CEDAR CITY, Utah, Oct. 3 - Cade Cooper passed for 256 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another on Southern Utah's Legends Day Saturday afternoon to lead SUU to a 38-16 win over 19^th-ranked Texas State.

            On a day when one of the greatest quarterbacks in Southern Utah history, Matt Cannon, had his number (9) retired, Cooper and an opportunistic Thunderbird defense rallied to snap a three-game losing streak with its third straight win over the Bobcats.

            SUU scored on its first two possessions, taking the opening kickoff then driving 80 yards, cashing in on an 11-yard pass from Cooper to Major Gray. After Texas State answered with a 10-yard Alvin Canady touchdown Cooper found Tysson Poots in the end zone for a three-yard score to stake the Thunderbirds to a 14-7 advantage.

            On Texas State's ensuing possession fate turned in SUU's direction

            The Bobcats drove the length of the field and had the ball at the SUU two-yard line.  On first down Alvaro Garcia took the ball up the middle and as he fought in the pile to get into the end zone Erron Vonner knocked the ball loose at the one yard line. SUU's Akeem Anifowoshe alertly scooped up the ball and ran 99 yards, the longest fumble return in SUU history, for a touchdown to give SUU a 21-7 advantage.

            "That not only changed the momentum of the game but it really changed the attitude of the defense," SUU Coach Ed Lamb pointed out. The SUU defense was "tense and tentative before the fumble but after that, with a two-touchdown lead, they played a lot more loosely and were more effective."

            The Thunderbirds forced TSU into a punt on their next possession and added three more points on a Ryan Griffith field goal to lead 24-7 at halftime.

            SUU held Texas State to a three-and-out on its opening possession of the second half, then drove 68 yards to take a 31-7 lead when Cooper found Fesi Sitake in the right corner of the end zone.

            Texas State rallied, scoring back-to-back touchdowns to get to within 31-16, but Gray clinched it for the Thunderbirds with a 13-yard run up the middle with 4:10 to play.

            SUU forced three fumbles and true freshman Matt Holley notched his first career interception Saturday, as the defense was led by Rob Takeno with 14 tackles and Colin Pretlow with 12.

            TSU won the total yards battle, 412-387 as Bradley George completed 26-of-41 passes for 197 yards and the team combined for 203 rushing yards.

            Gray finished with 91 yards rushing, a career-high, and Poots caught 11 passes for 120 yards and a score.

-- SUU --