CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah closes its regular-season road slate Friday night at Portland State, meeting the Vikings for the first time since 2021. Kickoff at Hillsboro Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. MT, with the game streaming on ESPN+ and live stats available on the schedule link at suutbirds.com.
The Game
The Thunderbirds (4-6, 3-4 Big Sky) head to the Pacific Northwest on the heels of a 31-24 win over Northern Colorado, their first victory over the Bears since 2017. Southern Utah raced out to a 21-0 lead, then answered UNC's game-tying rally with a 15-play, 75-yard drive capped by Talmage Brown's go-ahead touchdown run. Parker Vance sealed it by intercepting Brayten Silbor on the final play, his sixth pick of the season. Will Burns threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns without an interception and ran for another score, while Joshua Acord caught seven passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. The defense held UNC to 1-of-9 on third down.
Portland State (2-8, 2-5 Big Sky) has dropped four straight since back-to-back conference wins over Weber State (44-41) and Utah Tech (30-14), most recently falling 57-24 at Montana. The Vikings are averaging 21.2 points per game while allowing 44.1.
Friday marks the first meeting between the Thunderbirds and Vikings since 2021. Portland State leads the all-time series 11-4, and Southern Utah's lone win in the Portland area came in 2012, a 49-42 victory in the program's first-ever Big Sky Conference game.
Check out this Week's Coaches Show
Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald is joined by Receivers Anson Kraut and Chance Arbon, along with host Jon Smith, at Cafe Sabor to talk about the 31-24 win over Northern Colorado and the upcoming trip to Portland State.
Key T-Birds to Watch
Floyd Chalk keeps climbing the record book. The redshirt senior has 1,289 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 218 carries, and his 66 yards against Northern Colorado moved him past Joe Dupaix (1,246 in 1996) into eighth on SUU's single-season rushing list. Quarterback Will Burns has run for 948 yards and 11 scores while completing 158 of 252 passes for 1,843 yards and 14 touchdowns, and his 2,791 yards of total offense rank ninth in program history. As a team, the T-Birds average 247.0 rushing yards per game. Tight end Joshua Acord leads the team with 35 catches and seven touchdown receptions, David Spjut has 32 grabs for 374 yards and averages 13.0 yards per punt return, and Mark Bails remains the big-play threat with 517 yards and four scores on 25 catches, good for 20.7 yards per reception. Kicker Jayden Rogers has made 11 of 13 field goals with a long of 54 and ranks third in program history with 107 career PATs, fourth with 31 career field goals, and eighth with 200 career points.
On defense, safety Parker Vance leads the Thunderbirds with 83 tackles and six interceptions, tying him for second on SUU's single-season list. Linebacker Mason Stromstad ranks second with 59 tackles, including four for loss and six quarterback hurries, and Amarion York has 44 tackles and five pass breakups, one behind team leader Sean Mays. Aiden Hall leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries, with 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, Myles Amey paces the pass rush with four sacks and two forced fumbles, and cornerback Christian Sampson has 4.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles of his own. Ty Pringle picked off a pass and broke up two more against UNC.
Vetting the Vikings
Portland State has used three quarterbacks this season. Gabe Downing leads the way with 927 yards and five touchdowns on 92-of-158 passing in six games, Tyrese Smith has thrown for 729 yards on 67-of-112 passing with just one interception while adding four rushing scores, and John-Keawe Sagapolutele has 442 yards and three touchdowns in four appearances. Running back Delon Thompson paces the ground game with 737 yards and five touchdowns on 157 carries. Terence Loville is the go-to target with 55 catches for 776 yards and four touchdowns, and Tanner Beaman has 36 grabs for 431 yards and three scores. Zui Shelton averages nearly 24 yards per kickoff return with a touchdown, kicker Joshua Hossmann Lees has made 9 of 11 field goals with a long of 42, and punter Emiliano Rodriguez Montanez averages 44.7 yards per kick.
Jaxton Helmstetler leads the Vikings with 86 tackles, including six for loss, plus two sacks and three fumble recoveries, while Isaac Redford adds 77 tackles and two interceptions. Logan Lisherness has 66 stops and five tackles for loss, Lono Solomon has 7.5 tackles for loss among his 52 tackles, and Avery Ducsik leads the pass rush with six sacks and two forced fumbles. Marcellous Ryan has three interceptions and five pass breakups. Portland State is allowing 210.7 rushing yards per game and 6.0 yards per carry, setting up an opportunity for a Thunderbirds ground game averaging 247.0 yards per game.
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