The Chadron State football team hopes to bounce back from its disappointing outcome against Colorado State-Pueblo this Saturday when it hosts Black Hills State. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m.
 
Pueblo defeated the Eagles 41-13 last Saturday in Pueblo. Chadron State is now 4-3 for the season and 3-2 in the RMAC. Black Hills is 2-5 overall and 1-4 in the conference.
 
The Yellow Jackets' RMAC victory was a 40-14 thrashing of Fort Lewis on Sept. 20. Fort Lewis was 0-3 in the conference when it upset Pueblo 23-22 on Oct. 11 to snap the ThunderWolves' 42-game regular season victory streak.
 
Before overwhelming Fort Lewis, Black Hills had defeated South Dakota Mines 42-30 in a non-conference game. But since winning the two games, the Yellow Jackets have lost four straight contests: 48-21 to Colorado Mines, 48-31 to Colorado Mesa, 34-13 to Western State and 37-27 to Adams State in Spearfish last Saturday.
 
CSC head coach Jay Long said the Eagles got off to a poor start against Pueblo.
 
"We seemed to be in a reaction mode instead of an attack mode when we started the game," Long said. The ThunderWolves led 21-6 after one quarter.
 
The Chadron State-Black Hills rivalry dates back to 1912. From then on, they met on the gridiron nearly every year and a few times twice a year until 1995, when the Eagles had a full slate of RMAC games and couldn't fit the Yellow Jackets into the schedule. That changed in 2012, when Black Hills joined the conference.
 
Last year's game was the 70th that the schools had played against one another.
 
Piking interest in the rivalry is the background of the head coaches. Both Long and Black Hills mentor John Reiners are Chadron State graduates.
 
After earning his master's degree, Long was an assistant coach at Black Hills for seven years before serving as the Jackets' head coach for three years. In early 2012, he was hired as Chadron State's 25th head coach.
 
Meanwhile, after serving as an assistant CSC football coach for 15 years and the Eagles' head track and field coach for 10 years, Reiners resigned to join Long's staff at Black Hills State. When Long was offered the Chadron State position, Reiners succeeded him as the Yellow Jackets' head football mentor.
 
CSC defensive coordinator Jeff Larson also was on the Black Hills coaching staff before he moved to Chadron State with Long.
 
The Eagles won last year's game in Spearfish 43-13 behind a powerful rushing attack. Led by all-star Glen Clinton's 30 carries for 255 yards, the Chadron State chalked up a school-record 495 yards on the ground and out-gained the Yellow Jackets 708 to 324 overall.
 
Black Hills' ringleader has been senior quarterback Ward Anderson. He had completed 155 of 261 passes for 1,754 yards and 11 touchdowns this season before missing last Saturday's game with Adams State because of a back injury.
 
The probable starting lineups that the teams exchanged Monday lists Anderson as the likely starter against the Eagles. He also is a capable runner, netting 331 yards rushing through the first six games.
 
Zach Meyer, a redshirt freshman, replaced Anderson at quarterback against Adams State. He had thrown just two passes prior to Saturday, but completed 26 of 46 tosses for 347 yards and two touchdowns against the Grizzlies.
 
Because of penalties, the Yellow Jackets lost a 70-yard interception return and a 63-yard pass play for touchdowns in the first half against the Adams State, which led 23-0 at halftime.