CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah jumped out to a 21-0 lead, then Northern Colorado rallied from a 24-7 halftime deficit to tie the game, before Southern Utah answered with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that ended in Talmage Brown's go-ahead touchdown. Parker Vance picked off Brayten Silbor on the final snap to seal a 31-24 win Saturday afternoon at Eccles Coliseum. The win moves Southern Utah to 4-6 overall, and 3-4 in Big Sky play.
Vance's game-sealing pick was his sixth of the season, tying him for second on the program's single-season list. Jayden Rogers went 4-for-4 on extra points and drilled a 32-yard field goal at the end of the first half, moving into sole possession of third in career PATs (107) and fourth in career field goals (31) while reaching 200 career points, eighth in program history. Floyd Chalk's 66 rushing yards pushed him to 1,289 for the season, past Joe Dupaix (1,246 in 1996) for eighth on the single-season list, and Will Burns' 265 yards of total offense lifted him to 2,791, ninth in program history. The win was Southern Utah's first over Northern Colorado since 2015 and gives the Thunderbirds a 5-4 edge in the all-time series.
Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald, Will Burns, and Talmage Brown answer questions following the 31-24 win over the Bears.
Game Breakdown:
1st Quarter:
Southern Utah wasted no time, marching 75 yards in 11 plays on its opening possession and chewing up 6:11 of the clock. Will Burns went 5-for-5 on the drive, hitting Mark Bails for 19 yards on third-and-five, then found Joshua Acord for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 7-0.
The defense struck on Northern Colorado's first snap, as Ty Pringle picked off Brayten Silbor at the SUU 48. The Bears reached midfield on their next series, but Aiden Hall forced a Silbor fumble on third down, and UNC punted after falling on the loose ball. Southern Utah took its 7-0 lead into the second quarter.
2nd Quarter:
The Thunderbirds doubled the lead on a 12-play, 89-yard march that carried into the second quarter. A pass interference call on third-and-10 and an 18-yard Joshua Acord grab on third-and-five moved the ball to the UNC 24, and Will Burns kept it himself, racing 19 yards to the end zone on third-and-five for a 14-0 lead.
After a UNC punt, Southern Utah needed just five plays to go 63 yards. Hayden George hauled in a 16-yard pass, Acord picked up 15 yards on a run, and Burns found Mark Bails for a 25-yard score to make it 21-0.
Northern Colorado answered with a five-play, 75-yard drive, kept alive by a pass interference penalty, and Brayten Silbor hit Marcus Mozer for a 27-yard touchdown to cut it to 21-7.
Southern Utah's special teams set up one more score before the break. Ran Sawyer jarred the ball loose on a UNC punt return, and Talmage Brown recovered at the UNC 34. Burns converted a third-and-26 with a 19-yard strike to David Spjut and a fourth-and-seven with a 16-yarder to Jack Fairchild. A Fairchild touchdown catch was overturned on review, but Jayden Rogers knocked through a 32-yard field goal with two seconds left to send the Thunderbirds into halftime up 24-7.
3rd Quarter:
Northern Colorado came out of the locker room with a nine-play, 54-yard drive that ended in a 39-yard field goal by Landon Richardson, making it 24-10. After a Southern Utah three-and-out, Jordan Herron returned a punt 22 yards to the SUU 44, and six plays later Brayten Silbor found Garrett Harstad for a 12-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 24-17.
Another Thunderbirds punt gave UNC the ball at its own 27, and the Bears needed just four plays to draw even. Brandon Lambert Jr. broke loose for 46 yards, Silbor scrambled 17 more to the SUU 5, and Justin Guin punched it in from five yards out with 2:09 left in the quarter to tie the game at 24.
Southern Utah moved to its own 43 before the quarter ended, picking up 16 and eight-yard catches from Jack Fairchild.
4th Quarter:
The Thunderbirds answered with a 15-play, 75-yard march that bridged the third and fourth quarters and ate 6:45 off the clock. Will Burns kept it alive with a three-yard run on fourth-and-two; two UNC pass-interference penalties moved the ball to the 2, and Talmage Brown plunged in to put Southern Utah back on top, 31-24, with 10:24 remaining.
Northern Colorado drove right back to the SUU 19, but on fourth-and-one, Seni Tuiaki and Parker Andrus stuffed Brayten Silbor for no gain with 3:57 left. The call stood after review.
The Bears got one last chance from their own 25 with 1:52 to play. Silbor ran for 32 yards on the drive, including an eight-yard keeper on fourth-and-three, and UNC reached the SUU 26 in the final seconds. Parker Vance ended it, picking off Silbor on the game's last play.
Offensive Leaders
Will Burns completed 18 of 29 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns without an interception and added 64 rushing yards and a score on 14 carries. Floyd Chalk carried 22 times for 66 yards. Joshua Acord led the receivers with seven catches for 62 yards and a touchdown; Jack Fairchild had four grabs for 47 yards, and Mark Bails added two catches for 44 yards and a score. Talmage Brown ran for 12 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown. Jayden Rogers was perfect on the day, making his only field-goal attempt and all four extra points. Southern Utah finished with 358 total yards, just ahead of Northern Colorado's 353, and held the ball for 33:36.
Defensive Leaders
Redshirt freshman safety Parker Vance led the Thunderbirds with 10 tackles and made the game-ending interception. Tim Christian added seven tackles and a pass breakup, and Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner and Mason Stromstad had six stops apiece. Ty Pringle picked off Silbor on Northern Colorado's first offensive play and broke up two passes. Aiden Hall forced a fumble and recorded a tackle for loss. Ran Sawyer forced the punt-return fumble that Talmage Brown recovered, and Seni Tuiaki and Parker Andrus combined on the fourth-and-one stop with 3:57 left. The defense held UNC to 1-of-9 on third down.
Next Up
The Thunderbirds hit the road to face Portland State on Friday, Nov. 13, in Hillsboro, Ore. The game will stream on ESPN+, with live stats available on suutbirds.com.
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