To kick off their final season in the United Athletic Conference, the Southern Utah University men’s football team hosts Idaho State University on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah.
This game can be streamed on ESPN+.
With changes coming to the SUU Athletics department, SUU will start competing in the Big Sky Conference starting in 2026. This will give Southern Utah more opportunities to play teams like Idaho State, who also belongs to the Big Sky Conference.
Southern Utah
After putting together back-to-back winning seasons, third-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald and the T-Birds will look to build another strong season. Despite the strong season, SUU fell short against the Bengals 38-28 in their previous matchup in Pocatello, Idaho.
Southern Utah will have to replace a multitude of players from last season, most notably running back Targhee Lambson. Despite the loss of their leading rusher, SUU will lean on a deep running back class led by redshirt senior Braedon Wissler.
Moving to quarterback — with the departure of Jackson Berry, redshirt senior Bronson Barron is in line to take command of the offense. In six games, Barron averaged 124.8 passing yards per game on 50% completion percentage.
One strength SUU will lean on is their wide receiver depth. SUU brings back their top three wideouts in Shane Carr, Gabe Nunez and Devin Downing. Those three wide receivers combined for 1,547 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Idaho State
Unlike Southern Utah, Idaho State has already kicked off their season, playing against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Aug. 23. The Bengals battled against one of the top teams in the Mountain West Conference but fell short 38-31.
Junior quarterback Jordan Cooke flashed potential in their first game, throwing for 380 yards and one touchdown on 50 pass attempts. Cooke struggled though with his decision making, throwing three interceptions.
Along with Cooke and the passing attack, Dason Brooks dominated on the ground, rushing for 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Brooks also caught six passes for 38 yards, giving Cooke a solid target in the backfield.
One wideout SUU will need to keep their eyes on is Ian Duarte. The redshirt sophomore from Long Beach, California caught six passes for 105 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown pass.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Heather Turner
