CEDAR CITY, Utah - Fresh off a win over a ranked opponent, Southern Utah hits the road Saturday to face Idaho at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome in a Big Sky matchup. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. MT, with the game streaming on ESPN+ and live stats available on the schedule link at suutbirds.com.
The Game
The Thunderbirds (3-4, 2-2 Big Sky) scored 29 straight points in the second half to beat No. 14 UC Davis 38-17 last Saturday at Eccles Coliseum. It was SUU's first win over the Aggies since 2017 and its first over a ranked opponent since last season's wins over No. 13 Abilene Christian and No. 22 Austin Peay. The defense stepped up to hold UC Davis scoreless after halftime. The Aggies' six second-half drives ended in a punt, two turnovers on downs, a missed field goal, an interception, and the final whistle. Southern Utah ran for 315 yards, won time of possession by about five minutes, and did not turn the ball over. The Thunderbirds have won two straight. Idaho has won all four previous meetings, including a 33-32 decision in Moscow in the COVID spring season of 2021.
Idaho enters at 2-5 overall and 2-2 in Big Sky play, but the Vandals have knocked off two top-10 teams in the last three weeks. Idaho beat No. 1 and defending national champion Montana State 35-34 on Oct. 2, scoring a touchdown on the final play and running in the two-point conversion. That win snapped the Bobcats' 19-game winning streak. After a 38-27 loss at Weber State, the Vandals went to Missoula and beat No. 7 Montana 42-35 to claim the Little Brown Stein. Idaho scored touchdowns on six of its eight full drives in that game and converted 11 of 14 third downs. Saturday's matchup will be homecoming for the Vandals.Â
Check out this Week's Coaches Show
Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald is joined by linebacker Jesse Garza, tight end Joey Garza, and host Jon Smith at Cafe Sabor to talk about the 38-17 win over No. 14 UC Davis and the prep for Idaho.
Key T-Birds to Watch
Running back Floyd Chalk was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week after running for a career-high 212 yards on 26 carries against UC Davis. It was the first 200-yard rushing game by a Thunderbird since Joshua Dye ran for 221 against Eastern Kentucky last year. Chalk has topped 100 yards in all seven games this season and has 1,035 rushing yards, averaging 147.9 per game, with nine rushing touchdowns. He is Southern Utah's third straight 1,000-yard rusher after Targhee Lambson in 2024 and Dye in 2025, and SUU has had a 100-yard rusher in every game since homecoming in 2025. Quarterback Will Burns has run for 656 yards and nine touchdowns. Against UC Davis, he picked up 98 yards on the ground, scoring from 35 and 41 yards out. He also completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Through the air this season, he has completed 107 of 166 passes for 1,299 yards. Tight end Joshua Acord caught both of Burns' touchdown passes against the Aggies and leads the team with six touchdown receptions, adding 21 catches for 260 yards.
Safety Parker Vance had 10 tackles and an interception against UC Davis and was named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List this week. He has five interceptions this season, and one more would tie him for second on SUU's single-season list. Vance leads the team with 55 tackles. Linebacker Mason Stromstad has 41 tackles after an eight-tackle game with a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Amarion York came away with a big-time interception in the red zone to end a UC Davis threat in the fourth quarter. Up front, Aiden Hall posted two tackles for loss and a sack, Parker Andrus added 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack, and Keenan Eck had a 15-yard sack. Defensive end Myles Amey leads the team with four sacks this season.
Vetting the Vandals
Senior quarterback Joshua Wood makes the Idaho offense go. He has completed 150 of 239 passes for 2,038 yards with 12 touchdowns against five interceptions, and he doubles as the Vandals' leading rusher with 348 yards and eight scores on the ground. Wood was at his best in Missoula, going 30-of-38 through the air for 335 yards and three touchdowns while adding 85 yards and another score with his legs.
Tony Harste is Wood's go-to target, leading Idaho with 35 catches for 607 yards and five touchdowns. Ryan Jezioro is the big-play threat, with 27 grabs for 401 yards and five scores, including a 75-yard touchdown. He hauled in the game-winner against Montana State and found the end zone twice at Montana. Noah West-Baranco chips in 17 catches for 192 yards. Hayden Kincheloe (165 yards, two touchdowns) and Damonte Bias (158 yards, one touchdown) split the carries out of the backfield, and kicker Owen Forsman has connected on 8 of 12 field goals and all 22 of his extra-point tries.
The Idaho defense delivered when it counted in Missoula. Midway through the fourth quarter, Mason Krahn dropped the quarterback on third down to push Montana back, and the Grizzlies missed the ensuing field goal. On Montana's final drive, Nicholas Speer stuffed a ball carrier for a loss, and Mitchel Jaskowiak followed with a sack, leaving the Grizzlies facing fourth-and-long. Still, the Vandals have been vulnerable, allowing 39.3 points and 231.3 rushing yards per game. Thomas Ford Jr. is in his second season at the helm.
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