of CMU to falter in at least one of their final four RMAC games.

ROAD WARRIORS
After Western defeated Fort Lewis on Oct. 8, the away team has been the victor over the past seven games played between the two programs.

This streak dates back to 2010 when the Mountaineers won 27-24 in Durango.

In the last 15 games played in Durango, the Mountaineers have won 13. FLC is 6-2 in the last eight games played in Gunnison. In Durango, the Mountaineers have a record of 23-7.

HARLON HILL CALLING
After being a candidate last season for the Harlon Hill Trophy, the Heisman Trophy of Division II, Austin Ekeler is not only putting up top numbers in DII, but across all NCAA divisions.

Ekeler is the NCAA leader in rushing yards (1,080) and rushing yards per game (180). He is tied for first in all-purpose yards with 1,230 and tied for sixth in all-purpose yards per game with 205.

The senior running back is also the NCAA active career leader across all divisions in rushing yards (5,442) and second in rushing yards per game (151.2).

STARTING AND ENDING WITH A BANG
Through the first six weeks of the season, Western has outscored opponents 59-17 in the first quarter. The only teams to score in the first quarter of play this season was Colorado Mesa and Colorado School of Mines. The Mavericks and Mountaineers were tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter, while score was 14-10 against Mines.

In the last five games, Western has outscored opponents 52-10 in the first quarter.

To finish the game, Western has outscored opponents 44-26 in the fourth quarter. Against Mines three weeks ago, the Mountaineers outscored the Orediggers 24-0 in the final 15 minutes.

TACKLES FOR TWINS
Twin brothers Cade and Carter Wasser are currently leading the Mountaineer defense in tackles. Linebacker Carter leads the team with 49 tackles, while defensive back Cade is second with 45. Carter also leads the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.

EARNING WINS
Defeating then ranked No. 23 Colorado School of Mines in week four, 45-31, gave the Mountaineers three straight wins. The last time Western earned three consecutive wins was in 2009.

The win also propelled Western to a 3-1 record. The last time Western started a season with three wins in four games was in 1997. That year the Mountaineers won an RMAC title and started the season 5-1.

Since 1997, Western has won three straight in five other seasons (1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2009).

The last time Western began the season with a record of 4-2 through the first six games was in 1995. The 1995 Mountaineers won four of their last five games, tying Fort Hays State in their final game to win an RMAC title. Western also defeated FLC in week six in Durango, 26-8.

At 4-2 heading into week seven, the Mountaineers have already matched win totals from 2014 and 2015 with five games left to play.

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
After defeating then ranked No. 23 Colorado School of Mines 45-31 in week four, Western has won the past two games against ranked opponents. The Mountaineers defeated No. 21 Mines in week 10 last season.

Colorado Mesa University, now ranked 23rd, was unranked when the Mountaineers played the Mavericks in week one of the 2016 season.

The BHSU Yellowjackets are currently receiving votes in the week seven AFCA Poll a week after defeating then ranked No. 13 Colorado Mesa.

The Mountaineers were receiving votes after the win over CSM.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
After upsetting No. 23 Colorado School of Mines in week four, the Mountaineer offense and defense were rewarded with a pair of player of the week honors.

On offense, Austin Ekeler rushed for 316 yards and recorded five touchdowns in Western State's 45-31 upset of Mines. He rushed for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a career long run of 88-yards while scoring touchdowns on both of his receptions in the game. Already the school all-time leader in rushing yards, he became the leader in rushing attempts and career scoring on Saturday.

On defense, Carter Wasser tied a game-high 10 tackles, all of which were solo. He also had two sacks and three tackles for loss in the win. He is currently tied for third in the conference for sacks (3), as well as in tackles for loss (5).

It was the second week in-a-row Ekeler has been named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week. Ekeler was also named the NFFCC Player of the Week in week three.

Ekeler ran for the second most yards in his career on week three. The senior accounted for 283 yards on the ground, which also ranks as the seventh most single game rushing yards in school history.

IN THE BEEHIVE STATE
Western's struggles in the state of Utah continued in week five. Despite it being the first game against Dixie State University in program history, Western had played 74 games against teams from Utah. The Mountaineers now have a 31-44 record against teams from the Beehive State and a 14-31 record on Utah soil.

Prior to week five, the last time Western played a team in Utah was during the 2005 season. The Mountaineers fell at Weber State 61-0. The last Western win in Utah came in 1979 against Southern Utah. The Mountaineers won 56-14.

HOMECOMING
With a 45-31 win over Colorado School of Mines on week four during Western's Homecoming, the Mountaineers have won 44.4 percent (4-of-9) of homecoming games since 2008. In last season's homecoming game, the Mountaineers lost to No. 12 Angelo State University 48-20. Since 2008, Western has a 4-4 record against RMAC opponents on homecoming.

The last Mountaineer homecoming victory before this season came against Adams State University (39-37) in 2014.

ENDING THE STREAK
On week three, Western defeated Chadron State 24-15 on the road. It was the first time since 1997 the Mountaineers defeated the Eagles and the first time since 1995 Western won in Chadron.

The Mountaineers also won an RMAC title in 1995.

RECEIVING VOTES
After defeating Colorado School of Mines in week four, Western was receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches' Pool. The Mountaineers received one vote.

The Mountaineers didn't receive a vote after losing to Dixie State in week five.

RMAC OPENERS
The Mountaineers have struggled winning the conference opener recently. Over the past 11 seasons, Western has a 1-11 record in their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference openers. The lone victory came against New Mexico Highlands University in 2006 on the road, with the Mountaineers winning 14-9.

After falling in week one against CMU 34-14, Western is 0-1 against the Mavericks in RMAC openers.

HALL OF FAME GAME
Sept. 10 was Western's Hall of Fame Game. The Friday night before, Western Athletics inducted former women's diver Mary Ann Anderson (Zeylmaker), football player James Hawkins, track and field athlete Jerry Hollingshead, distance runner Dennis Leck, and Ed Ali as the Lifetime Athletic Achievement Award Recipient into the Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame. The class of 2016 is the 22nd class to enter the MSHOF.

After defeating Adams State 56-25 in the 70th Colorado Classic, Western is 3-4 in Hall of Fame games since 2010. The Mountaineers have won the three of the past four, defeating New Mexico Highlands University in 2013 by a score of 33-27, Black Hills State University in 2014 by a score of 34-13, and losing 31-24 to Chadron State College last season.

SEASON OPENERS
Western is 32-59 in season openers. Since 1995, the Mountaineers are 1-21 in season openers. Last season, Western lost a close fought battle to Division I opponent the University of Northern Colorado 34-42 on the road in the season opener. The last opening day win came in 2014 against Wayland Baptist, 38-21, on the road. The last season opening win in Gunnison came against Northern Colorado in 1994, when the Mountaineers won 31-26 and went on to win the RMAC title.

CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
This year's captains on the offensive side are running back Austin Ekeler and quarterback Brett Arrivey. For the defense, linebacker Jordan Woodyard and defensive lineman Austin Yurko are captains. Kicker Ryan Winke is Western's captain on special teams.