Badgers win defensive battle over Scottsdale, face big test Saturday
10-31-07

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—In a game where the defenses were center stage, it was Snow College’s special teams that sealed the deal in a 22-9 win over Scottsdale last Saturday.
With a little under four minutes expired in the fourth quarter, Snow’s Tu Tui recovered a blocked punt in the end zone to put the game out of reach in a contest where any points came at a premium.
“We knew coming in this was going to be a hard fought, defensive battle,” said Snow head coach Steve Coburn. “Scottsdale is a tough team, especially if you have to face them on the road. I was impressed with how our special teams stepped up to win the ball game.”
Snow’s defense recorded six sacks for minus 49 yards as it held Scottsdale’s offense to 187 in the contest. Coleby Clawson had two of those sacks and Stephon Thrash grabbed an interception, which he returned 41 yards.
The Badgers could only find 210 yards offensively, 96 of which came by way of quarterback Houston Erbstoessor. Erbstoessor also recorded the Badger offense’s only touchdown of the game when he completed a 14-yard pass to Troy Cummings early in the first quarter.
And it wasn’t much easier on the ground for the Badgers as running backs Soni Sotele and Nui Takai combined for just 127 yards.
With the win, the Badgers will likely maintain their NJCAA No. 1 ranking, but will face their toughest test of the season this week when they host fourth-ranked Eastern Arizona.
The game will feature the NJCAA’s top defense (Snow) against the top rushing offense.
Through nine games, Snow has only allowed 157 total rushing yards, while in the same number of games, Eastern Arizona has amassed more than 3,000 yards—an average of 347 yards per game.
With a win this week, Snow will most likely clinch the Western States Football League title and be very close to a shot at a national title. The Badgers will end their regular season with a home game on Nov. 10 against New Mexico Military Institute. NMMI has a 1-4 conference record and a 2-6 record overall.
Snow’s game against Eastern Arizona will kick off at 12 p.m. Saturday.