FORT COLLINS, Colorado - Southern Utah took on FBS Colorado State on the road in Fort Collins on Saturday. The Thunderbirds fell behind early but pushed to within three points before the Rams got the better of them 58-24. Southern Utah moves to 1-2 on the season with one more week before Big Sky Conference play resumes.
The T-Birds battled with turnovers all night, surrendering two fumbles and two interceptions. The offense was still effective moving the ball for 442 yards of total offense and putting up 24 points. The Colorado State offense was explosive, scoring most of its points on big chunk plays and quick drives of five plays or fewer. The Thunderbirds actually controlled the clock for most of the night with the ground game, holding the ball 33:18 to Colorado State's 26:42, and moved the ball well enough to hang with an FBS opponent for long stretches. The problem was what happened when they didn't have it in hand.
Coach DeLane Fitzgerald Said
Game Breakdown:
1st Quarter:
The Rams started with the ball and quickly pushed it downfield, scoring in just two plays to take a 7-0 lead. A fumble and two plays later, the game was already 14-0 on a long touchdown pass for Colorado State. Southern Utah's offense found a groove on the next drive, going 67 yards in ten plays and punching it in on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Will Burns to David Spjut. The next drive for the Rams went backward on a sack by defensive end Myles Amey before they were able to punch back with a field goal to make the score 17-7. Parker Vance grabbed his third interception of the year right at the end of the first quarter.
2nd Quarter:
Southern Utah was forced to punt early in the quarter, and Colorado State scored again on a quick three-play drive of 81 yards, extending the lead to 24-7. Floyd Chalk made a huge impact in the next T-Birds drive, getting loose up the middle of the field and scoring on a 58-yard rush, his longest of the year. Southern Utah got the ball back and used a huge 75-yard pass play from Burns to Mark Bails, setting up Chalk for his second touchdown of the game. With the score at 24-21, the Rams fired back, scoring on a 73-yard rush. Colorado State scored again with just under two minutes to play in the first half. The Thunderbirds quickly had to punt, and Colorado State scored again on a four-play, 70-yard drive. An interception on the first play of the next SUU drive led to three more points for the Rams, making the halftime score 48-21.
3rd Quarter:
Southern Utah drove deep into Rams territory with the first drive of the second half, but turned the ball over on the second interception of the game. CSU marched down the field, but the Thunderbirds' red zone defense was able to hold them to a field goal.
4th Quarter:
The T-Birds added a field goal in a drive that spanned the end of the third and the first few minutes of the fourth. The 37-yard field goal by Jayden Rogers pushed the score to 51-24. On the first play from scrimmage after that, the Rams quarterback ran 75 yards for a touchdown. The Rams' next possession moved deep into T-Bird territory, but the defense held, forcing a turnover on downs. The Thunderbirds got the ball back but the drive resulted in a punt and Colorado State would hold on to the ball as the final seconds ticked away.
Offensive Leaders
Floyd Chalk did the heavy lifting for Southern Utah, grinding out 144 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Will Burns kept pace through the air, going 12-of-23 for 233 yards and a score, with a 75-yard connection to Mark Bails doing most of the damage. Bails finished with four catches for 138 yards, while David Spjut was the steadier presence underneath, hauling in five balls for 80 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Defensive Leaders
Amarion York led the way defensively for Southern Utah, finishing with six total tackles and a pass breakup on a night when the T-Birds needed stops wherever they could find them. Parker Vance delivered the unit's signature moment, hauling in an interception in the second quarter and adding four tackles and a pass breakup of his own. Linebackers Jesse Garza and Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner each chipped in four stops, with Tuioti-Mariner also breaking up a pass, and Myles Amey came away with SUU's only sack of the game. Seven different Thunderbirds recorded a pass breakup on the night.
Next Up
Southern Utah will be on the road again next week, returning the back half of a home-and-home series with the University of St. Thomas. That game is scheduled to kick off at noon MT from O'Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota. Streaming for the game will be on midcosports.com, with live stats available on the schedule link at suutbirds.com
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