CEDAR CITY, Utah - Under the lights of Eccles Coliseum, Southern Utah delivered its most complete performance of the season, knocking off No. 13 Abilene Christian in a thrilling 31-24 upset victory on Saturday night. The win lifts the Thunderbirds to 2-5 on the year with a 1-2 mark in conference play, while the Wildcats fall to 4-4 this season and 3-1 against the UAC.

The Thunderbirds came out swinging on both sides of the ball, setting the tone early with an 18-yard touchdown run from Joshua Dye following an interception by Barron Taylor. After a back-and-forth first half that saw Mikey Allen return an interception for a touchdown, SUU trailed 17-14 at the break. The T-Birds reclaimed control in the third quarter behind a physical rushing attack, as Dye punched in his second score of the night to retake the lead. When the Wildcats pulled ahead again in the fourth, Southern Utah responded with a Jayden Rogers field goal to tie things up and a 19-yard touchdown strike from Bronson Barron to Shane Carr to seal the deal. The defense came up clutch once more as Mason Stromstad's late interception iced the game, capping off a gritty, statement-making win for the Thunderbirds against one of the nation's top-ranked FCS programs.

Coach DeLane Fitzgerald Said

1st Quarter:

The Thunderbirds' first drive stalled, but after a punt, the defensive unit stepped up to earn the first takeaway of the gam on an interception by Baron Taylor. The T-Birds capitalized quickly to take the early lead with an 18-yard touchdown run by Joshua DyeDy. The Wildcats answered on a short rush by quarterback Stone Earl to bring the score to 7-7 just before the end of the quarter.

2nd Quarter: 

The Wildcats took over possession early in the second quarter, and despite putting together a good drive, the Thunderbirds' defense held firm to force a field goal, bringing the score to 10-7. The defense stepped up big again on the next drive when Mikey Allen intercepted a pas and returned it for a touchdown to give the Thunderbirds the 14-10 lead. Abilene Christian scored quickly to regain the lead at 17-14 with just 57 seconds left in the half and took that lead to the locker room. 

3rd Quarter: 

Abilene Christian had the ball to begin the second half, but the Thunderbrids forced their third turnover of the game, this time a fumble. Southern Utah was efficient scoring on an eight-play 57-yard drive in just over four minutes. The one-yard touchdown run by Dye gave the T-Birds a 21-17 lead. 

4th Quarter: 

The Wildcats took the lead back 24-21 on a 28-yard touchdown pass with just over 12 minutes to go in the game. The Thunderbirds tied the game up on a 19-yard field goal by Jayden Rogers with just under seven minutes to play. Bronson Barron found Shane Carr for a huge touchdown pass to give the Thunderbirds a one-score lead. Southern Utah would come up with another huge interception by Mason Stromstad to seal the 31-24 win for the Thunderbirds. 

Offensive Leaders

Southern Utah's offense was powered by another dominant performance from running back Joshua Dye, who carried the ball 26 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns, averaging an impressive 6.9 yards per carry with a long run of 67 yards. Quarterback Bronson Barron efficiently managed the passing attack, completing 13 of 17 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Shane Carr for the lone passing score. Devin Downing led the receiving corps with four catches for 42 yards, while Carr added three receptions for 24 yards to go along with his touchdown. The Thunderbirds totaled 289 yards of offense, leaning heavily on their ground game to control the tempo and secure the victory.

Defensive Leaders

The Thunderbird defense came up big in tonight's win, led by Sebastian Adamski and Mason Stromstad, who each tallied 11 total tackles to anchor the unit. Stromstad filled the stat sheet with a tackle for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception returned 10 yards, making key plays at crucial moments. Lando Brown was a force in the backfield, recording two sacks for 14 yards and two tackles for loss, while Henry Harper added 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack of his own. Mikey Allen made a momentum-shifting play with a 32-yard pick-six for the first defensive score of the year for SUU. Allen also added three tackles and a fumble recovery. Barron Taylor added an interception to help lead the T-Birds' secondary. Together, the Thunderbirds' defense delivered a relentless performance, combining pressure, takeaways, and strong tackling to shut down the opposing offense.

Next Up

Next week, the T-Birds hit the road to take on Utah Tech in the Battle for the Ax. The game will take place at Greater Zion Stadium in St. George on Saturday, October 25, at 6:00 p.m. MT. The game can be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats are available on suutbirds.com. 

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