Quickly: Southern Utah plays its second Great West Conference game of 2011 - and its second straight against a ranked FCS opponent - this week when the No. 22 Thunderbirds travel to Vermillion, S.D., for a match-up with No. 18 South Dakota.

Southern Utah (3-2/0-1 Great West) is coming off a 26-20 home loss to North Dakota. The loss broke a 3-game winning streak as well as a four-game win streak in conference games and prevented the Thunderbirds from their best start since the 1997 squad opened 4-1. The Thunderbirds opened the season with a 29-28 loss at South Dakota State, but bounced back with home wins against then-No. 12 Sacramento State (35-14) and Texas-San Antonio (45-22), followed by a 41-16 win at UNLV for the team's only road victory this year.

South Dakota (3-2, 0-0 Great West) is coming off a 30-0 win over Division II Lindenwood University. The Coyotes are 3-0 at home this season, with wins over defending FCS national champion Eastern Washington (30-17) as well as Northwest Oklahoma State (48-10) and Lindenwood. Both USD's losses have come on the road at FBS-level opponents, a 37-20 setback at Air Force in the opener and a 59-10 loss at No. 4 Wisconsin two weeks ago. Saturday's game will be South Dakota's conference opener.

The Game: Southern Utah (3-2/0-1 GWC) at South Dakota (3-2, 0-0 GWC), Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (Central), in the Dakota Dome (10,000/Astroturf).

The Series: Saturday's game will be the fourth meeting between SUU and USD. The Thunderbirds are 1-2 vs. the Coyotes, including 0-1 at Vermillion, where SUU lost a 45-21 decision in 2009. USD opened the rivalry with a 42-20 win in Cedar City in 2008, and SUU broke through with its first victory against the Coyotes last season, a 31-13 decision at home. This could very well be the final meeting between the two teams, as SUU will join the Big Sky Conference next season while USD moves to the Missouri Valley for football and The Summit League for its other sports.

Thunderbird Practice Schedule: The players are off on Mondays. Daily practices Tuesday through Thursday are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. and end at 6:15 p.m.

Media Availability: Players and coaches are available for interviews on Tuesdays following practice, at approximately 6:15 p.m. To contact a player or coach on another day or time contact Neil Gardner at gardner@suu.edu or 435-586-7753.

Television: SUU's home games are televised live on My Utah TV (KMYU), with Mychal Clanton calling the play-by-play and Jordan Buscarini providing analysis. My Utah TV is available over the air and via cable and satellite throughout Utah. In southern Utah it is available over the air on Digital channel 2.2 and 12.1 and in Utah it is available on the following cable outlets: Comcast (channel 22), Baja (20) and Bresnan (18). It is also available in Utah on Dish Network, channel 12.

Radio: All of Southern Utah's 2011 football games are available over the Thunderbird Sports Network. SUU flagship station Power 91 (KSUU, 91.1 FM) carries every game live as well as on the worldwide web at www.suu.edu/ksuu. Art Challis is in his 35th season as the Thunderbirds' football voice. Dave McMullin, a former all-conference defensive lineman for the Thunderbirds, provides color commentary.

Video Highlights: Video highlights of the Thunderbirds' road games will be available to accredited media outlets via SUU's FTP site. For information on obtaining those highlights contact SUU Director of Athletic Media Relations Neil Gardner.

GWC Teleconference: The Great West Conference holds a weekly teleconference, beginning at 12:45 p.m. (Mountain). The conference's head coaches all address their previous and upcoming games. For information on accessing the teleconferences, contact SUU Director of Athletic Media Relations Neil Gardner. The schedule follows:

            12:45 p.m. - Introduction by Commissioner Ed Grom

            12:47 p.m. - Cal Poly coach Tim Walsh

            12:55 p.m. - South Dakota coach Ed Meierkort

            1:03 p.m. - North Dakota coach Chris Mussman

            1:11 p.m. - Southern Utah coach Ed Lamb

            1:19 p.m. - UC Davis coach Bob Biggs

Thunderbird Club Luncheons: The Thunderbird Club's weekly no-host luncheon is held Mondays at noon in the Tradition Room in the home of President Michael Benson. The public is invited to attend the luncheons where Southern Utah's in-season coaches talk about their upcoming contests and review the past week's action.

Sonny Boy's Coaches Show: Coach Ed Lamb is Eric Ripley's guest on a weekly radio coaches show each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on Power 91. The coaches show is broadcast live from Sonny Boy's Barbecue, 126 No. Main in Cedar City. Fans in attendance will be eligible for gift certificates and prizes throughout the show.

Next Up/Remaining Schedule:

The T-Birds play the second in a stretch of three straight road games next week when they travel to Cal Poly before heading up I-15 to meet future Big Sky foe Weber State (Oct. 22).

The 'Birds wrap up their GWC and home slates the following weekend when they host UC Davis on Oct. 29, before a bye week, Nov 5. The final two regular-season games have the Thunderbirds at Northern Iowa (Nov. 12) and Northern Arizona (Nov. 19).

The Coaches:

A 2010 Eddie Robinson Award nominee, SUU's Ed Lamb (BYU, 1996) has a record of 18-20 in his fourth season as the Thunderbird head coach and his fourth season as a head coach overall. Last year Lamb guided the Thunderbirds to their first-ever Great West Conference championship and their most successful season since 2004 when the Thunderbirds went undefeated in GWC play and finished the season with a 6-5 overall mark. Prior to taking over at SUU, Lamb spent three seasons at the University of San Diego where he coordinated the special teams and recruiting and was the Toreros' defensive backs coach. Prior to his time at USD Lamb spent two seasons as defensive coordinator at Idaho. He also served a season at BYU as a linebackers coach and four seasons at the University of Redlands, three as defensive coordinator and one as defensive line coach. Coach Lamb is 1-2 vs. South Dakota

South Dakota's Ed Meierkort (Dakota Wesleyan, 1982) is 43-40 in his eighth season at South Dakota and 106-87 overall in his 19th season as a head coach. Coach Meierkort is 2-1 vs. the Thunderbirds.

SUU In The FCS National Ranks: 

SUU has nine players ranked among the FCS top-50 in 15 statistical categories following last week's games, while the team figures among the top-50 programs in 12 categories and among the top-30 in nine.

Defense: DT Tyler Osborne ranks 16th in sacks with an average of 0.90 per game while LB Chad Hansen ranks 33rd in tackles with an average of 9.80 per game.

Offense: On the offensive side of the ball, QB Brad Sorensen ranks seventh in completions per game and total passing yards, with 27.0 cpg and 1,429 yards, ninth in passing yards per game with an average of 285.8, 13th in total offense with 282.2 yards per game, 32nd in points responsible for with 13.2 ppg and 36th in passing efficiency with a 137.05 rating. WR Jared Ursua ranks in three categories: 19th in total receiving yards (402), 25th in receptions per game (6.2), and 30th in receiving yards per game (80.40).

Special Teams: Brady Measom ranks sixth in punt returns, with an average of 17.75 yards per return, Austin Minefee is 11th in kickoff returns, with an average of 30.29 ypr. Kicker Colton Cook is tied for 38th in field goals per game at 1.00, and punter Tate Lewis is 34th in yards per punt at 40.79.

Team: In the team categories SUU ranks eighth in turnovers gained with 13, ninth in kickoff returns at 26.10 ypr, 10th in passing offense (289.4 ypg) and fumble recoveries (six), 13th in pass efficiency defense (105.91) and 14th in scoring at 33.8 ppg. The Thunderbirds are also 16th in turnover margin at plus-1.00, 22nd in interceptions with six, 23rd in punt returns, at 14.10 ypr, 24th in pass defense at 178.0 ypg, 26th in net punting (36.77 ypp), and 28th in scoring defense at 21.4 ppg. SUU is 35th in sacks (2.40 per game), 37th in total defense (330.0 ypg) and 46th in passing efficiency (133.13).

Thunderbirds And Coyotes Both Ranked: Southern Utah and South Dakota are both ranked among the nation's top-25 FCS teams heading into Saturday's game. SUU checks in this week at No. 22 in both the Coaches Poll and the Sports Network Poll of media and sports information directors, while South Dakota is ranked 18th in both polls. This is the first time in SUU's FCS history that the team has suffered a loss and remained ranked.

Thunderbird Quick Hits:

• The Thunderbirds' two biggest passing games have come in their two losses. SUU opened the season throwing for 340 yards at South Dakota State in a one-point loss, and threw for 353 in last week's loss to North Dakota. They are also the two biggest passing games in the GWC this year. Conversely, the team's two lowest rushing totals, 53 yards at SDSU and 23 vs. UND, came in their two losses. SUU lost 64 yards to either sacks (10) or bad/fumbled snaps on special teams plays against the Fighting Sioux.
• SUU had its poorest performance of the season in the red zone against UND, scoring just three of the six times the team penetrated the Fighting Sioux' 20 yard line. The Thunderbirds failed to convert on fourth down twice in the red zone and lost the ball another time on a fumble. Coming into the game the team had failed to convert in the red zone just twice all season, and never more than once in a game.
• SUU didn't attempt a kickoff return against UND, marking the first time all season the T-Birds hadn't returned at least two. Four of UND kicker Zeb Miller's kickoffs were with the 15 mph wind and went either deep into or out of the end zone, and the fifth, which was into the wind, sailed out of bounds.
• SUU was the beneficiary of just one turnover against UND. The Thunderbirds had been on the receiving end of at least three TOs in three of the first four games, with the exception the win over Sacramento State, when they also came away with just one.

Coyote Notes: 

• Saturday's game will be just the second this season against an FCS opponent for South Dakota. The Coyotes first a 30-17 upset of then-No. 1 Eastern Washington in the Dakota Dome. USD's other games have been against either Division II squads: NW Oklahoma State and Lindenwood; or FBS opponents: Idaho and No. 4 Wisconsin.
• Statistically speaking, South Dakota heads into the game with an offense based around the run, as the Coyotes have averaged 180.6 yards per game on the ground and 154.4 through the air. The defense has allowed an average of 157.4 rushing and 234.8 passing yards per game. The team has been on either end of the spectrum, statistically, however, as Air Force rushed for 391 and Wisconsin 267 yards against the Coyotes, while Eastern Washington rushed for just 11 yards and Lindenwood was held to minus-10 yards on the ground.
• The Coyotes have spread the rushing load around, as running backs Marcus Sims (5-10, 196, Jr) and Chris Ganious (5-7, 190, Sr) average 60.6 and 56.8 yards per game, respectively, while quarterback Dante Warren (6-0, 201, Sr) averages 38.8. Sims and Warren each have three rushing touchdowns, Ganious has one.
• Warren has completed 47-of-87 passes for 637 yards and five touchdowns but he has also been intercepted six times. His favorite targets have been WRs Will Powell (6-1, 206, Sr), Jeremy Blount (5-8, 159, Sr) and Dustin Nowotny (6-3, 215, Sr). Powell leads the team in catches, with 15 for 219 yards and two TDs, while Blount has caught 13 passes for team-highs of 276 yards and three touchdowns. Nowotny also has 13 receptions, for 109 yards and two scores.
• Defensively, linebacker Adam Broders (6-2, 227, Sr) has a team-high 37 tackles, while SS Shane Potter (6-2, 207, Sr) has 33, LB Shea Williams (6-2, 224, Sr) has 31 and LB Darius Hogans (6-1, 215, Jr) has 30. DE Tyler Starr (6-5, 236, So) leads the team with 9.0 tackles for loss, including eight sacks for 48 yards. Five Coyotes have interceptions, led by reserve SS Jim Thompson (6-1, 212, Sr) with two.