GUNNISON, Colo --- The Western Colorado football team plays at home for the first time in 22 months as the Mountaineers open the 2021 season against Chadron State 1 p.m. Saturday at Mountaineer Bowl.

The Mountaineer Athletic Association will be hosting a tailgate from 10 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. The tailgate costs $25 for adults and $5 for kids 6-13 years old (free for children under six). The $25 will get a customer a bison burger, bratwurst or hot dog plus a Mountaineer T-shirt, two beers (or non-alcoholic beverages) and a raffle ticket to win a Mountaineer football helmet.

THE MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO 2021 | 2019 SEASON STATS
The Mountaineers – who played just one game in 2020, a loss at FCS Division I Stephen F. Austin, due to the pandemic - are coming off a 5-6 season in 2019, including going 5-5 in RMAC play. The five victories marked the second most for the program since 2003 (Western went 7-4 in 2016) and it included a road win against Colorado Mesa for the first time since 2001 and a victory against Chadron State - the second win over the Eagles since 1997 and the first one at home.

On offense, quarterback Connor Desch returns after taking over the starting job in the second game of the season in 2019 - though the junior was injured against Dixie State and missed the final four games of the season. Desch threw for 1,217 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions while rushing for 91 yards and another touchdown. Luke Nethercot also returns for Western after starting the final four games with the junior throwing for 779 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 60.5 percent of his passes.

The Mountaineers return their top three rushers from a year ago in senior Ty Leyba (521 yards, 1 TD), sophomore Josh Cummings (339 yards, team-high 8 TD) and Deyvon Butler (271 yards, 1 TD). Butler also added 20 receptions for 149 yards and two scores out of the backfield while Leyba (11 receptions, 55 yards) and Cummings (4 receptions, 52 yards) also contributed in the passing game.

At the receiver position, the Mountaineers return Elijah Garcia Gillespie (31 rec., 266 yards), Kai Emmsley (24 rec., 262 yards, 3 TD), Chase Starman (7 rec., 87 yards, 1 TD) and Damian Macias (5 rec., 45 yards, 1 TD). Also expect to see Cameron Colangelo, transfer Malik White (50 receptions for 925 yards and 11 touchdowns in two years at Fresno City College), Cole Riters, Michael Sullivan and Joseph Roth-Bogrett in the mix. At tight end, junior Nathan Meyer (2 rec., 31 yards), senior Dominic Chance (a 2019 redshirt) and junior Spencer Smith (2 rec., 32 yards).

The offensive line will feature freshman Stevie Byron at left tackle (6-4, 235), freshman Tanner Tomlinson at left guard (6-2, 280), sophomore Clayton Martin at center (6-0, 285), freshman Mathyus S'ua (6-3, 290) and senior Joey Orrino (6-2, 270) at right tackle. Also in the mix will be freshman Mickey Montelongo (6-3, 260), sophomore Remington McKnight (6-2, 270), junior Kaleb Gaster (6-0, 280) and junior Trawn Barrington (6-4, 330).

On defense, the Mountaineers' 3-4 defense will be spearheaded with the return of All-RMAC defensive tackle Will Lydle. The senior in 2019 finished with 56 tackles and eight sacks and will be a disruption for opposing offenses in the middle of the Mountaineer defense.
 
Western Colorado also features a veteran crew of linebackers in Lane Farris (team-high 62 tackles), Robert Garlock (60 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and Carson Mandrell (35 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 1 INT returned for a TD). At defensive back, Darrious Gaines (36 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 8 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and 3 blocked kicks) and Tim Mullin (46 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 blocked kick) bring plenty of experience in the secondary for the Mountaineers.

The defensive line will also feature senior Seth Ollice (2 tackles), junior TreVaughn Rhodes (8 tackles), Jack Anderson, junior Jalen Graham (6 tackles), sophomore Ian Helwick (13 tackles) and senior Vincent Lovett (7 tackles). 

Joining Farris, Garlock and Mandrell at linebacker will be sophomore Wyatt Buhr (18 tackles, 1.5 sacks), junior Dondre Baker (30 tackles, 0.5 sacks), senior Joey Dill (19 tackles, 0.5 sacks), junior transfer Jeremiah Nunnery and freshman Kendall Lightfoot.

In the secondary joining Gaines and Mullin will be junior safety Dominick Fletcher (61 tackles, two interceptions), freshman corner Bryce Lucas, freshman safety Ethan Sanchez-Maxwell, sophomore corner Malcom Wesley and sophomore safety Andrew Arterburn (9 tackles, 1.0 sack).

It will be a new look on special teams from 2019 for the Mountaineers as sophomore Alec Fonseca - a transfer from Fullerton College who went 9-for-12 on field goal attempts last season - will be the team's kicker while true freshman Kyle Yonker will take over the punting duties as well as be the team's holder. Gabe Paznokas will be the team's long snapper. Wesley and Macias will start as the team's kickoff returners while Macias and Garcia Gillespie will take over the punt returning duties.

CHADRON STATE HEADING INTO 2021 | 2020 SEASON STATS
The Eagles got in four games last season, going 2-2 with a pair of wins against South Dakota Mines (41-25 and 37-22) while losing at Colorado Mesa (10-7) and at Nebraska-Kearney (45-35). In 2019, the Eagles went 6-5 overall (5-5 in the RMAC).
 
At quarterback CSC returns Dalton Holst who started all four games last season with 8 touchdowns, three interceptions, 1,060 yards and a 60.2 completion percentage. In 2019, Holst threw for 3,114 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions – completing 53.9 percent of his passes.
 
At running back, 2019's top rusher for the Eagles returns in Elijah Myles (1,077 yards, 12 touchdowns in 2019 – did not play in 2020) and is joined by Jeydon Cox (242 yards and 7.6 yards per carry in 2020) and Chris Busby.
 
2020's top three receivers in Chad Mikelson (20 rec., 309 yards, 2 TDs), Cole Thurness (15 rec., 241 yards, 2 TDs) and Montel Gladney (6 rec., 135 yards, 1 TD) return to go along with Ahlonte Hair, Jahani Wright and Ali Musa.
 
Defensively, the team's top tackler from 2020 Jeremiah Makahununiu returns after 37 tackles at linebacker along with fellow linebackers Travis Wilson (30 tackles, 1 INetunT) and Noah Kerschal (29 tackles). Bobby Peele returns at corner after recording a team-high three interceptions and five pass breakups to go along with 22 tackles.
  SERIES HISTORY VS. CHADRON STATE
The Mountaineers are 11-23-1 all-time against Chadron State, though Western Colorado has won two of the last four meetings after dropping 18 straight to the Eagles. This includes defeating Chadron State 33-32 in the teams' last meeting in 2019 at the Mountaineer Bowl.

SEASON OPENERS
Western Colorado heading into Saturday is 32-63 all-time in season openers. The last season-opening win for the Mountaineers came in 2014 against Wayland Baptist, 38-21, on the road. Of their 32 season opening wins, the Mountaineers have finished those seasons with a winning record 19 times (59.4 percent) and won the conference title 12 times (37.5 percent).

BAINS REACHES GAME NO. 100 FOR WESTERN AGAINST STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
Western coach Jas Bains enters his 11th season as head coach of the Mountaineers and last season's lone contest against SFA marked his 100th game as head coach. He's just the third coach in Western history to reach the 100-game mark - joining Bill Noxon (133 from 1971-84) and Carl Iverson (127 from 1988-2000).

MOUNTAINEER ALUM EKELER CONTINUES TO SHINE IN NFL
Western Colorado alum Austin Ekeler is heading into his fifth NFL season with the Los Angeles Chargers and continues to make a mark.

Ekeler, an undrafted free agent signee out of Western in 2017 who signed a four-year, $24.5 million extension prior to the 2020 season, has racked up 1,901 yards and nine touchdowns rushing while catching 212 passes for another 2,079 yards and 16 touchdowns receiving in his 56 games in the NFL.

The 26-year-old who came to Western out of Eaton High School in Colorado owns the Mountaineers' single-game (344), single-season (1,676 - also owns the No. 2 and No. 4 spots) and career (5,857) rushing yard records as well as the single-game (5), single-season (19) and career (55) rushing touchdown records. He also owns the single-season (126) and career (378) scoring records at Western.