GUNNISON, Colo. – For the first time in 13 seasons, Western State Colorado University football has recorded five wins. The Mountaineers earned the fifth on Saturday in a shutout performance against Black Hills State University, 27-0.
 
It was the first shutout victory for Western (5-2, 5-2 RMAC) since 2012 when the Mountaineers defeated Western New Mexico University 28-0 in Gunnison.

"Coach Auer, coach Van Groll and coach Forestal did a great job getting these guys ready," Western Head Coach Jas Bains said. "I don't think we anticipated getting a shutout today, but these guys played hard and kept believing."
 
After a slow start, Western put the game out of reach with an Austin Ekeler 27-yard touchdown run to end the third quarter. This gave the Mountaineers a 17-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Ekeler ran for 142 yards, recording two touchdowns on the ground. The senior also notched 32 yards receiving and seven yards in punt returns for a total of 181 all-purpose yards.
 
BHSU (5-2, 5-2 RMAC) looked out of sorts on offense all game long. Thanks to, in large part, the Mountaineer defense. Along with pitching a shutout, Western defenders recorded five sacks, a season high, and six tackles for a loss.
 
Western held the Yellow Jackets to only 268 total offensive yards on 82 plays. Conversely, Western recorded 428 total offensive yards on 60 plays.  The Mountaineers averaged 7.1 yards per play, while BHSU managed only 3.3 yards per play.
 
Leading the Mountaineer offense was middle linebacker Kristopher Bass. Bass recorded a game high 12 tackles, nine of which were unassisted. Right behind Bass was defensive lineman Austin Yurko with 10 tackles. Yurko led the game with two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
It took 23:09 for the first points to appear on the scoreboard on Saturday. Ryan Winke knocked home a 22-yard field goal to put Western ahead 3-0 with 6:51 left in the second quarter. It would be the only points scored in first half.
 
After Rodray Perkins returned a BHSU punt 15 yards to the Yellow Jackets' 39-yard line, the Mountaineers converted for the first touchdown of the game. Quarterback Brett Arrivey handed off to Ekeler, who tossed it back to Arrivey before completing a 29-yard pass and catch to Kyle Adkins. Arrivey's next pass was to Anthony Apodaca who found the end zone from 10 yards away.
 
Arrivey had a very efficient game for the Mountaineers, completing 20-of-26 pass attempts. Arrivey was credited for throwing an interception after the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage. The quarterback also recorded 30 yards rushing.
 
Perkins led the Mountaineers in receptions with five for 43 yards. He also returned one kickoff for 29 yards and now ranks fourth all-time with 830 career kickoff return yards.
 
Winke added another field goal at the 8:36 mark of the fourth quarter to give Western a 20-0 lead over BHSU. The two field goals made matches a season high for the senior kicker. Winke hit two field goals in Western's win over Adams State University on Sept. 10.
 
The last time Western started a season 5-2 was in 1997. The Mountaineers ended that season with a 9-3 overall record, winning the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title with a 7-1 conference record.
 
Western entered Saturday tied for second in the RMAC, while BHSU was tied for first with Colorado Mesa University. As of 5:30 p.m. Saturday, BHSU and Western are tied for second with a .714 conference winning percentage, while four other schools have two conference losses as well. CMU has one loss and play two-loss Dixie State University tonight at 7 p.m.