Football 9/21/2014 5:33:00 AM SUU Strategic Communication

Thunderbird Football Falls 56-16 at Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif. - Southern Utah University football took its first lead of the year, but was too late in answering a Fresno State 35-point run and fell to the Bulldogs 56-16 on Saturday night on the road. The loss keeps the Thunderbirds winless on the year at 0-4 while FSU moves to 1-3 with the win.

Southern Utah stopped each of Fresno State's drives in the first quarter, sending the Bulldog offense off the field following a pair of 4th-down stops and an interception by Miles Killebrew. The pick continued the Thunderbirds' streak of an interception in each game this season.

The defensive showing didn't provide dividends until the closing moments of the first quarter when the Thunderbirds ended the stanza with a 12-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a field goal during the opening seconds of the second quarter. The 3-0 lead was the first for Southern Utah this season and looked like it would grow to 6-0, but Trevor McGirr's kick from 42 yards on the Thunderbirds' next drive sailed wide left.

The Bulldogs took their first lead of the season on the ensuing series, putting together a nine-play, 74-yard drive that was capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass to give the home side the 7-3 advantage.

Southern Utah answered with a touchdown pass of its own as Mitch Jessop punctuated a five-play, 70-yard drive with a reception from Ammon Olsen, giving the Thunderbirds a 9-7 lead with 5:55 remaining in the half. The drive was highlighted by a 61-yard catch by Justin Brown that put the T-Birds on the Fresno State 7-yard line.

SUU stopped the Bulldogs on their next drive, but gave up the lead when FSU's Kyrie Wilson intercepted a pass and returned the ball 23 yards to give the home side the 14-9 lead. The pick-6 was the third this season in as many games for the Thunderbirds. The Bulldogs tacked on a third touchdown in the first half on a 4-yard pass to Chad Olsen from Brian Burrell to give FSU a 21-9 lead going into the break.

Fresno State's run continued with three consecutive touchdowns in the third quarter to extend the margin to 42-9. The scores came by way of a pair of Thunderbird miscues, including a blocked punt in the SUU end zone and a fumble recovered by the Bulldogs.

Southern Utah put an end to the Fresno State run by way of a 77-yard touchdown pass to Mike Sharp from Olsen to cut the margin to 42-16. The big play was echoed by the Bulldogs on the next series as Zack Greenlee connected with Da'Mari Scott on an 81-yard touchdown pass, giving the home side a 49-16 lead. A final touchdown by the Bulldogs with 3:37 against Southern Utah's second-team defense led to the final score of 56-16.

Olsen finished his night with 309 yards passing and two touchdowns with Malik Brown leading the rushing attack with 48 yards on 17 carries. Justin Brown led the receiving corp with 98 yards on three catches and Josh Kariya paced the defense with 12 tackles, including nine solo stops.

Southern Utah will be back in action next weekend, hosting Weber State in the Big Sky opener in Eccles Coliseum. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:05 p.m. with coverage available online at www.suutbirds.com.

Print Friendly Version