CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah will be on the road again this weekend, returning for the back half of a home-and-home series with the University of St. Thomas. The game is scheduled to kick off at noon MT from O'Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota. The game will stream on midcosports.com, with live stats available via the schedule link at suutbirds.com.
The Game
The Thunderbirds are 1-2 following a loss last week at FBS Colorado State. In that game, Southern Utah piled up 442 yards of total offense and pulled within 24-21 in the second quarter before turnovers let the Rams pull away. Coach DeLane Fitzgerald's group now closes out nonconference play in St. Paul, finishing a home-and-home series with the Tommies. Southern Utah won the first meeting 44-13 in Cedar City in 2022, which was also Fitzgerald's first game as the Thunderbirds' head coach.
St. Thomas enters the week at 2-1 after a 56-14 home win over Northern Michigan. Sophomore quarterback Nick Peipert threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in his first career start, earning Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Tommies' defense forced four turnovers in the win, and Saturday's game is the second of three straight home games for St. Thomas.
Check out this Week's Coaches Show
Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald is joined by receiver David Spjut and host Jon Smith at Cafe Sabor to talk about the tough game at PAC-12 Colorado State last weekend and the upcoming matchup with St. Thomas.
Key T-Birds to Watch
Floyd Chalk has been the centerpiece of the Thunderbirds' ground game, rushing for 427 yards and six touchdowns on 66 carries through three games, an average of 142.3 yards per game. The redshirt senior ran for 144 yards and two scores at Colorado State, including a season-long 58-yard touchdown. Will Burns has accounted for 906 yards of total offense, completing 46 of 75 passes for 630 yards and five touchdowns while adding 276 yards and two scores on the ground. Mark Bails has become a big-play threat with 178 yards on eight catches, including a 75-yard reception at Colorado State. David Spjut has nine catches for 153 yards and a touchdown and has returned four punts for 69 yards. Joshua Acord has 11 catches for 128 yards and three touchdowns in two games. As a team, Southern Utah is averaging 277.7 rushing yards and 488.7 total yards per game.
Defensively, Parker Vance leads the Thunderbirds with 17 tackles and has all three of the team's interceptions, adding four pass breakups. Christian Sampson has 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Myles Amey leads the team with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss and had Southern Utah's only sack in Fort Collins. Aiden Hall has added 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, and Amarion York has 11 tackles and two pass breakups after leading the team with six stops at Colorado State.
Tracking the Tommies
Peipert has completed 20 of 36 passes for 381 yards and three touchdowns in two appearances this season, and Anthony Policare has added 294 passing yards and a touchdown. Gabe Abel leads the Tommies' ground game with 127 yards. All three of his rushing touchdowns came in last week's win over Northern Michigan, a career high. Pierce McCrary is the top receiver with 13 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown. Quentin Cobb-Butler has nine catches for 136 yards and a score, and Stefano Giovannelli is averaging 25.3 yards per catch on four receptions.
Defensively, Nash Tichy leads St. Thomas with 19 tackles, including 10 against Northern Michigan. Rod Finley has 17 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Peyton Himley has 14 tackles, two interceptions, and 2.5 tackles for loss, and Mitchell Schares has 14 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Evan Tyler had a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery last week. The Tommies are scoring 32.3 points per game and allowing 28.3, including a 62-26 loss at No. 8/9 North Dakota.
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