CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird football program will host their home opener this weekend on Saturday, September 14, as they welcome the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin to Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City.
Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. MT.
Last Time Out
The T-Birds moved to 0-2 on the season last weekend in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as they fell to the No. 11/12 Northern Iowa Panthers 34-14.
UNI used 262 yards and three touchdowns through the air to pull away from the Thunderbirds. They also held a 367-227 advantage in terms of total yards.
Southern Utah had two touchdowns in the contest, which both came on the ground courtesy of quarterback Chris Helbig. The Panthers had pulled ahead 34-0 by the time the Thunderbirds were able to get on the scoreboard.
Offensive Leaders
Starting at quarterback for the T-Birds in the first two contests, Helbig has completed 30 passes for 264 yards so far this season. He has done the majority of his damage on the ground, rushing for three touchdowns.
Southern Utah's two passing touchdowns this season came against the UNLV Rebels, as Tyler Skidmore found Zach Nelson in the endzone on two separate occasions.
Lance Lawson has been the top target for the Thunderbirds in the passing game, with 15 catches for 120 total yards.
James Felila has been SUU's featured back on the ground, with 28 attempts for 67 yards.
Top Defenders
Through two contests with Southern Utah Nela Otukolo is leading the team in total tackles with 13 so far this season. He's also accounted for a fumble recovery, a pass break up and an assisted tackle for loss.
Alan Holsten is second on the team in total tackles with 11, and has a blocked punt to his name this season as well.
AJ Stanley has racked up nine total tackles, while Alex Sims, Nathaniel Vaughn and Jayden Clark all have accounted for eight.
Kyle Hannemann and Lehi Afatasi both lead the team with two tackles for loss, while Carlton Johnson holds the team lead in pass breakups with three.
Opponent Preview: Stephen F. Austin
The Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin has had a less than ideal start to their 2019 campaign, as they've started 0-2 with losses to Baylor (56-17) and Division II's Tarleton State (37-26).
Trae Self is the starting quarterback for the Lumberjacks, and has completed 29 passes this season for 353 yards and one touchdown.
Da'Leon Ward has been the top player on the ground for SFA, rushing for 159 total yards this season. Josh McGowen has punched in two touchdowns on the ground for the Lumberjacks as well.
Xavier Gipson has been a threat for SFA in the passing game so far this season, catching four passes for 83 yards. Remi Simmons has caught seven this season as well for 74.
On the defensive side of the ball, Gavin Roland leads the team with 19 total tackles and a tackle for loss.
Colby Carthel is in his first season in Nacogdoches, as he was named SFA's 20th head coach last December.
The Lumberjacks feature a former Thunderbird on their coaching staff as well, as Myles Carelock handles Defensive Quality Control for SFA. He played for the Thunderbirds for two seasons before transferring to Central Washington.
Last Time vs SFA
The last time the Thunderbirds and Lumberjacks faced off was during SUU's Big Sky Championship run in 2017, when the T-Birds won in Nacogdoches 51-14.
Patrick Tyler was the story of the day for the Thunderbirds, completing 28 passes for 414 yards and four touchdowns. One of those completions set a school record as him and Landen Measom connected on a 96-yard pass play that resulted in a Thunderbird touchdown.
The Thunderbirds built a 31-0 lead in the contest and never looked back, only allowing the 'Jacks to score twice in the second half.
Big Sky At A Glance
Entering the third week of full football, the Montana Grizzlies are the only team in the Big Sky Conference to boast a 2-0 record. They've knocked off South Dakota and North Alabama on back-to-back weeks to sit alone on top of the Big Sky standings.
Idaho State sits behind them at 1-0 after beating Western Colorado last week.
Nine of the other teams in the league sit at 1-1 after two contests, while SUU and Northern Colorado are the two remaining winless teams in the league.
Words From Coach Warren
On the biggest focuses at practice this week…
"We didn't get out-physicalled, we won the third down battle, we won the turnover battle so we're winning things that matter in football games," SUU head coach Demario Warren said. "Field position, penalties, mental mistakes, giving up explosive plays on defense and a lack of explosive plays by our offense are really chewing up yardage. But in key situational football we've been okay. We made a lot of improvements from week one, but not enough to go on the road and beat a top-15 team."
On playing at home...
"We're excited to finally get out here and get back to our winning ways," he said. "It's frustrating losing the first two after last season, but at the end of the day we can only focus on what we can control and that's Stephen F. Austin this week."
On Stephen F. Austin...
"They're very athletic, very skilled," he said. "Their new coaching staff is getting better with details each week. They've got a great coaching staff and a very athletic team, so I know they're going to get better as the season goes on and we've got to be prepared for their best shot. I think, like us, they got humbled a bit last week. So it's going to be two humble teams going at it looking for their first win."
On the last matchup in 2017…
"It's a lot different," he said. "They've got a really good running back that's new that transferred from Texas Tech, some really good young slot receivers. They did a really good job in recruiting this year. Their defensive line is big and stout, their linebackers run around and make plays and they have a ton of corners that look skilled and athletic. All the way around they're pretty dynamic and fast, and their special teams return game is really good, so it'll be exciting to see what we can do."
On the Big Sky early on...
"It's a solid league," he said. "There's some good football being played, so it's going to be murderers row. We knew it going into the season, and we've just got to be good enough to compete with those teams week in and week out."
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
Saturday will be Southern Utah's Home Opener, and will feature $1 hotdogs at concessions stands.
Celebrating Thunderbird student-athletes will be the theme of halftime, as T-Birds across all sports will be recognized for their academic success, while the 2019 Big Sky Champion men's track and field team will be honored at halftime as well.
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.
