The Southern Utah University football team faced off against No. 14 ranked Tarleton State University on Saturday, Oct. 6th. The Texans dominated the first half, but the Thunderbirds drew up a second half comeback to send it to overtime, then lost on a heartbreaking missed extra point to force double-overtime.
First quarter
The first half was dominated by the Texans. Tarleton State opened the game with a 75-yard drive ending on a one-yard touchdown run by Kayvon Britten. After some strong defense, Tarleton put together a seven-play 77-yard drive once again ending with a touchdown from Britten to take a 14-0 lead. Southern Utah’s defense slowed the Texans down and was able to get their team the ball at the end of the quarter.
Second quarter
Southern Utah finally got the ball moving on offense, but Bronson Barron’s pass was intercepted in the endzone, giving the ball back to the Texans. Tarleton State capitalized on the turnover, scoring on a touchdown run by Victor Gabalis.
With just over five minutes left in the second, the Thunderbirds got their first points of the game off a 27-yard pass from Barron to Shane Carr for a touchdown. The Texans did not waste time and got another touchdown to make the score 28-7. The Thunderbirds had a chance for a field goal before half, but missed it, leaving them down 21 points.
Third quarter
Momentum started to swing in Southern Utah’s favor in the second half. They kicked a 24-yard field goal after a long 78-yard drive to cut into the deficit. Then, George Ramirez forced Tarleton to fumble the ball, giving the SUU offense great field position. Barron quickly found tight end Chase Merrell for a touchdown, putting the score at 28-17 in favor of the Texans.
Fourth quarter
Early in the quarter, Targhee Lambson rushed for a 10-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to five points. The Thunderbird defense held up, leading the offense to drive 73 yards in 13 plays, capping it off with another touchdown run by Lambson who then added a two-point conversion. This gave SUU their first lead of the game with a score of 31-28.
However, Tarleton would tie up the score at 31 with a 32-yard field goal. Southern Utah had the ball with three minutes to go, but the potential game-winning drive was short lived when a tipped ball was intercepted by AJ Owens and gave the Texans a short field. Shockingly, the Texan kicker Adrian Guzman pushed the game-winning field goal wide left, sending the game to overtime.
Overtime
The Texans got the ball to start overtime, and quickly scored on a touchdown by Britten. The Thunderbirds answered back with a passing touchdown to Joshua Acord, but the extra point missed, giving Tarleton State a 38-37 victory.
Key Players
— Barron threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns.
— Lambson rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns.
— Britten ran it for 191 yards and three touchdowns.
What’s next?
Southern Utah is back home next week when they host Eastern Kentucky University for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 2 p.m. This game can also be streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Jacob McQueary
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Jack Paul
