CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird football team fell to the No. 3/4 Weber State Wildcats inside Eccles Coliseum on Saturday night 31-18.

"They fought, they battled, they had the mentality and effort that it takes to win against a very, very good opponent, so I hope we can take that with us," SUU head coach Demario Warren said. "I told the team that I thought the seniors would be very appreciate of that effort and we fought for those guys."

The Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Jake Constantine hit Brady May from 14 yards away. The Thunderbirds responded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped off with a Jay Green Jr. rush from eight yards away to pull within one after a missed PAT.

As the second half started with a Wildcats strike on a 44-yard rush by Josh Davis to go up 14-6.

Judd Cockett returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for the Thunderbirds, pulling the Thunderbirds within two.

Before halftime the Wildcats added another touchdown to go up 21-12 at the break.

Weber State picked up another touchdown with seven minutes to play in the third quarter to move ahead 28-12.

Nearing the end of the third quarter the T-Birds scored again, as Austin Ewing hit Landen Measom for a touchdown to pull closer, with the score at 28-18. Unfortunately for the Thunderbirds, that was the last time they'd score on the evening.

In the fourth quarter the Wildcats added a field goal, which was the final points of the contest as the Wildcats pulled away 31-18.

Aaron Zwahlen finished 13-of-22 through the air with 186 yards. Ewing was four-for-four through the air with a touchdown. Jay Green Jr. had 10 carries for 68 yards, along with a catch for 45 yards. He scored once on the ground. Ty Rutledge had five catches for 58 yards, while Measom had four catches for 64 yards and one touchdown.  

Chinedu Ahanonu finished with 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Elijah Holt had an interception for the Thunderbirds.

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.