CEDAR CITY, Utah - For the second time in as many years, the Thunderbirds will open their season against a Pac-12 opponent when they take on the Oregon Ducks on September 2 to officially open the 2017 season.

2016 Recap

Demario Warren's inaugural season with the Thunderbirds ended on the right side of .500, as SUU finished 6-5 in 2016.

The T-Birds finished 4-1 at home and 5-3 in the Big Sky Conference. Two of the Thunderbird defeats came at the hands of the University of Utah and Brigham Young University. The Thunderbirds won their final three Big Sky games in convincing fashion, knocking off Idaho State (52-27), Montana State (38-21) and Northern Arizona (48-21).

Following the season four different Thunderbirds were given a chance with NFL teams, as Josh Thornton, Steven Wroblewski, Raysean Pringle and Mike Sharp were all brought in to professional camps.

Thornton (Detroit Lions), Wroblewski (Indianapolis Colts) and Pringle (Green Bay Packer) are still currently on NFL rosters, joining James Cowser (Oakland Raiders), Miles Killebrew (Detroit Lions) and LeShaun Sims (Tennessee Titans) from the 2015 draft class.  

SUU vs. The Pac-12

The Thunderbirds have taken on their fair share of opponents over the years from the Pac-12 conference, as recently as 2016.

SUU opened against the Utes of Utah last season, and had a solid defensive effort falling to the Utes 24-0. Despite not being about to get on the board, SUU opened their season with a lot of positivity on the defensive side of the ball and several of their players made a name for themselves on national television.

After winning their first two contests of the 2015 season the T-Birds traveled to Washington State, and despite putting 10 points on the board turnovers and a strong passing game from Wazzu led the the downfall of SUU, 48-10.

The T-Birds found plenty of success against Cal in 2012, and were within a field goal entering the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for SUU, the Golden Bears pulled away in the fourth to take the contest 50-31.

Words From Warren

On what the Thunderbirds need to do to win…..

"We've got to go get 30," he said. "That's something that we've got to have our sights set on. We've struggled the last three FBS games and that can't happen. If we want a chance to win, we've got to put points on the board. As fast as we play and as much talent as we have we've got to put points on the board."

On what to expect playing the Ducks…..

"They brought in a really great recruiting class and they've got things rolling, and that's Oregon," he said. "They've got some of the best facilities in the country, they've got one of the best coaches in the country and they've got some of the fastest players in the country."

Opponent Preview: The Oregon Ducks

The Ducks will be playing their first game under newly appointed Willie Taggart on Saturday, after he was hired as the 33rd head coach in the history of the program on December 7, 2016.

Most recently, Taggart was at South Florida where he took a three-win program and transformed them into a 20-2 team in his final season. Taggart was at Western Kentucky prior to his time at South Florida.

It appears that the Ducks will be reliant on a young core this season, as 12 true freshmen appeared on Oregon's first depth chart of the season.

Justin Herbert had a major impact for the Ducks in 2016, and appears to be the man at quarterback heading into 2017. Last season he completed 162 passes for 1,936 yards and 19 touchdowns. He only threw four interceptions the entire season.

The Ducks also have an incredibly explosive running back in Royce Freeman, who rushed for 948 yards last season and got into the endzone nine times. Tony Brooks-James is also back for the Ducks after also scoring nine touchdowns for Oregon.

Oregon finished the 2016 season 4-8, which followed up a 9-4 effort in 2015-16 that culminated in a Bowl Game against TCU.

Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along

Saturday's game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network. The games can be streamed on pac-12.com/live with a broadcast provider.

The game will be broadcast locally on KSUB 590 AM, with Art Challis and Devin Dixon on the call.

Live stats will be available at suutbirds.com prior to the start of the game.

Follow Us

Keep tabs on the Thunderbirds in their home Opener against the Ducks by following @SUUFB on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Football page on Facebook.

Tickets

Tickets for SUU's home opener against Northern Iowa and Season Tickets can be purchased at tbirdtickets.com or at the Centrum Ticket Office.