SUU fell to 2-8 on Saturday after losing to the Montana State Bobcats by the score of 42-7. MSU’s 42 point first half was too much for the Thunderbirds to fight back from.
The T-Birds forced a punt on the first drive of the game but the offense failed to produce after a three-and-out series. The Bobcats went 34 yards on a shovel pass to set up the first score of the game, a two-yard rushing touchdown from Lane Sumner.
With a chance to respond and even the score, quarterback Chris Helbig was intercepted by defensive linemen Amandre Williams. The MSU offense only needed two plays of their own to punch it into the endzone following the pick.
SUU only managed 121 yards of offense in the first half as their opportunities were cut short by an interception, a fumble and three punts.
Helbig’s night was cut short as redshirt freshman Tyler Skidmore took over quarterback duties for the third quarter. Snow College transfer Justin Miller relieved Skidmore for the fourth quarter, leading the Thunderbirds to their first score on a 17-yard connection with John Mitchell.
Despite the result, Chris Helbig turned in a solid performance in his 30 minutes of work. He connected on 17 of 21 throws, good for 120 yards and a 119.4 rating. Justin Miller was good on 7 of his 8 throws in his first game as a Thunderbird.
In the rushing department, Jay Green led the team with 48 yards on 14 carries, aided by a 25 yard rush, his longest of the game. Thomas Duckett and Karris Davis eased Green’s load with four and five carries respectively. Helbig hurt his stats in the run game with 12 attempts that resulted in a cumulative loss of 19 yards.
SUU has a bye next week but will return to Cedar City on Nov. 16 with their final home game of the season against Northern Arizona University.
Story by: Tomas D’Anella
tdanella73@gmail.com
Photo by Mitchell Quartz
