CEDAR CITY, Utah - Fresh off a bye week, Southern Utah returns to Eccles Coliseum on Saturday to host No. 14 UC Davis in a Big Sky matchup. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. MT, with the game streaming on ESPN+ and live stats available on the schedule link at suutbirds.com.
The Game
The Thunderbirds (2-4, 1-2 Big Sky) closed the first half of the season with a 46-33 win at Utah Tech, keeping the Ax in Cedar City. Will Burns ran for 187 yards and two touchdowns and threw for two more in St. George, and Ran Sawyer's 99-yard kickoff return touchdown earned him Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Southern Utah entered the bye week leading the Big Sky and ranking third in the FCS in rushing yards per game at 261.5. The Thunderbirds are averaging 457.5 total yards and holding the ball for 34:04 per game. The Thunderbirds have also outscored opponents 55-40 in the fourth quarter. UC Davis leads the all-time series 15-9 and has won the last four meetings, but two of those were decided by a combined five points: 23-21 in Davis in 2023 and 24-21 in Cedar City in 2024.Â
UC Davis enters at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Sky play, also coming off a bye. The Aggies beat Eastern Washington 49-38 on Oct. 3, piling up 629 yards of total offense and 351 rushing yards. Their two losses came at FBS No. 17 SMU (56-10) and at home against No. 5 Montana (62-22). UC Davis is averaging 34.3 points and 443.5 yards per game while allowing 34.0 points and 456.5 yards per game. The Aggies ran for 357 yards in last season's 50-34 win over the Thunderbirds in Davis.
Check out this Week's Coaches Show
Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald is joined by defensive end Aiden Hall and host Jon Smith at Cafe Sabor to talk about bye week and the prep for UC Davis.
Key T-Birds to Watch
Running back Floyd Chalk entered the bye week leading all of FCS football with 823 rushing yards and 137.2 yards per game, and he has scored eight rushing touchdowns on 130 carries. He has topped 100 yards in all six games this season, highlighted by 183 against Weber State and 163 against Idaho State, and Southern Utah has had a 100-yard rusher in every game since homecoming in 2025. Quarterback Will Burns has run for 558 yards at 7.8 yards per carry, and SUU entered the bye as the only FCS program with two players in the national top 10 for rushing yards. Burns has accounted for 15 touchdowns (eight passing, seven rushing) and averages 288.5 yards of total offense per game. Through the air, he has completed 94 of 146 passes for 1,173 yards. Mark Bails Jr. leads the team with 376 receiving yards on 18 catches, averaging 20.9 yards per reception. Tight end Joshua Acord has 16 receptions for 193 yards and a team-best four touchdown catches, including a 27-yarder at Utah Tech.
Safety Parker Vance leads the team with 45 tackles and four interceptions, including a pick-six at St. Thomas, and averages 1.33 passes defended per game. Cornerback Sean Mays adds 1.20 passes defended per game. Linebacker Mason Stromstad has 33 tackles and 4.0 tackles for loss, and Christian Sampson has 24 tackles and two forced fumbles, including a fourth-quarter strip at Utah Tech. Defensive end Myles Amey leads the team with 4.0 sacks.
Ran Sawyer averages 34.0 yards per kickoff return, highlighted by his 99-yard touchdown at Utah Tech. Punter Daniel Valencia averages 44.9 yards per punt with seven downed inside the 20, and kicker Jayden Rogers hit a 54-yard field goal against Idaho State, the second-longest in program history.
Analyzing the AggiesÂ
Sophomore quarterback Treynor Cleeland has completed 114 of 193 passes (59.1 percent) for 1,467 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, including five touchdown passes at San Diego and four against Eastern Washington. Running back Jordan Fisher leads the ground game with 570 yards and seven touchdowns on 87 carries (6.6 per carry), and he ran for a career-high 255 yards with an 87-yard touchdown against the Eagles. Wide receiver Samuel Gbatu Jr., a preseason first-team All-America selection, leads the Aggies with 44 catches for 663 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 110.5 receiving yards per game. He ranks fifth in UC Davis history with 2,925 career receiving yards and needs 75 more to reach 3,000. Zach Jones has scored six times this season (three receiving, one rushing and two on punt returns) and averages 28.0 yards per punt return. Laviel Pickett adds 12 catches for 228 yards.
Linebacker Porter Connors, also a preseason first-team All-America pick, leads the defense with 53 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks after an 11-tackle, 2.5-sack night against Eastern Washington. Brayden Rosa has 50 tackles, an interception and two forced fumbles, while Drew Cofield and Ty Richardson have 32 tackles apiece, with Cofield adding four pass breakups. Opponents are running for 160.3 yards per game against the Aggies, including 366 by Montana. Punter Dylan Mauro averages 43.4 yards with seven 50-plus punts, and kicker Robert Meyer is 3-of-5 on field goals with a long of 33.
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