CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah stays home for a second straight Saturday as Northern Colorado visits Eccles Coliseum, bringing former Thunderbirds head coach Ed Lamb back to Cedar City on the visiting sideline. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. MT, with the game streaming on ESPN+ and live stats available on the schedule link at suutbirds.com.

The Game

The Thunderbirds (3-6, 2-4 Big Sky) return to Eccles Coliseum looking to bounce back after a hard-fought 34-27 loss to No. 7 Northern Arizona on Halloween. Southern Utah jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead behind a Floyd Chalk touchdown run and a Jayden Rogers field goal before NAU answered with 27 straight points. The T-Birds made one final push in the fourth quarter, turning a Kealamaikahiki Loo forced fumble into a touchdown to cut the deficit to seven. Chalk led the way with 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns, recording his eighth 100-yard game of the season and climbing to ninth on SUU's single-season rushing list.

Saturday's matchup also brings a familiar face back to Cedar City as former Southern Utah head coach Ed Lamb returns to Eccles with Northern Colorado (3-6, 2-4 Big Sky). Lamb led the Thunderbirds from 2008-15, compiling a 45-47 record and guiding the program to its first Big Sky championship in 2015. Now in his fourth season at the helm of the Bears, Lamb has led UNC to conference wins over Utah Tech (37-13) and Cal Poly (28-18). The Bears are coming off a bye week and will look to build on a 173.6-yard-per-game rushing attack.

The all-time series is tied 4-4, with Northern Colorado winning the last two meetings in Cedar City, including a 17-9 decision in 2021. Southern Utah's most recent win in the series came in 2015, a 30-3 victory during Lamb's final season leading the Thunderbirds.

Check out this Week's Coaches Show

Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald is joined by linebacker Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner and host Jon Smith at Cafe Sabor to talk about the loss to #7 Northern Arizona and preview the upcoming game against Northern Colorado. 

Key T-Birds to Watch

Floyd Chalk keeps climbing the record book. The redshirt senior carried 23 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns against NAU, pushing his season totals to 1,223 yards and 12 touchdowns on 196 carries. He has eight 100-yard games this fall, and the Thunderbirds have had a 100-yard rusher in every game since homecoming in 2025. Quarterback Will Burns gives Southern Utah a second dangerous runner with 884 yards and 10 scores on the ground, to go with 1,642 passing yards and 12 touchdowns on 140-of-223 passing. As a team, the T-Birds average 257.0 rushing yards per game. David Spjut leads the receivers with 30 catches for 344 yards and averages 12.1 yards per punt return, while Mark Bails remains the deep threat with 20.6 yards per catch, 23 grabs for 473 yards, and three touchdowns. Tight end Joshua Acord owns a team-high six touchdown receptions, and kicker Jayden Rogers has made 10 of 12 field goals with a long of 54, including 2 of 3 from 50-plus.

On defense, safety Parker Vance is coming off an 11-tackle performance against NAU, 10 of them solo. The redshirt freshman leads the Thunderbirds with 73 tackles and five interceptions, and one more pick would tie him for second on SUU's single-season list. Linebacker Mason Stromstad ranks second with 53 tackles, four of them behind the line, and Amarion York has five pass breakups, one behind team leader Sean Mays. Aiden Hall leads the team with 5.5 tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries, Myles Amey paces the pass rush with four sacks and two forced fumbles, and cornerback Christian Sampson has added 4.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles of his own.

Breaking Down the Bears

Northern Colorado has used three quarterbacks this season. Kenny Lueth has been the most productive, completing 64 of 106 passes for 752 yards and four touchdowns while adding 290 rushing yards and four scores in six games. Brayten Silbor is 71-of-136 for 823 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception in seven appearances, and Keegan Patterson has thrown for 325 yards in four games.

Running back Justin Guin leads the ground game with 535 yards and four touchdowns on 102 carries, and the Bears average 173.6 rushing yards per game. Trey Olsen leads the team with 29 catches for 502 yards, a 17.3-yard average, and three touchdowns, while Marcus Mozer leads the team with 32 receptions for 444 yards and four scores. Kicker Landon Richardson has made 10 of 15 field goals with a long of 48, and punter James Moore averages 42.0 yards per kick.

Hudson Voggesser leads the UNC defense with 54 tackles, and linebacker KJ Smedley adds 49. Defensive lineman Dominic Butts is the disruptor up front with 10.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and seven quarterback hurries, while Ezra Ekuban has six tackles for loss and a team-high three sacks in six games. Franky Morales has 44 tackles, an interception, and four pass breakups. The Bears have held opponents to 145.3 rushing yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry, setting up a test for the Thunderbirds' ground game.

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