GUNNISON, Colo.  Fifth-ranked Western Colorado scored five touchdowns in the third quarter to grow a four-point halftime advantage into an eventual 56-17 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference blowout of visiting Black Hills State Saturday afternoon at the Mountaineer Bowl.

Quarterback Drew Nash was the engineer of much of the damage against the Yellow Jackets, tossing five touchdowns on the way to 399 yards through the air, with receivers Caden Measner and DJ Allen Jr. piling up 142 and 147 yards, respectively, and combining for four touchdown receptions.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. Black Hills State 56-17
Records: Western 6-0 overall (4-0 RMAC), BHSU 1-6 (1-4)
Location: Mountaineer Bowl at The Rady Family Sports Complex, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It took much of the first quarter for Western to get its offense in gear, and with one play it pushed ahead for a lead, 7-3, it wouldn't relinquish as Nash hit Measner for a 51-yard scoring pass in the final two minutes of the quarter.
• The Mountaineers would only head into the halftime break with a 14-10 lead, though, as the Yellow Jackets added a touchdown catch from TJ Chukwurah, the NCAA Division II leader in touchdown receptions, in the final minute of the opening half.
• The halftime talk in the Western locker room hit its mark, however. Nash connected with Allen Jr. on the fourth play of the quarter, with Allen Jr. streaking down the right sideline for a 60-yard touchdown.
• Measner added a 36-yard score on the next possession, and after a BHSU 3-and-out, Nash drove the team down the field again, finishing the drive off with a jump pass at the goal line to All-American defensive end Ricky Freymond.
• Logan White blocked the Yellow Jackets' punt on their next possession, giving Nash a short field and in four plays Nash dove into the end zone for Western's fourth score of the quarter.
• The Yellow Jackets returned the ensuing kickoff to their 16 yard line, but on first down cornerback Easton Peterson stepped in front of a pass out in the right flat and strolled 20 yards for a pick-6, finishing off the third-quarter explosion.
• Chukwurah would lift his DII-leading touchdown total to 12 with a 75-yard score on BHSU's next possession, but Western would silence the Yellow Jackets from that point forward, even adding one more score on a Cole Kerr 23-yard scoring pass to Yasir Berry with nine minutes left in the game.

MOJO FIELD NOTES

• Nash's 399 yards and Kerr's 30 yards through the air would combine for 429 yards through the air, a figure that ties for fourth highest in program history, equaling a total from a 1991 game against Colorado School of Mines.
• Their 129 yards on the ground, led by Quinn Bailey's 61 yards, would combine with the passing total for 558 total yards.
• The Mountaineer defense limited BHSU to only 42 rushing yards and 246 yards in the air. Ironically, the Yellow Jackets dominated time of possession, 36:08 to 23:52.
• Western would total five sacks in the game, against three different BHSU quarterbacks. Defensive end Drew Johnson would collect 3.5 sacks, while Cameron Cooper added 2.5. Ian Loomis picked up 1.5 sacks with Kade Musser, Nate Scharnhorst, Jerry Witty and Treyton Marx would add 1 each. Freymond would finish the total with a half-sack assist.

THEY SAID IT


UP NEXT
The Mountaineers travel to take on the other South Dakota team for their next game, heading to Rapid City, S.D., to square off against host South Dakota Mines (2-5, 2-3) at 12 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 18.