SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The Southern Utah football team picked up their first win of the spring 2021 season Saturday afternoon, beating Cal Poly 34-24. This was the Thunderbirds' first win in San Luis Obispo since the 1986 season and their first road win since they beat UC Davis in 2017.

Quarterback Justin Miller went 21-for-28 on the day, throwing for 241 yards with three touchdowns. Brandon Schenks caught two passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns, including a 73-yarder from Miller to open the scoring. David Atencio also caught a touchdown, his first as a Thunderbird. Jay Green Jr. rushed 17 times for 93 yards and Dayne Christiansen had the lone touchdown on the ground.

Manny Berz had a perfect day with the leg as he went 4-for-4 on extra point attempts and kicked two field goals, both from 25 yards out.

Quaid Murray was the leading tackler for the T-Birds with 10 total tackles. La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis had seven tackles, including two sacks for a total loss of 14 yards. Akili Gray picked off a pass for the first Southern Utah interception of the season. The Thunderbird defense had six total sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

The Thunderbirds got off to a hot start, scoring 31 points in the first half. They opened the scoring at the 13:36 mark when Miller and Schenks connected for a 73-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 SUU.

The Mustangs answered with 7:03 left in the first quarter, as they tied things up at 7-7 with their first touchdown. Berz kicked his first field goal with :48 to go and the Thunderbirds took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter.

Southern Utah scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, while holding Cal Poly to zero points. Miller threw his second touchdown of the day, a 13-yarder to Atencio to make it 17-7. Christiansen followed that up with a 17-yard touchdown on the ground, putting the T-Birds up 24-7. Schenks and Miller connected for the second time on a 12-yarder with :19 to play in the half and SUU took a 31-7 lead into the break.

The Mustangs were the only team to score in the third quarter, closing the gap with a 42-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-14.

They kicked a 39-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter, but Berz hit another 25-yarder with 5:02 to play to make it 34-17.

Cal Poly would score one more time before the end of the game, but the Thunderbirds were able to walk out with the victory.

Southern Utah will have a bye this upcoming week before heading to Moscow to take on the Idaho Vandals on March 27.

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