GUNNISON, Colo. - Five games in the 2017 season remain for Western State Colorado University football. Two of the three will be played on the road. The Mountaineers will get one of those road games out of the way this Saturday when they travel to Spearfish, South Dakota for a 12 p.m. game against Black Hills State University.

Western (0-6, 0-6 RMAC) is hoping to continue their winning streak against the Yellow Jackets. The Mountaineers have won the last three against BHSU (3-3, 3-3 RMAC).

Heading into the weekend, Western will be searching for their first win of the season. A week prior, the Mountaineers had a win in their grasps until the final six minutes of the game against Fort Lewis College. The Skyhawks' late fourth quarter comeback, gave them a 14-13 win over Western.

The Mountaineer defense is led by defensive end Jonah Mitchell. The redshirt junior ranks tied for third in the conference with 7.0 tackles for a loss. Mitchell is averaging 1.17 tackles for a loss per game. Lane Farris leads the team in tackles with 40.

Western's defense will have their hands full with BHSU's offensive attack. The Yellow Jacket quarterback, Ryam Hommel is averaging 284.8 passing yards per game, which ranks second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and 18th in Division II.

The BHSU running game is led by Phydell Paris. Paris is averaging 115.5 yards rushing per game, which also ranks second in the RMAC. His 693 rushing yards this season ranks 17th best in Division II through the first six weeks.

The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 49-37 loss at Colorado Mesa University last Saturday.

Those unable to attend Saturday's Homecoming game, can follow all the action live over the internet (live stats, live video) and on social media (@WSCUMountaineer, @MountaineerFB). 

GAME NOTES

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the sixth meeting between Western and Black Hills State University. The Mountaineers hold a narrow 3-2 edge on the Yellow Jackets in the series.
 
Western has won last three meetings, including a 27-0 win last year at home.
 
The Mountaineers are 1-1 in Spearfish, South Dakota. Western won the last meeting at BHSU in 2015, 62-23.
 
The Yellow Jackets are 2-1 this season at home, while the Mountaineers are 0-3 on the road.
 
IN SOUTH DAKOTA
Western has played four games in the Mount Rushmore state. The Mountaineers have a record of 2-2. All but one of those games has been played in the last five years - 1973 at the University of South Dakota, losing 28-53.
 
The last win for Western in South Dakota was last season's 42-7 win at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in the final game of the 2016 season.
 
Against teams from South Dakota, the Mountaineers have a 4-3 record.
 
LAST WEEK
WESTERN - The Mountaineers lost to Fort Lewis College 13-14 at home on a late fourth quarter drive. The Mountaineer defense held FLC scoreless until the final 5:38. Western's defense forced two interceptions, while kicker Max Smith hit a career-long 50-yd field goal. Rodray Perkins led the Mountaineers with 122 yards receiving, including a 45-yard touchdown reception.
 
BHSU - The Yellow Jackets fell to No. 21 Colorado Mesa University 37-49 on the road. Quarterback Ryan Hommel threw for a career-high 470 yards, completing 40 passes on 74 attempts. Hommel also threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.
 
THE BAINS REIGN
Western Head Coach Jas Bains is one win away from tying Paul Wright (1935-47) for the sixth most wins by a Mountaineer football coach at 20.
 
Saturday's game will move Bains past Wright for the third most games coached in Western program history at 73. By the end of the season, Bains should have the third most games coached with 77, moving past Wright at 72 and Pete Pederson (1953-60) at 74.
 
ROAD FIELD ADVANTAGE
After last week's loss to Fort Lewis College at home, the road team in the FLC and Western series has won the past eight matchups. This streak began in 2010.
 
Those eight games have been decided by an average of 7.13 points. Three of those games have been decided by one point.
 
4TH QUARTER FIREWORKS
The Mountaineers have been winning the fourth quarter, this season and last. In three games this year, Western has shutout their opponents. Western outscored Colorado Mesa, Adams State and Dixie State 23-0 in the final quarter.
 
This year, Western had been outscoring their opponents 23-17 in the final 15 minutes of play. After last week's loss to Fort Lewis, Western now trails their opponents 31-23 in the fourth.
 
Since last season, Western has outscored opponents 98-64 in the fourth.
 
Last season, Western outscored opponents 75-33 in the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers held six teams scoreless in the final 15 minutes last season (Colorado Mines, Fort Lewis, Black Hills State, New Mexico Highlands, CSU-Pueblo, and S.D. Mines).
 
HALL OF FAME
Western game against Fort Lewis was Western's Hall of Fame Game. On Friday night before the game, Western Athletics inducted former distance runner Michael Aish, the 1964 football team, track and field athlete Lisa Pike (Fitzgerald), and Mike Sirko as the Lifetime Athletic Achievement Award Recipient into the Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame. The class of 2017 is the 23rd class to enter the MSHOF.
 
After falling to Fort Lewis 13-14 in 2017, Western is 3-5 in Hall of Fame games since 2010. The Mountaineers had 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, losing 31-24 to Chadron State College in 2015 and beating Adams State University 56-25 in 2016.
 
HOMECOMING
After a 12-15 loss to Dixie State in this year's Homecoming game, the Mountaineers have won 40 percent (4-of-10) of Homecoming games since 2008.
 
Also since 2008, Western has a 4-5 record against RMAC opponents on homecoming.
 
The last Mountaineer homecoming victory came against Colorado School of Mines (45-31) in 2016.
 
AGAINST TEAMS FROM UTAH
Western has played 76 games against teams from Utah. The Mountaineers have 31-45 record against teams from the Beehive State, but are 17-15 against those teams in Gunnison.
 
The last Western win in Gunnison against a team from Utah came against Southern Utah in 1995. The Mountaineers took the game, 36-8.
 
HOME OPENERS
Western is 44-46-2 in home openers. The last time Western won their home opening game of the season came on Sept. 19, 1998. The Mountaineers defeated Mesa State College, now Colorado Mesa University, 42-6.
 
The Mountaineers lost to Chadron State College 49-7 during this season's home opener. Western has hosted Chadron three other times in their home opening game of the season. The series is now 1-2-1.
 
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
After defeating then ranked No. 23 Colorado School of Mines 45-31 in week four last season, and losing to No. 23 Colorado Mesa 49-23 this season, Western has won the past 2-of-3 games against ranked opponents. The Mountaineers defeated No. 21 Mines in week 10 of 2015.

SEASON OPENERS
Western is 32-60 in season openers. Since 1995, the Mountaineers are 1-22 in season openers. This season, Western lost to CMU 49-23 in the season opener. The last opening day win came in 2014 against Wayland Baptist, 38-21, on the road.
 
Of their 32 season opening wins, Western has finished those seasons with a winning record 19 times (59.4%) and won the conference title 12 times (37.5%).
 
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
After defeating then ranked No. 23 Colorado School of Mines 45-31 in week four last season, and losing to No. 23 Colorado Mesa 49-23 this season, Western has won the past 2-of-3 games against ranked opponents. The Mountaineers defeated No. 21 Mines in week 10 of 2015.
 
RMAC OPENERS
The Mountaineers have struggled winning the conference opener recently. Over the past 13 seasons, Western has a 1-12 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.
 
Western lost the 2017 RMAC opener to Colorado Mesa 49-23.
 
NEW FACES WITH THE BALL
After four seasons with the same starting quarterback and running back, the Mountaineer offense will begin a new era. Quarterback Brett Arrivey and running back Austin Ekeler were a staple of the Western offense, each planting their names in the record book over the past four seasons. This season, there are eight quarterbacks on the roster vying for the starting spot and nine running backs.
 
 
COLORADO CLASSIC
The rivalry between Adams State University and Western State Colorado University is the second longest continual rivalry in the state of Colorado.
 
These two programs have been playing each other every year since 1950. The winner of the Colorado Classic earns the right to possess the Colorado Classic Trophy, which travels to the winning institution. The trophy currently now resides at Adams State after they took this year's matchup 51-14.
 
The longest continual rivalry in Colorado is between Western State and Colorado School of Mines. The two schools have played 92 games, dating back to 1925.
 
LAST SEASON
Last season, the Mountaineers' seven overall wins and seven wins in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is the most for the program since the 1998 season. Western finished the season in fourth place. However, the Mountaineers were just one win away from earning a share of the conference title.
 
NEW PERSONNEL
Four new coaches were added to the Western staff before the 2017 season. On the offensive side, Robby Case (offensive coordinator), and Matt Kemp (tight ends) are both first-time Mountaineers. On the defensive side, the Mountaineers bring in a new defensive backs coach with Shane Zimmerman and a new linebackers coach in Jordan Mulloy.
 
RECORD WATCH
These Mountaineers have reached the peak or are climbing the Western all-time lists.
 
CAREER KICK RETURN YARDS
1. Jimmy Evans      1997-00   1,393
2. Rodray Perkins   2015-          1,025