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SALT LAKE CITY — On paper, Dixie State shouldn't be competitive with any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
A newcomer to the Football Championship Subdivision a year removed from their last season in Division II, the Trailblazers' 63 full scholarships haven't even seen the ink dry on all of them by the start of the truncated spring season.
Compare it to the 85 scholarship limit of any FBS team, and its easy to see why any bigger school — even New Mexico State, the Trailblazers' opponent Sunday — would have an advantage. It's the reason why, while they do happen, upsets between the two sides are rare.
But Dixie State coach Paul Peterson doesn't want to hear about moral victories or almost-wins; he's a straight-shooter — even in defeat.
Juwaun Price ran for 165 yards and a touchdown, including the game-winner on a 13-yard score with 21 seconds remaining, to help New Mexico State hold off FCS newcomer Dixie State 36-29 Sunday evening at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
"I tip my hat to (NMSU coach Doug Martin); they did a really good job, and had a good game plan," Peterson said. "There's no patting ourselves on the back; we lost. It'll sting a bit.
"But the big thing is we're going in the right direction. We're going up … and our kids are playing hard for one another. We lost a football game, and it's going to sting … Our guys are going to expect to win. We'll play whenever, where ever, and for the most part, we just came up a bit short."
Freshman Quali Conley poured in 193 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns to lead the Trailblazers (1-1), including 95 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The 6-foot, 190-pounder from Fresno, California, also broke free for a 75-yard touchdown from quarterback Kody Wilstead with 5:52 remaining that tied the game at 29-29 after a 2-point conversion.
The young running back is already adapting to Division I football, even in the desert of St. George, where the Trailblazers compete as an FCS independent before joining the Western Athletic Conference when it adds football sometime after this season.
But even Conley agrees; there was no moral victory in Sunday's loss. Sure, he's making promise. But he just wants to win, like they did in last week's 26-14 victory over then-No. 22 Tarleton State.
"My coaches, they prepare me for each situation," Conley said. "I'm still learning the playbook, so I ain't too far in. I had a couple of missed assignments, so I'd say I had an adjustment from high school to college."
Wilstead completed 25-of-37 passes for a career-high 359 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another score as Dixie State trailed for the first time in its two-game season so far and nearly pulled off the upset of the only FBS program playing in the spring.
New Mexico State (1-1) took its first lead of the game — and handed the Trailblazers their first deficit of the 2021 spring season two games in — when Jonah Johnson barreled into the end zone from 1 yard out at the 8:30 mark of the third quarter for a 17-14 lead.
The Aggies piled up 561 yards of offense, but the first-year Division I Trailblazers hung in with 483 yards of their own — including 359 yards through the arm of Wilstead.
Dixie State opened with a touchdown in either quarter, taking a 14-3 lead on Wilstead's 1-yard touchdown plunge with 7:36 to go in the half.
The former BYU quarterback and Pine View High product threw for 132 yards in the first half, but New Mexico State rallied to pull within 14-10 at the break on Weston Eget's 12-yard touchdown pass to Andre Bodison with just 2:28 left.
The Aggies outgained the Trailblazers 255 yards to 215, but trailed on the scoreboard thanks in large part to Dixie State's 6.8 yards per rush — aided significantly by Conway's 57-yard score on the visitors' first drive of the game.
Ethan Albertson connected on a 33-yard field goal that gave New Mexico State a 20-14 advantage with 2:38 left in the third, but Wilstead needed just two plays and 36 seconds to find find Jalen Powell with a 65 yard TD strike that put Dixie State back in front.
The Aggies pulled back in front with a 10-play, 55-yard drive bridging the third and fourth quarters to go up 26-21 on Johnson's second touchdown at the 13:10 mark of the final period. Conley and Wilstead tied it late, but New Mexico State never trailed again.
"We got a little momentum, and got a couple of big plays there," Peterson said. "There was no issue as far as fight; our guys played their guts out the entire game.
"They made a little more plays than we did. We feed off turnovers, and we didn't get any. We didn't give any, either, so that's it … but I thought our guys showed up and we're ready to go."
Dixie State's home opener is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. MT against Tarleton State. The game will be streamed live by the Trailblazers' athletic department.
