CEDAR CITY, Utah - After a bye week last week, the Southern Utah football team will be back in action this weekend as they travel to Moscow, Idaho to take on the University of Idaho on Saturday March 27 at 1:00 p.m.

Last Time Out

The last time the Thunderbirds were on the field was on March 13 when they picked up their first win of the season 34-24 over Cal Poly. This was their 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, one from 33 yards and one from 25 yards. He was named Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.

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.

Big Sky At a Glance

Last week was a built in bye week for most teams around the Big Sky and only one game was played between Cal Poly and UC Davis. The No. 15-ranked Aggies thumped the Mustangs 73-24.

No. 3 Weber State continues to lead the conference with an undefeated 2-0 record. No. 12 Eastern Washington and No. 15 UC Davis are tied for second with a 2-1 record.

Idaho and Northern Arizona are both 1-1 while Idaho State and Southern Utah sit at 1-2. Cal Poly remains winless after losing to the Thunderbirds and the Aggies.

Talkin' Numbers

Southern Utah currently has the fourth-highest ranked offense and the fifth-highest ranked defense in the Big Sky, scoring 30.3 ppg while allowing just 28.0 ppg. The defense leads the conference in rushing defense (93.0 ypg) and sacks (13). The offense leads in time of possession with an average of 33:46 per game and pass efficiency with a 167.5.

Individually, Brandon Schenks leads the Big Sky in scoring with five touchdowns and Justin Miller is second in passing touchdowns with eight. La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis leads the conference in sacks (4) and fumbles forced (2).

Schenks's five touchdowns are good enough for sixth in the entire country in receiving touchdowns and 13th in total touchdowns. Miller's eight touchdowns have him ranked 13th in the FCS.

Scouting Report: Idaho Vandals (1-1)

The Vandals have played two of the top teams in the conference to start their season, beating Eastern Washington 28-21 in their season opener before falling to UC Davis 17-27 on March 6. 

They haven't played a game since losing to the Aggies over two weeks ago and will have gone three weeks between games when kick off comes around on Saturday. Their matchup with NAU originally scheduled for March 13 was postponed to April 17 due to COVID-19 protocols within Idaho's program.

Idaho currently leads the country in net punting, averaging 45.0 yards per punt and is currently fourth in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 30.0 yards per return. They also have the best red zone offense in the Big Sky, having scored five touchdowns in five trips over two games.

Quarterback Mike Beaudry is third in the Big Sky in passing yards per game, averaging 266.0 ypg. Linebacker Tre Walker leads the conference in tackles, averaging 17 per game.

Game Day Information

Saturday's game is set to kick off at 1:00 p.m. Mountain time (12:00 p.m. Pacific time) inside the Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center in Moscow.

The game will be streamed live on PlutoTV channel 1060 and can be heard live over the airwaves on KSUB 107.7 FM / 590 AM in Cedar City and KDXU News Radio 94.9 FM / 890 AM in St. George.

Live stats for the game can be found at govandals.com.

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