SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., Oct. 4 – Southern Utah quarterback Ammon Olsen turned in the second-highest offensive total in school history after passing for 402 yards and rushing for 47 more to total 449 in the Thunderbirds 42-39 loss at Cal Poly on Saturday. SUU (1-5, 1-1 Big Sky) fell to the Mustangs (2-3, 1-1 Big Sky) for a 14th consecutive time in California by a final score of 42-39.
The Cal Poly offense got off to a fast start after opening the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a touchdown pass from Chris Brown to tight end Austin Albison. The Mustangs then forced a fumble on a Malik Brown carry to get the ball back deep in SUU territory. They worked down to the goal line where Brandon Howe dove into the end zone to extend the lead to 14-0.
Cal Poly put up a third score in the closing minutes of the first quarter as Brown completed his second touchdown pass of the night. Junior wide receiver Jordan Hines hauled in the catch from 24-yards out to make the difference 21-0.
“It illustrated that we weren't ready to play early on offense or defense,” said SUU head coach Ed Lamb of the early deficit. “We needed to make some changes, on defense most dramatically. The offense did a great job of rallying after the turnover, getting us in scoring position and put some points on the board. From there we were able to fight back into it.”
The final moments of the quarter saw Southern Utah quickly march down the field to set up a Trevor McGirr field goal early in the second. His kick was good from 34 yards out to bring the count to 21-3.
The T-Birds made it ten-straight points after a quick drive resulted in a 29-yard touchdown pass to Justin Brown. Olsen recorded completions of 16 and 27 yards to move the offense down the field.
SUU added another touchdown drive in the closing minutes of the half, going 90 yards down the field before Olsen ran the ball in from three yards out to pull back the score back within four at 21-17.
The Southern Utah offense kept up the momentum by turning its first possession of the second half into a 75-yard scoring-drive that ended with Olsen's second touchdown pass of the night. Tight end Chandler Allphin match the reception from five yards out for his first score of the season. The T-Birds tacked on the extra point to go in front for the first time, 24-21.
“There was a lot of good positive energy in the locker room. Our players were excited to be back in the game after being down 21-0 so early,” explained Lamb. “I would say that elation is equaled in terms of having one slip through fingers after being so close.”
Cal Poly responded by ending the Thunderbirds 24-point scoring streak with a four-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Brent Michaels to reclaim a 28-24 lead.
SUU answered in its ensuing possession after Olsen tossed his third touchdown pass to make the score 31-28. Mitch Jessop hauled in the 20-yard completion for his third score of the year.
The third lead change of the second half came in the opening seconds of the final quarter as Mustang quarterback Chris Brown carried the ball in to the end zone from one yard out to flip the lead back to Cal Poly at 35-31. SUU had a chance to narrow the margin, but a 38-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter went wide left. The home team took advantage of the opportunity to distance itself with a five-yard touchdown run from Kori Garcia to make it 42-31.
A late score by Southern Utah made it a three-point game as Olsen dove in from one yard out and then threw a two-point conversion pass to Chris Robinson to make the count 42-39. Cal Poly then held on to the ball for the final three minutes of the game to run out the clock for the win.
Junior wide receiver Justin Brown had a career night for the Thunderbirds, pulling in eight receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown. Ten different receivers caught passes from Olsen in the contest. Malik Brown led the offense with 57 yards on 12 carries.
“I'm proud of Ammon, the hard work he has put in. He stepped into such a difficult situation,” commented Lamb. “He and Aaron Cantu have supported each other, competed together and led the team the way they wanted to lead. I'm actually proud of them both for pushing each other to get better.”
Miles Killebrew and Chinedu Ahanonu led the Southern Utah defense with 14 tackles apiece, while Josh Kariya added another 13. The T-Birds were unable to force a turnover in the game for the first time this season.
The two teams combined for nearly 1,100 yards of total offense as Howe and Chris Brown both rushed for over 100 for Cal Poly and Garcia turned in another 97. The game saw five lead changes, including four in the second half.
“This conference has always been balanced. We were one of the playoff representatives year ago and had some tough battles with the teams that finished near the bottom,” said Lamb. “Any team can win on any given week in the Big Sky.”
Southern Utah is back at home next week for another Big Sky battle with Eastern Washington. The Eagles are expected to enter the game ranked in the top-three of both polls and will meet the Thunderbirds on the field on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Coverage of the game is available at www.suutbirds.com.
