MOSCOW, Idaho - For the third time this season, the Southern Utah football team watched a fourth-quarter lead disappear in the final seconds of play, as they fell to the Idaho Vandals 33-32. The Vandals scored the game-winning touchdown with seven seconds left to go.
The Thunderbirds move to 1-3 on the season while Idaho improves to 2-1.
Quarterback Justin Miller threw for 422 yards (25-for-39) with three touchdowns, including two 60+ yard scores. Brandon Schenks caught three passes for 126 yards and a 68-yard touchdown. Landen Measom had four catches for 89 yards and a 60-yard touchdown.
Jay Green Jr. rushed 10 times for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Akili Gray led the defense with 13 total tackles while La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis had 11 and Jayden Clark had 10. Kaho'ohanohano-Davis, Greg Rogers, Francis Bemiy, and Drake Knowles all finished with a sack as the defense continued their reign of terror against Big Sky quarterbacks.
Jake Gerardi kicked the only field goal for the Thunderbirds, a 46-yarder and the first of his career. The redshirt junior also had three punts, averaging 43 yards a punt and downing two inside the 20-yard line.
The Vandals opened the scoring in this one with a touchdown at the 9:43 mark to make it 7-0. The Thunderbirds would answer almost immediately after a 42-yard Judd Cockett kickoff return and a 48-yard pass from Miller to Schenks set up Green Jr. for the 1-yard touchdown run to make it 7-7.
Idaho would kick a 36-yard field goal with 3:08 left in the quarter and go into the second quarter with a 10-7 lead.
The Thunderbirds would score back-to-back touchdowns to open the second quarter, the first coming on a 68-yard pass from Miller to Schenks for the long score. Southern Utah would complete the two-point conversion to make it 15-10.
After a fourth-down stop from the defense, offense drove right back down the field and scored again as Miller threw a six-yard touchdown to Tanner McLachlan to make it 22-10.
Idaho kicked a 26-yard field goal with less than a minute left in the half and the Thunderbirds would go into halftime with a 22-13 lead.
The teams punted the ball back-and-forth a few times before Idaho was able to score another touchdown at the 5:19 mark to close the gap at 22-20. Two drives later, Miller would throw his second 60-yard touchdown of the day to Measom to put SUU up 29-20 heading into the final quarter of play.
The Vandals were able to pull back within two with a touchdown at 11:58, but Gerardi's 46-yard field goal would make it 32-27 with just over two minutes to play.
Idaho converted two third downs and a fourth down as they drove 80+ yards down the field and with :07 remaining Nikhil Nayar threw a seven-yard touchdown to Cutrell Haywood to take a 33-32 lead over the Thunderbirds.
Idaho failed to convert the two-point attempt and the Thunderbirds had two plays to try and score, but ultimately would not be able to.
Southern Utah will return home next week to host No. 3 Weber State inside Eccles Coliseum.
Follow Us
Keep tabs on the Thunderbirds all year by following @SUUFB on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Football page on Facebook.
