CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah football team will return to Eccles Coliseum this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. to host the annual Beehive Bowl against in-state rival No. 2/3 Weber State.
Last Time Out
The last time the Thunderbirds were on the field, they lost to Idaho 33-32 as the Vandals scored a game-winning touchdown with just seven second left to play.
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.
Idaho converted two third downs and a fourth down on their final drive, going 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.
Talkin' Numbers
The Thunderbirds currently lead the Big Sky in sacks and sacks allowed, racking up 17 as a defensive unit, while allowing just three as an offensive unit. They also lead in field goal percentage, having gone 4-for-4 so far this season.
They are ranked second in passing offense (297.5 yards per game), time of possession (31:37 per game), and kickoff returns (25.4 yards per return).
Quarterback Justin Miller is ranked second in the conference in pass efficiency with a 168.2 rating and third in total offense, averaging 294.8 yards per game. Brandon Schenks tops the Big Sky in total scoring with six touchdowns to his name and an average of nine points per game.
Scouting Report: No. 2/3 Weber State Wildcats (3-0)
The Wildcats come into week six as the No. 2 ranked team in the AFCA Coaches Poll and the No. 3 ranked team in the STATS Perform Poll. Their No. 2 ranking is the highest in program history.
Weber State is coming off of a thrilling 28-23 victory over Northern Arizona, winning the game on a 50-yard Hail Mary touchdown as time expired. It was the 50th career win for head coach Jay Hill and he became just the third head coach to reach the mark in school history.
Senior Rasheed Shaheed was named Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week after the win over NAU. Shaheed returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a 100-yard touchdown, the fifth kickoff return touchdown of his career.
The Wildcat defense leads the Big Sky in scoring defense, allowing just 19 points per game.
Game Day Information
Saturday's Beehive Bowl rivalry game is set to kickoff at 2:00 p.m. inside Eccles Coliseum.
The game will be streamed live on PlutoTV channel 1055 and over the airwaves on 94.9 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 tbirdstats.com.
Fans can purchase tickets at tbirdtickets.com. Fans in attendance will be required to wear a mask, but there will not be a limit on stadium capacity for Saturday's game.
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Keep tabs on the Thunderbirds all year by following @SUUFB on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Football page on Facebook.
