DAVIS, California  - The Thunderbirds were on the road this week at UC Davis to take on the Aggies. It was once again a high-scoring affair for the T-Birds as they fell 50-34. Southern Utah drops to 1-3 on the season with UAC play opening up next week. The Aggies improve to 2-1 this fall. 

Southern Utah racked up over 500 yards of offense, but turnovers hurt the team badly. The running game was explosive, tallying 233 yards, while the Thunderbirds' passing game posted 316 yards. Southern Utah surrendered two turnovers, an unfortunate tip-drill interception, and a fumble, both of which cost the team points. 

Coach DeLane Fitzgerald Said

1st Quarter:

The T-Birds received the opening kickoff, but the first offensive possession stalled around midfield. UC Davis took its opening drive down the field in quick succession to give the Aggies an early 7-0 lead. The Aggies extended the lead to 14-0 after the Thunderbirds turned the ball over on the next possession. The Thunderbirds got on the board with just over two minutes left in the first quarter when Bronson Barron hit Gabe Nunez on a 28-yard touchdown pass. 

2nd Quarter: 

The Thunderbirds had the ball to open the second period and tied the game up 14-14 on a 15-yard pass from Barron to Braedon Wissler. The Aggies wasted no time in answering back with a quick strike and two-point conversion to bring the score to 22-14 with just under six minutes to go. Joshua Dye struck again for the Thunderbirds on an eight-yard rush, but the failed two-point conversion left the halftime score at 22-20. 

3rd Quarter: 

UC Davis took its first play from scrimmage 75 yards for a touchdown, extending the lead to 29-20. The Thunderbirds went rush-heavy in their first drive of the second half, capping a seven-play 66-yard drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown by Will Burns. A long punt return by the Aggies gave them the ball inside the Thunderbirds' 10-yard line, and they promptly put the ball into the endzone to make the score 36-27 with just under eight minutes to play in the third quarter. The Aggies added on once again after a T-Birds turnover to bring the score to 43-27.

4th Quarter: 

The Aggies scored again on a long run to bring the score to 50-27 with ten minutes to go in the game. With just under two minutes to go in the game, Braedon Wissler added his second score of the contest on a short run to bring the score to 50-34. The late score would be too little too late, however, as the Thunderbirds were unable to recover the onside kick, giving the Aggies a chance to kneel out the remaining time.

Offensive Leaders

Southern Utah's offense put together a balanced and explosive performance against UC Davis, with quarterback Bronson Barron leading the way through the air by completing 23-of-43 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns. His top target was Gabe Nunez, who posted eight catches for 106 yards and a score, while Shane Carr added six receptions for 83 yards, and Devin Downing chipped in with five catches for 63 yards. Braedon Wissler also made his mark with a 15-yard touchdown grab. On the ground, the Thunderbirds were just as effective, as Joshua Dye carried the ball 20 times for 155 yards and a touchdown, Wissler added 85 yards and a score on nine carries, and Will Burns punched in another touchdown, giving SUU 233 rushing yards and three scores to complement the aerial attack.

Defensive Leaders

On defense, the Thunderbirds were led by Josh Dunn and Baron Taylor, who each recorded six tackles with four solo stops to anchor the secondary. Blake Stillwell also contributed four tackles, flying up to make his presence felt with disruptive plays. Manasa Pela stood out with three tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack, and Lando Brown added a sack of his own. In the secondary, Tim Christian and Sean Mays each broke up a pass to limit the Aggies' passing attack. Overall, SUU finished with 37 total tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss, with contributions spread across all levels of the defense.

Next Up

Southern Utah will host the University of West Georgia for homecoming next week at Eccles Coliseum. The game will kick off on Saturday, September 27, at 6:30 p.m. MT. The game can be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats will be available on suutbirds.com.  

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