CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird football team picked up their first victory of the 2019 campaign on Saturday night inside Eccles Coliseum, knocking off the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 45-38 in overtime.
The victory moves the T-Birds to 1-2 on the season. This was Southern Utah's first overtime contest since 2013.
"I just want to thank the crowd," SUU head coach Demario Warren said. "We had a great crowd out here, and we've had our struggles over the last year and a half now, and we really appreciate the crowd. … The one thing I can say about this group is that they're relentless. They're mentally tough, physically tough and they are relentless. They kept coming back play after play."
The Thunderbirds got on the scoreboard early against the Lumberjacks, as Kekoa Sasaoka knocked home a 33-yard field goal to put the home team up 3-0.
The T-Birds scored again on their next possession after their defensive unit forced a turnover, as a trick play resulted in Chris Helbig catching a touchdown from Lance Lawson to put the Thunderbirds up 10-0.
The Lumberjacks put three points on the board at the start of the second half, cutting the Thunderbird lead to 10-3.
Following SFA's field goal, the T-Birds drove the field yet again and Lawson scored on a 14 yard run play that put the Thunderbirds in control 17-3.
Unfortunately for the T-Birds, the Lumberjacks would score two unanswered touchdowns before the end of the opening frame to take it 17-17 at the halftime break.
Both teams added a touchdown in the third quarter. The Lumberjacks struck with 6:02 to play in the frame, as Remi Simmons took a 14-yard pass from Trae Self to give SFA a 24-17 lead. The Thunderbirds responded with 2:33 to play in the third, as Lance Lawson snagged a 55-yard pass from Helbig, shook a few defenders, and took it to the house to tie the contest back up at 24-24.
All that set up for a wild fourth quarter of play.
SFA scored early in the fourth quarter to give themselves a 31-24 advantage, but the T-Birds responded with a long drive that resulted in a James Felila touchdown run from five yards out to tie the contest up at 31-31.
After another SFA touchdown with 3:13 to play, the Thunderbirds scored in less than two minutes thanks to a 17-yard rush from Thomas Duckett to once again tie the contest up at 38-38.
The Lumberjacks were unable to score on their final drive, forcing the game into overtime.
The T-Birds got the ball first in OT, and scored on an 11-yard carry from James Felila to give the themselves the advantage.
When the Lumberjacks got the ball, the T-Bird defense stepped up big time and didn't allow them to score, giving SUU a 45-38 win over SFA.
Helbig completed 35 passes for 375 yards and two touchdowns on the night, which was the second-highest amount of completions a T-Bird quarterback has had tying both Brad Sorensen and Cade Cooper. He also had his first career touchdown catch.
Lawson finished with 13 catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns to go along with his touchdown throw.
Duckett led the T-Birds on the ground with 11 carries for 53 yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, Alex Sims led SUU in tackles with 10 total. The T-Birds had four sacks on the night, including two from Aaron Romero. Khalid Taylor also had his first career interception for the Thunderbirds.
The T-Birds will be back on the road next weekend to take on the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State on the road.
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.
Season Tickets and Single Game Tickets are currently available to purchase at the America First Event Center Ticket Office and at www.tbirdtickets.com.
