CEDAR CITY, Utah - With a pair of non-conference wins in their back pocket, the Thunderbird football team will open up Big Sky Conference play this weekend in the Golden State as they face off against the Hornets of Sacramento State.

Last Time Out

The T-Birds moved to 2-1 last weekend when they upset the No. 18/21 Panthers of Northern Iowa.

The game was very tight down the stretch, but with 1:50 to play in the contest SUU freshman kicker Manny Berz knocked home his fourth career field goal to put the Thunderbirds up by three. Freshman cornerback Jalen Russell picked off UNI quarterback Eli Dunne on the final play of the game to seal the deal for the Thunderbirds.

SUU's Patrick Tyler threw for 200 yards and a touchdown in the contest, rushing for an additional 45 yards. James Felila took 21 carries on Saturday for 92 yards and broke into the end zone twice.

Chinedu Ahanonu led the team with 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. As a team the Thunderbird defense had 12 tackles for loss on the evening and held the Panthers to negative rushing yards.

Big Sky At A Glance

No Big Sky teams made it through their 2017 non-conference slate unscathed, but there were a number of impressive performances from the various teams in the league.

Southern Utah, Idaho State, Montana, UC Davis and Weber State are all sitting at 2-1 entering conference play. Idaho State reached 2-1 this weekend by knocking off FBS opponent Nevada.

Three Big Sky teams appeared in both Top 25 polls this week, with No. 11/11 Eastern Washington, No. 17/19 North Dakota and No. 18/23 Weber State all among the top the FCS has to offer. Southern Utah came in No. 26 in the Coaches Poll and No. 30 in the STATS FCS Poll.

2016 Conference Campaign

In head coach Demario Warren's first year at the helm of the Thunderbird football program they finished 5-3 in the Big Sky.

The Thunderbirds opened Big Sky play with a huge win over Portland State to set the tone. After falling to Montana on their first conference road trip of the year, SUU returned home to knock off UC Davis 24-3.

After a two game slide the Thunderbirds closed out Big Sky play on a three-game conference winning streak, knocking off Idaho State (52-27), Montana State (38-21) and Northern Arizona. (48-21).

The Thunderbirds are a combined 12-4 in the last two seasons against foes from the Big Sky Conference.

Words From Warren

On what impressed him most about the win after some time to reflect…..

"We just battled," he said. "We didn't play great the whole game as a team and we just overcame everything that happened to us. We turned the ball over four times, three times deep in our own territory and the defense didn't blink all night. Special teams came up big in the end of the game and it was just a resilient effort, we're really proud of the guys to be able to fight in a close game and pull one out. I don't think we've been able to do that in the last couple of years, and I feel like we can win in a lot of different ways now, so hopefully that gives us some confidence in those tight ball games."

On what he's most looking forward to entering his second Big Sky season…..

"It's another opportunity," he said. "We didn't get what we wanted to get accomplished last year and now we're starting all over. There's a lot of excitement going into Sacramento, going to go play a quality team that's been playing well lately and it'll be a good opportunity for us to go 1-0. It's exciting that it's here, and we all know where we were picked at and I think we have a real opportunity to prove people wrong."

On what has impressed him about the Hornets on film…..

"They've got speed everywhere," he said. "Speed at receiver, speed at running back, speed on defense, there's just a lot of talent on the field so it will be a big challenge for us to keep up with their speed."   

Opponent Preview: Sacramento State

The Hornets will be hosting their third game in a row when the Thunderbirds head to Sacramento on Saturday. Overall, the Hornets are 1-2 this season with a victory over Incarnate Word and losses to Idaho and Weber State in a non-conference matchup.

Kevin Thompson has completed 27 passes this season for 545 yards and six touchdowns. His top target this season has been Isiah Hennie, who has pulled in eight balls for 104 yards and a touchdown. Andre Lindsey has caught seven passes for 236 yards and a touchdown. That leaves him with an average of 33.7 yards per catch.

Defensively Mister Harriel leads the team in tackles with 26 this season, along with two sacks and an interception. Dre Terrell has four interceptions this season.

The Hornets are second in the conference in total defense and pass defense efficiency. They are also second in kickoff returns. They also lead the conference in interceptions.  

Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along

Saturday's game will be streamed live on PlutoTV and WatchBigSky.com.

The game will be available on the airwaves locally on KSUB 590 AM with Art Challis and Devin Dixon on the call for the Thunderbirds.

Live stats will be available on www.hornetsports.com and www.suutbirds.com prior to the start of the game on Saturday.

Follow Us

Keep tabs on the Thunderbirds by following @SUUFB on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Football page on Facebook.

Tickets

Tickets for SUU's Homecoming Game against Cal Poly can be purchased at tbirdtickets.com or at the Centrum Ticket Office.