CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird football team will return to action this weekend as they play host to the Idaho State Bengals at Eccles Coliseum.
Kickoff against ISU is set for 2:05 p.m. MT in Cedar City.
Last Time Out
When the Thunderbirds were last on the field, they fell to the UC Davis Aggies 33-25 at Eccles Coliseum.
The Aggies jumped out to a 26-0 lead over the Thunderbirds, using touchdowns by four different players.
The T-Birds got on the board for the first time with roughly 10 seconds left on the clock in the second half, as Lance Lawson took a direct snap and scored from three yards away.
UC Davis held a 26-7 lead at the break.
The Aggies added another touchdown to take a 33-7 lead into the fourth quarter. That was when the Thunderbirds turned it on.
With 13:10 to play in the contest Jay Green Jr. broke into the endzone to put seven more points on the scoreboard for the Thunderbirds. On their next drive, Green Jr. capped an 82-yard effort to get another touchdown on the board. Lance Lawson converted a two-point conversion for the T-Birds to make it 33-22.
The Thunderbirds continued to push as the fourth quarter went on, and Manny Berz made it even closer with a 35-yard made field goal with roughly one minute left. Unfortunately, SUU couldn't recover the onside kick and the Aggies were able to ice the clock.
Offensive Leaders
Now with eight starts on his stat line this season, Thunderbird quarterback Chris Helbig has completed 193 passes for 2,016 yards and nine touchdowns this season. He's averaging 252 yards per game. He also has five touchdowns on the ground.
With 62 catches this season, Lance Lawson ranks first in the Big Sky Conference in that category and fourth in the entire FCS. Those catches have taken him 592 yards and have accounted for three touchdowns.
Through only two games Landen Measom has caught 15 passes for SUU, going for 235 yards and one touchdown.
Jay Green Jr. has racked up three touchdowns in three appearances for the Thunderbirds this year. James Felila leads the team in rushing yards with 261.
Top Defenders
AJ Stanley and Alex Sims currently lead the Thunderbirds in terms of total tackles, as they both have 52 this season.
Nela Otukolo isn't too far behind with 47 total tackles, along with leading the team at four tackles for loss. Bishop Jones also has four TFL's for the Thunderbirds this season, along with two sacks.
Francis Bemiy has come on for the Thunderbirds as of late, with 30 tackles and two sacks.
Opponent Preview: Idaho State Bengals (3-4, 2-2 Big Sky)
After starting Big Sky play with two wins and two losses, the Bengals of Idaho State will come to Cedar City looking to go above .500 in league play.
They picked up a 51-24 victory over Portland State and a 55-20 win over North Dakota, while suffering losses to Montana and Idaho.
Bengal quarterback Matt Struck has completed 108 passes for 1,674 yards and 17 touchdowns this season while only throwing three interceptions. Two of those picks came last weekend against the Idaho Vandals while finishing 27-of-52 passing for 316 yards and two touchdowns.
On the ground Ty Flanagan has been a major factor, rushing for 641 yards and three touchdowns.
Through the air, Tanner Conner has caught 33 passes for six touchdowns. Both Michael Dean and Mitch Gueller have caught 30 passes for ISU.
On defense the Bengals are led by Kody Graves, who has 53 total tackles this season to go along with four tackles for loss. Oshea Trujillo has 42 tackles for the Bengals, with two interceptions to his credit as well.
ISU head coach Rob Phenicie is in his third season at the helm of the program.
Last Time vs. ISU
When the Thunderbirds and Bengals last met on the gridiron, SUU came away with a 52-27 victory in Pocatello.
Former T-Bird quarterback Patrick Tyler threw for 334 yards on 32 completions and two touchdowns.
On the ground Malik Brown had 103 yards and two touchdowns, while Felila added two more scores through the run game.
Mike Sharp caught 11 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, both Mitch Dalley and Mike Needham had an interception for the Thunderbirds.
Recent Series History
The Thunderbirds and Bengals have only met three times as Big Sky Conference foes, where SUU holds a 2-1 advantage. SUU picked up victories in both 2013 and 2016, while falling to ISU in 2014.
Big Sky At A Glance
For the first time since Week 2 of the season, the Big Sky Conference has four teams ranked in the top 10 of the STATS FCS Top 25 poll. The league has a total of five teams ranked and two more receiving votes across the STATS FCS and AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 polls.
Weber State (5-2) picked up a 51-28 win over Northern Arizona at home. The victory is the third straight for the Wildcats. Weber State's ranking stays the same once again, as it was voted No. 4 in the STATS FCS Poll and No. 5 in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll for the fourth straight week. Weber State plays at UC Davis (4-4) this coming week – another Top 25 team.
Montana (5-2) fell to Sacramento State 49-22 on the road – its first FCS loss this season. The Griz were voted No. 10 in the STATS FCS Poll and No. 11 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll. Montana will host Eastern Washington (3-4) on Saturday.
Montana State (5-2) had a bye this past week. The Bobcats were able to jump three spots to No. 9 in both the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll and the STATS FCS Poll. Montana State will take on North Dakota (4-3) in Grand Forks this week.
One week after cracking the Top 25, Sacramento State (5-2) finds itself in the top 10 of both polls after a 49-22 win over Montana. The Hornets have won their last three games and are slotted No. 7 in the STATS FCS Poll and No. 8 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll. Next up for the Hornets is Cal Poly (2-5).
UC Davis (4-4) collected its second straight win with a 33-25 road victory at Southern Utah. The Aggies enter this week ranked No. 22 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and STATS FCS Poll. UC Davis hosts Weber State (5-2) this weekend.
Eastern Washington and Portland State are both receiving votes.
Words From Coach Warren
On the big fourth quarter against UC Davis...
"I think guys executed, and once you start executing and build some momentum I think the rest of the team feeds off of it," SUU head coach Demario Warren said. "We don't start fast, we haven't had a lead in the first half and it's hard to bring energy and get momentum going when you're not scoring and not getting enough stops to be able to take a lead. It's frustrating, but once we start going guys start rolling and it's fun to watch them play. But that's not how you want to start against a really good football team."
On the Bengals…
"They're explosive on offense," he said. "Their quarterback is doing a great job of getting the ball down the field and making plays. They have a simple scheme that picks up what you do on defense, and they're well coached. They've had a big turnaround the last couple seasons. I think coach Phenicie is doing a great job and that'll be another big challenge here. They've got two conference wins and we have zero, so if we want to step up and not be at the bottom of the conference we've got to get a win."
On Lance Lawson's high NCAA ranking…
"We've probably been going to him a little bit less now that Measom's back, but he's phenomenal," he said. "It's fun to have the ball in his hands because he does so many great things with it. We'll continue to feed him, along with the other playmakers we have on the offensive side of the ball."
On Greg Rogers entering the lineup…
"He's probably a little frustrated with me because I want to make sure he's healthy for a long run, and we're trying to keep him on a play count, but he looked way more comfortable from game one to game two, and with the different types of offenses it's almost like he had two first games," he said. "I'm excited about his future, he's going to be a big part of what we do and it's fun to see him grow as the year goes on."
On the focus this week at practice…
"We've got to control what we can control," he said. "We can control the past. There's a third of the season left, and that's a lot of games. It might feel like the season's over, but we've still got a third of it left and it can make a big difference if you play well down the stretch. We want to continue to keep improving and be more disciplined, and focus on doing our job."
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Saturday's contest will be livestreamed on the PlutoTV App and www.WatchBigSky.com.
The contest can be heard on the local airwaves, both on KSUB 590 AM in Cedar City and ESPN 97.7 FM in St. George. On the call will be legendary Thunderbird broadcaster Art Challis, and ESPN 97.7's Devin Dixon, host of the Devin Dixon Show.
Live stats will be available on www.suutbirds.com prior to kickoff.
Promotions
Southern Utah Athletics is partnering with the SUU Veteran's Services Center to send local Veterans and Military members to the Idaho State Game on October 26. It is SUU's Salute to Service game.
Fans have the option of donating a seat to a soldier with their purchase of a single game ticket, or to simply donate a seat to a soldier. Fans can add a seat for a soldier at $3 a ticket or donate a seat for $5. From every ticket purchased for a soldier, $1 will be donated to the Holmes family.
Saturday is also SUU's Hall of Fame game, where the 2019 Athletics Hall of Fame class will be recognized at halftime for their accomplishments to Southern Utah University.
Follow Us
Keep tabs on the Thunderbirds throughout the entire Big Sky Kickoff by following @SUUFB on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Football page on Facebook.
Tickets
Single game tickets and season tickets are available for the remainder of the 2019 campaign at www.tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
