On a fittingly dreary and rainy day in St. Paul, Minn., the Southern Utah University football team came within striking distance of a comeback victory against St. Thomas University, Minnesota, on Saturday, Sept. 19. The T-Birds scored with less than a minute left to cut the Tommies’ lead to two, but SUU’s two-point conversion was unsuccessful as they lost 28-26.
SUU’s record fell to 1-3, echoing their 1-5 start last season that came before a six-game winning streak to end the year. This was the final non-conference game of the season for the Thunderbirds and they’ll now prepare to face Big Sky Conference competition.
St. Thomas’ record rose to 3-1 following their victory. The squad got their revenge against SUU after the teams’ first-ever matchup ended with a 44-13 win for Southern Utah in 2022.
First quarter
Both teams started with quick three-and-out punts as St. Thomas made a few incomplete passes and SUU had nothing come from a couple rushing attempts. On their next drive, STU barely converted on a third down before Quentin Cobb-Butler caught a deep 63-yard pass for a touchdown, putting the Tommies up 7-0.
SUU got stopped in the red zone for a few straight plays after marching nearly all the way down the field. Thunderbird kicker Jayden Rogers iced a 20-yard field goal attempt to put Southern Utah on the board.
After St. Thomas’ next pass was broken up, star safety Parker Vance snagged an interception for the T-Birds and returned the ball for an easy touchdown to put SUU up 10-7. Vance has recorded all four of SUU’s interceptions this season.
The Tommies’ next drive placed them just 21 yards from the end zone, but they were unable to get past the SUU defense. STU kicker Ben Hoiland attempted a 31-yard field goal to tie the game but missed, giving the Thunderbirds the ball with 45 seconds left in the period.
Second quarter
SUU converted a pair of first downs on their first drive of the quarter, but things quickly went south. After running back Floyd Chalk recovered his own fumble, quarterback Will Burns was sacked and fumbled the ball himself on the next play, which allowed St. Thomas to regain possession near the middle of the field.
After nearly going three-and-out, Tommie quarterback Nick Peipert completed a 39-yard pass that led to a lead-taking touchdown for STU. SUU didn’t take this lying down though, slowly but surely making their way back down the field before a 33-yard rush by Chalk and a nine-yard scramble by Burns gave SUU a touchdown of their own.
With just over a minute left in the half and reeling from an offensive pass interference penalty, the Tommies caught a break on a 36-yard reception from Cobb-Butler. St. Thomas rushed the ball to the one-yard line before attempting multiple tush pushes, eventually succeeding on their third try with zero seconds left on the clock. The score heading into the half was a 21-17 lead for STU.
Third quarter
Both defenses were fired up this quarter, ending the first three possessions of the period with punts. STU then shocked the crowd with a 78-yard run from Gabriel Abel, putting the Tommies up 28-17.
Southern Utah was forced to punt for the third consecutive time this quarter, but STU did the same on their ensuing drive. However, SUU blocked the kick, giving them possession just 20 yards from the end zone.
SUU didn’t get much out of the opportunity and instead opted for a field goal attempt, bringing the score to 28-20. After the Southern Utah defense shined again and forced another Tommie punt, the T-Birds were pinned to their own one-yard line before a 24-yard run gave them some wiggle room at the end of the quarter.
Fourth quarter
SUU made some leeway but was forced to punt thanks in part to a false start penalty at the beginning of the period. The Tommies failed to score on their next drive, but it was a long one that ate up five minutes of opportunity for SUU.
The T-Birds’ next drive started with a 32-yard catch by Mark Bails, but a couple of rushes that lost the team yardage and a broken-up pass resulted in a turnover on downs near the middle of the field. The SUU defense stifled the Tommies yet again before another SUU possession ended on a turnover on downs just 10 yards from the end zone.
The Tommies were pinned to their own two-yard line on the next drive and couldn’t even make it out of their own backfield before punting. With just 46 seconds left, SUU made a miraculous scoring stampede as Bails caught an 18-yard touchdown pass to give the Thunderbirds hope.
Burns was forced to attempt a two-point conversion with the score at 28-26 with 24 seconds left. Unfortunately for the T-Bird faithful, the pass was incomplete and SUU was left tantalizingly close to a come-from-behind victory.
Top T-Birds
— Will Burns completed 20 of his 28 pass attempts, an impressive 71% mark. He threw for 221 yards with one passing touchdown and zero interceptions. He also had 23 net rushing yards on eight attempts while scoring a rushing touchdown.
— Floyd Chalk ran for 130 yards on 26 attempts. He also had a 10-yard reception.
— Mark Bails recorded his first touchdown of the year to go along with 106 receiving yards on four catches. That’s an average of 26.5 yards per reception.
— Logan Dunfield had 49 yards on four receptions.
— Parker Vance posted eight solo tackles, double the count of anyone else on the team. He also had three tackle assists and a pick-six.
Up next
The Thunderbirds will return to Cedar City, Utah, for the homecoming game on Saturday, Sept. 26. SUU will host the undefeated Idaho State University at 6 p.m. at the Eccles Coliseum as Big Sky Conference play begins for the squad. The game will be available to stream live on ESPN+.
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Author: Payson Davis
Photograph by SUU Athletics
Editor: Lainey Porter
