CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah football team fell at home to the University of Northern Colorado Bears on Saturday night, despite the Thunderbirds scoring 21-unanswered points to close out the contest.
"Everybody can see that we fight, we fight until the end," SUU head coach Demario Warren said. "They bust their butts, and it's on me and the coaching staff to make sure we're doing the right things at the right time to be able to score more points than the other team."
The Thunderbirds gave up a touchdown on UNC's first drive, as the Bears drove the field 72 yards in four plays. Northern Colorado scored on their second drive of the night as well, going 55 yards in eight plays to go up 14-0.
SUU scored with 4:04 left in the first quarter, as Karris Davis broke into the endzone after a drive led by Tyler Skidmore. The T-Birds completed a two-point conversion to pull within 14-8.
The second quarter opened up with a Bear field goal, putting them up 17-8.
The T-Birds added a Manny Berz field goal with 3:48 to play in the opening half, cutting the lead back to 17-11.
Unfortunately for the T-Birds, the Bears added a last-second touchdown before the break to take a 24-11 lead into the half.
The Bears scored twice, once with a field goal and again with a touchdown, to start the second half.
With 6:36 to play in the third quarter Skidmore hit Landen Measom with a 74-yard bomb to pull the T-Birds a little closer, but in less than a minute the Bears struck again with a touchdown of their own.
On the ensuing drive the Thunderbirds struck again with Davis on the ground to pull back within 17.
Both Davis and Skidmore scored on the ground in the fourth quarter, but Southern Utah wasn't able to get the final three points they needed to force overtime and fell to the Bears 42-39.
Skidmore finished the game with 330 yards through the air and a touchdown. Jay Green Jr. led the team in rushing with 70, while Davis had 51 yards and three touchdowns. Measom had five catches for 154 yards and the 74-yard connection with Skidmore.
"The first play was a successful play, and it boosted my confidence a lot," Skidmore said about getting his first collegiate playing time. "After that it was just going well, I had all the time in the world. We didn't start fast enough, which has been the trend this whole season, but it was fun."
Defensively the T-Birds were led by Taylor Nelson who finished the game with 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. AJ Stanley and Chinedu Ahanonu both finished the game with six tackles, and Stanley had an interception for the T-Birds.
The T-Birds will be back at home next weekend as they square off against the Montana Grizzlies at 1 p.m.
Keep tabs on the Thunderbirds by following @SUUFB on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Football page on Facebook.
Single game tickets for the 2018 season can be purchased online at
www.tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
