CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Thunderbirds return to the friendly confines of Eccles Coliseum this week for a Homecoming matchup against Idaho State. The game kicks off at 6:00 p.m. MT on Saturday, September 26, with a live stream on ESPN+ and live stats available at suutbirds.com.
The Game
Southern Utah (1-3, 0-1 Big Sky) welcomes the Bengals to Cedar City for the second straight season. Last year, the Thunderbirds opened the 2025 campaign with a 46-24 win over Idaho State at Eccles Coliseum. Idaho State leads the all-time series 12-8-1, but SUU has had the upper hand at home, going 5-2-1 against the Bengals in Cedar City. The Thunderbirds come home after a 28-26 loss at St. Thomas that came down to a two-point try in the final seconds, and they are 1-0 at home this season after a 47-42 win over Weber State.
Idaho State (3-0) is one of two unbeaten teams left in the Big Sky and opens conference play on Saturday. The Bengals are ranked No. 16 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, one of five Big Sky teams in the poll, and have climbed each week since debuting at No. 23 after their season opener. Under fourth-year head coach Cody Hawkins, Idaho State has beaten VMI (38-10), FBS Utah State (29-17) and San Diego (59-17), and comes in off a bye week. Senior quarterback Jordan Cooke leads a run-and-shoot offense that threw three touchdown passes of 74 yards or longer in the win over San Diego.
Check out this Week's Coaches Show
Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald is joined by running back Floyd Chalk IV and host Jon Smith at Cafe Sabor to talk about the game last week at St. Thomas and preview this week's homecoming matchup with Idaho State.
Key T-Birds to Watch
Floyd Chalk has carried the Thunderbirds' ground game all season, rushing for 545 yards and six touchdowns on 92 carries, an average of 136.3 yards per game. The redshirt senior ran for 118 yards on 26 carries at St. Thomas. Will Burns has accounted for 1,150 yards of total offense, completing 66 of 103 passes for 851 yards and six touchdowns while adding 299 yards and three scores on the ground, including a 9-yard touchdown run last week. Mark Bails has back-to-back 100-yard receiving games and leads the team with 284 yards on 12 catches, including his first touchdown of the season, an 18-yard grab in the fourth quarter at St. Thomas. David Spjut has 13 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown and has returned six punts for 94 yards. Southern Utah is averaging 244.8 rushing yards and 458.3 total yards per game.
Defensively, Parker Vance leads the Thunderbirds with 28 tackles, four interceptions and four pass breakups. The redshirt freshman had 11 tackles at St. Thomas and returned his fourth interception 29 yards for a touchdown. Logalima Lesa has 17 tackles after adding seven stops and a tackle for loss last week, and Christian Sampson has 16 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Myles Amey leads the team with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, Aiden Hall has 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks; and Amarion York has 15 tackles and four pass breakups.
Breaking Down the Bengals
Jordan Cooke leads an Idaho State offense that is scoring 42.0 points per game. The quarterback has completed 51 of 88 passes for 808 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception, including 331 yards and three touchdowns against San Diego. Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio has been the Bengals' big-play threat, with 281 yards and three touchdowns on just five catches. He had 195 receiving yards and two scores against San Diego on touchdown catches of 79 and 90 yards. Julian Mason leads the team with 18 catches for 203 yards and a touchdown, and Chedon James has 10 catches for 176 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Nathan Reynolds leads Idaho State with 33 tackles and an interception. Jacob Perez has 24 tackles, and Trehsyn Fesili has 19 tackles with a team-high 2.5 sacks. Troy Wilkey and Jackson Daniels each have an interception, and defensive tackle Collin Lewis returned a pick 28 yards for a touchdown against San Diego. The Bengals are allowing 14.7 points per game.
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