In a matchup with nearly a century of history, the Southern Utah University football team will face Utah Tech University on Saturday, Oct. 25 in St. George, Utah at the Greater Zion Stadium at 6 p.m.
The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
SUU is 2-5 after coming off a win versus No. 13 Abilene Christian and sits at 1-2 in the United Athletic Conference. Utah Tech is 1-6 with a UAC record of 0-3. SUU and Utah Tech are second-to-last and last in the conference respectively.
This rivalry game is known as the Battle for the Ax, a tradition started in 1937 by a Utah Tech professor where winners in athletic competitions gain the right to keep a small battle ax as a trophy on campus.
After abandoning the idea in 1963 due to tensions between the schools, they renewed the tradition for football games when they became conference peers in 2022. The ax is currently held by SUU, so a conference win isn’t the only thing on the line.
Southern Utah
SUU has struggled defensively this year, giving up an average of 37 points per game. However, that seems to have turned a corner last game. They allowed a season-low 24 points and forced four turnovers.
Linebacker Mason Stromstad won UAC Defensive Player of the Week after notching 11 tackles, an interception and half a sack. The junior from Tempe, Arizona is third on the team in tackle assists and tackles for a loss.
The T-Birds have repeatedly shown they have a strong offense. They’re top-15 in the Football Championship Subdivision in points per game, and Joshua Dye remains one of the country’s top running backs. He leads the FCS in rushing touchdowns and needs 37 rushing yards to reach 1,000 yards on the season.
While SUU has allowed at least 24 points in every game, they’ve also scored at least 24 points in every game. If Stromstad and linebackers Sebastian Adamski and Josh Dunn continue to produce on defense, SUU will fare much better in the second half of the season.
Utah Tech
The Trailblazers only have one win this season, beating the 2-5 University of Northern Iowa by a score of 20-9. In their three conference games, they’ve been outscored 106-50.
Unlike SUU, who have mostly used quarterback Bronson Barron, Utah Tech has split the role between redshirt freshman Bronson Barben and redshirt junior Reggie Graff. Both have a completion percentage below 60% with passer ratings just above 100.
However, Graff leads the team in rushing yards per game and rushing touchdowns. He’s ahead of running back Asa Chatman in almost every rushing stat.
One stat Utah Tech excels at as a team compared to SUU is sacks. There are 13 Trailblazers who have recorded one compared to seven T-Birds. However, SUU defensive end Lando Brown has eight sacks, giving him more than top Utah Tech sackers Dallin Havea and Daylen Love combined.
SUU is 5-1 against Utah Tech all-time, winning their last two contests. The last time Utah Tech won the ax was in a one-possession game in 2022.
Author: Payson Davis
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Jack Paul