CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Returning to Eccles Coliseum for the first time in over a month, the Thunderbird football team will be playing their annual Homecoming Game this Saturday against the Hornets of Sacramento State.
Last Time Out
The Thunderbirds fell to the Eagles of Eastern Washington in their last contest, as the then-ranked No. 4/5 team in the FCS topped SUU 55-17.
EWU jumped out on Southern Utah early, as they scored two touchdowns to get things going. The Thunderbirds were able to get a field goal in the opening 15 minutes and trailed 14-3 heading into the second quarter.
The Eagles would add a field goal and a defensive touchdown before the Thunderbirds could score again as Aaron Zwahlen found Ty Rutledge in the corner of the endzone to cut Eastern's lead to 14. Before the break the Eagles added another touchdown and a second field goal to lead the contest 34-19 at halftime.
The third quarter is when EWU really started to pull away. The Eagles scored three unanswered touchdowns to start the third frame to take a 55-10 lead. With 25 seconds left in the third quarter Jay Green Jr. broke into the endzone for a touchdown to cut into the Eagle lead.
Neither team scored in the final 15 minutes, leaving the Eagles with a 55-17 victory.
Stud Seniors
In their final year with the Thunderbird football program, Ty Rutledge on the offensive side of the ball and Chinedu Ahanonu on the defensive side have both been massive contributors for the Thunderbirds this season.
Rutledge has caught 22 passes for the Thunderbirds, leading the team in receiving yards with 316. He is tied for the team lead in touchdowns caught with two.
On the defensive side of the ball, Chinedu Ahanonu leads the team in tackles by a large margin with 45. He also has accounted for six tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Offensive Leaders
With his first start of the 2018 season under his belt, Zwahlen has completed 45 passes for the Thunderbirds for 435 yards and two touchdowns.
Aside from Rutledge, Landen Measom has been another top target for the T-Birds this season with a team-high 24 catches for 280 yards. Frank Harris III is tied for the team lead in touchdowns with two this season.
On the ground Jay Green Jr. has been the featured running back for the Thunderbirds so far, with 81 carries for 363 yards and three touchdowns. James Felila has carried the ball 53 times for the Thunderbirds for a total of 260 yards and one touchdown.
Defensive Leaders
Behind Ahanonu for the Thunderbirds in terms of tackles is fellow senior Taylor Nelson, who has 24 this year. Nelson also leads the team in terms of fumble recoveries, jumping on three of the four SUU has forced this season.
AJ Stanley leads the team in forced fumbles with two, along with having 23 total tackles in five contests.
Taelin Webb has eight pass breakups for the Thunderbirds, which leads the team and has him among the national leaders in the country. Webb also has two tackles for loss.
Lehi Afatasi and Oscar Burgueno have both tallied two tackles for loss for Southern Utah. That number leads the team.
Homecoming
This season Southern Utah's Homecoming Game will have more than one meaning, as not only is it Homecoming Weekend in Cedar City, but the Thunderbirds have been on the road for a very significant amount of time.
After opening up the season at home against North Alabama, the Thunderbirds hit the road and have traveled 5,500+ miles since to face off against Oregon State, Arizona, Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington. In total, the Thunderbirds will go over 40 days between competitions at home before hitting the field against the Hornets.
Opponent Preview: Sacramento State Hornets (2-3, 0-2 Big Sky)
The Hornets of Sacramento State will travel to Cedar City this weekend seeking their first Big Sky Conference victory after picking up a win over St. Francis and Northern Colorado in non-conference play.
The Hornets played a close contest with Montana in their first league game, falling to the then-ranked No. 19 Grizzlies 41-34, and followed that up with a 41-27 loss at the hands of Cal Poly this past weekend.
Hornet quarterback Kevin Thompson has thrown for 1,226 yards and seven touchdowns to this point of the season on 67 completions. On the ground Elijah Dotson has been impressive for Sacramento with 91 carries for 586 yards and seven touchdowns. Jaelin Ratliff has caught 16 passes for 377 yards and a touchdown.
Immanuel Anderson is the top tackler for the Hornets with 41 so far this season. He also leads the team with 5.5 tackles for loss. Mister Harriel leads the team as far as interceptions are concerned with two, along with 28 total tackles. Elijah Chambers leads the team in sacks with 4.5.
Last Time vs. Sacramento State
When all was said and done at the end of 2017, the only Big Sky Conference team the Thunderbirds lost to during the regular season was the Sacramento State Hornets in California by a final score of 54-27.
That game was Zwahlen's first for the Thunderbirds, as he finished 24-of-38 through the air with 188 yards and one touchdown.
Kevin Thomson had a big day for the Hornets, throwing for 253 yards and three touchdowns, along with rushing for 149 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Alex Sims led the Thunderbirds in tackles for the contest with 11 total.
Recent Series History
The Thunderbirds and Hornets have faced off five times since Southern Utah joined the Big Sky Conference, and the team from the Golden State holds a 3-2 advantage in the series since the two were members of the same league.
In 2012 the two teams met for the first time as Big Sky goes, in a game the Hornets won 27-22. The Thunderbirds responded in 2013 en route to their first FCS Playoff appearance, winning 24-21. After suffering a loss in 2014 the Thunderbirds shutout the Hornets 44-0 in 2015 on the path to their first-ever Big Sky Conference Championship.
Big Sky At A Glance
Three teams in the Big Sky Conference are still undefeated heading into this weekend of action, as Eastern Washington (3-0), Idaho State (3-0) and UC Davis (2-0) have emerged as the early leaders in the race for the Big Sky Conference Championship.
Both Montana and Northern Arizona are 2-1 entering this weekend of competition.
Sacramento State (0-2), Southern Utah (0-2) and Northern Colorado (0-3) are still all in search of their first Big Sky Conference victory.
Words From Coach Warren
On areas he sees the team can improve…
"We've got to find a way to start faster, and once we start faster, get some confidence and start having fun we start to play better," SUU head coach Demario Warren said. "We've played better for stretches of time, but not for an entire game. Sac State is a great opponent and it's going to be another tough battle."
On this week's opponent...
"They've got one of the best running backs in the conference," he said. "He's a true sophomore from Sacramento and he's very explosive. Their quarterback went off on us last year when we were playing good defense, so he's scary. They've got really good wide receivers, and defensively they've had a knack for forcing turnovers but they're just a solid group. Their head coach is a defensive minded guy and he's been doing a great job. They turned that program around from really bad to a team that's talking about going to the playoffs."
On Chinedu and what he's meant to the defense this season…
"He's just a tremendous team player, one of the best kids I've been around," Warren said. "He wants to do everything for the team. Just unbelievable character."
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Saturday's game will be available on the PlutoTV App and on WatchBigSky.com.
The game can also be heard on KSUB 590 AM and ESPN 97.7 FM in Cedar City and St. George.
Links to live stats will be made available before the contest on www.suutbirds.com.
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
Single game tickets for the 2018 season can be purchased online at www.tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
