2-0 Cowboys head to Utah to take on Dixie State

LAS VEGAS, N.M. --- The New Mexico Highlands football team looks to keep the momentum of its 2-0 start rolling as the Cowboys head to Utah to take on Dixie State 6 p.m. Saturday at Trailblazer Stadium.

The Cowboys, whose 55 points per game is tops in NCAA Division II, is going for its first 3-0 start since 2011 when that NMHU team started the season 4-0.
 
LAST WEEK FOR THE COWBOYS | SEASON STATS
The Cowboys racked up the most points in a game in at least the previous 16 seasons as it defeated Adams State 65-37 last Saturday at Sanchez Family Stadium.

NMHU exploded for 48 combined points in the second and third quarter and 62 points over the final three quarters against the Grizzlies after trailing 7-3 following the first quarter. Much like the Cowboys' 45-31 season-opening victory at Fort Lewis, it was a balanced effort offensively as NMHU racked up 308 yards rushing and 275 yards passing for 583 yards of offense.

Dione Alston paced the ground game with 161 yards and a touchdown (to go along with a touchdown reception) as the senior leads the RMAC and is fourth in NCAA Division II with 280 yards on the ground this season. Kamari Mosby also added a touchdown run to go along with 57 yards on the ground.

Danny Cameron for the second week in a row threw for four touchdowns (his eight touchdown passes are tied for the most in the nation) as he went 23-for-35 for 275 yards and no interceptions. Zach Drew-Toles had a team-best 88 yards receiving and two touchdowns on five catches while Devon Henderson added five receptions for 67 yards and a score to go along with two rushes for 22 yards and a touchdown run.

Defensively T.J. Jackson had a game to remember as he picked off three Adams State passes to go along with five tackles. Malik Brown, the week one RMAC Defensive Player of the Week, and Cameron Forziati led the team with six tackles apiece while Nick Locken picked up his first sack of the season.

NMHU kicker Israel Farfan earned RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his effort against Adams State as he went 3-for-3 on field goals (42, 33 and 30 yards) and 8-for-8 on extra points.
 
ABOUT DIXIE STATE | SEASON STATS
The Trailblazers enter the game 1-1 after falling on the road in their season opener at No. 14 CSU-Pueblo 56-14 before bouncing back last week and beating Fort Lewis 31-3 at home.

In the win over the Skyhawks on Saturday, Dixie State held Fort Lewis to 164 yards of offense while accumulating 475 - 257 passing and 218 rushing. The Trailblazers used two quarterbacks as Trent Darms started the game and went 5-for-14 for 53 yards before Easton Smith entered and went 11-for-17 for 204 yards and a touchdown (the quarterbacks have shared QB duties in both games). Lawrence Starks led the Trailblazers on the ground with 93 yards and a touchdown (including a 60-yard run) while Xavier Smith had led Dixie State with four catches for 77 yards and a score.

Defensively on the season, Shiloh Pritchard leads the team with 13 tackles and two interceptions while Abraham Reinhardt has 11 tackles and Alex Lilliard has 10. Anthony Yarbrough leads Dixie State with three sacks while Charlie Koka has two.
 
RECENT HISTORY BETWEEN NMHU AND DIXIE STATE
This will be the third meeting between these two programs as Dixie State became an NCAA Division-II program in 2006 and joined the RMAC in 2016. The Cowboys won last season's meeting 23-22 in Las Vegas while the Trailblazers won the year prior 21-14 in St. George.