CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah University football team will play its first FCS opponent of the year Saturday when it takes on Tarleton State at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Game #3
Southern Utah at Tarleton State
Date: Saturday, Sept. 18
Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. MT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Radio: KSUB 590 AM
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=366021
Game Notes: Southern Utah (PDF) | Tarleton State (PDF)
ABOUT TARLETON STATE (1-1)
Tarleton State enters Saturday's contest with a record of 1-1. The Texans opened the season with a 20-10 defeat at Stephen F. Austin before blasting Fort Lewis 54-7. Starting quarterback Steven Duncan leads the Texans with 373 yards passing and two touchdowns. TSU is led in the backfield by the duo of Jayy McDonald and Daniel Wright Jr. who have 126 and 119 yards on the year, respectively. Tariq Bitson is Tarleton State's top receiver with 127 yards for the season. Defensively, DJ Harris has 23 tackles for TSU, including one sack, one forced fumble and a safety. Devin Hafford has recovered two fumbles for the Texans, and Ronnell Wilson has recorded 15 tackles for the season.
LAST TIME OUT
The last time the Thunderbirds took this field, it was their second game against an FBS opponent in just a five-day span. Southern Utah played No. 25 Arizona State tough, but ultimately fell by a score of 41-14. The T-Birds had their fair share of bright spots throughout the game in all three phases. Offensively, Judd Cockett and David Moore III both recorded rushing touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, SUU forced two turnovers, both being fumble recoveries. All-American linebacker La'akea Kaho-Ohanohano-Davis also recorded a career-high 15 tackles. Special teams also had its moments as Jake Girardi helped Southern Utah recover a surprise onside kick in the first half.
NOTES AND QUOTES
-Saturday's matchup of the Thunderbirds and Texans will be the first between the two schools, but it will certainly not be the last. Starting with the 2022 season, SUU will be joining the Western Athletic Conference where Tarleton State currently resides. While this week's game will be at a neutral site, the two schools will make a habit of visiting each other's campuses beginning next year.
-Southern Utah and Tarleton State's game will take place at Choctaw Stadium, the newly named former stadium of the MLB's Texas Rangers. This is the first neutral site game SUU will play in its FCS history.
-The Thunderbirds enter Saturday's game fresh off a bye week and 15 days of rest. The last time SUU had a true bye week, it defeated Northern Arizona 31-30 in 2019.
"I'm proud of the way our team played. They played hard. Playing two FBS opponents in five days is a tough feat and the guys just worked. They went all the way down to the wire and got a huge third-down stop down there at the goal line at the end of the game. I think our guys know they can play with anybody after tonight. The goal was to improve from week one and they played a ton better."
-Head Coach Demario Warren after his team's game at Arizona State
"We ran the ball pretty well the first two weeks versus some really good defenses. That was some- thing we needed to get better at from the spring. If we can get better at running the ball, we're going to have a real good shot. We have some really good receivers and a good quarterback, and we can control the clock. We've led in time of possession these first two games which is really hard to do against an FBS opponent. We're really excited about that.
-Warren on the team's rushing efforts through the first two games
"This gave us confidence we can play with people. Our team has climbed out of a deep hole we dug for ourselves the last couple years. We've got a huge road game in two weeks and I think the confidence to play on the road is going to be huge going into another hostile environment."
-Warren on gaining confidence from being able to move the ball
INSIDE THE STATS
-Southern Utah's four forced turnovers through two games this season have already doubled its turnover output from the spring 2021 season.
-Wide receiver Judd Cockett currently owns a passing and rushing touchdown this season. He will look to complete the trifecta with a receiving touchdown through SUU's nine remaining games.
-The SUU defense has only allowed seven points during the fourth quarter through two games. The fourth quarter is the only in which the Thunderbird offense has yet to score.
-The Thunderbirds have scored 14 points off four forced turnovers while only allowing 13 points on four offensive turnovers.
-SUU has played relatively clean compared to its opponents so far this season. The T-Birds have committed 14 penalties for 109 yards while San Jose State and Arizona State committed a combined 24 penalties for 226 yards.
For all the latest on Southern Utah football, follow @SUUFB_ on Twitter, @SUUFB on Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Football Facebook page.
