In perhaps the most anticipated match of the season, the Southern Utah University football team traveled to St. George, Utah, on Saturday, Oct. 3, and defeated their archrival Utah Tech University. The game saw multiple lead changes and some wild moments, but SUU ultimately came away with the 46-33 road victory in the Battle for the Ax.
SUU now holds a 2-4 record on the year and is 1-2 in conference play. The last time they lost to Utah Tech was Nov. 5, 2022.
Utah Tech is now 0-6 on the season and 0-3 in conference play. The Trailblazers started the year with four ranked opponents in a row and lost their first two games by a combined score of 117-7.
First quarter
UTU came out of the gates with intention, scoring a field goal on their first drive to take an early lead. SUU wasn’t deterred though, scoring a touchdown on the first play of the drive thanks to a 75-yard rush from quarterback Will Burns. Burns ran the ball in himself for the two-point conversion to put SUU up 8-3.
The Trailblazers quickly regained their composure and leverage. They marched 75 yards in five plays to give running back Ace Chatman a short rushing touchdown before Brevin Czosnyka intercepted Burns’ first pass on the next drive.
Utah Tech employed three straight rushing attempts from Maxwell Turner, but the SUU defense held strong and forced a turnover on downs. The T-Birds used almost all of the remaining first-quarter clock on a drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Mark Bails. They led 15-10 heading into the next quarter.
Second quarter
After a few first downs, Utah Tech quarterback Deacon Hill connected with Chatman for a nine-yard touchdown pass to go up by two points. SUU running back Ran Sawyer then shocked the crowd with an incredible 99-yard kick return touchdown to erase the previous Trailblazer score.
UTU was able to move the ball on their ensuing possession, but they were forced to take a 20-yard field goal after a couple rushing attempts went nowhere. SUU still held a slim 22-20 lead with just under 10 minutes in the half.
Both teams had some trouble on their next drives. The T-Birds were stymied by a fumble by Burns and the Trailblazer defense, forcing them to punt. After a long drive, Utah Tech attempted a 50-yard field goal that sailed wide right.
With just over two minutes left in the half, SUU pulled out all the stops in their run game. Four different Thunderbirds made rushing attempts before Burns trotted into the endzone for his second rushing touchdown of the game. SUU ended the half up 29-20.
Third quarter
Both teams were forced to punt on their first drive of the second half. Burns was sacked during the T-Birds’ second possession of the quarter, so they opted for a successful 48-yard field goal from Jayden Rogers.
Utah Tech converted a few first downs and got just four yards from scoring before the third quarter clock expired. The teams went into the fourth with SUU up 32-20, but UTU was heavily threatening to score.
Fourth quarter
On the first play of the period, Chatman scored on a four-yard rush for his third touchdown of the game. On the next drive, Burns had a 23-yard rush and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Acord to push SUU’s lead to 39-27.
The T-Bird defense then forced Utah Tech to punt after three straight incomplete passes. Burns and Floyd Chalk took turns rushing up the field to eat the clock before Chalk scored on a 24-yard run to make the score 46-27.
The Trailblazers had a long subsequent drive that ended with a deep pass to Zay Morris, but Morris fumbled the ball and gave possession back to Southern Utah. They didn’t capitalize, however, and turned the ball over on downs with just four minutes left.
After a 55-yard pass down the field by Hill, Chatman scored for the fourth time on an eight-yard pass. His four touchdowns tied a Utah Tech record in the NCAA era and cut SUU’s lead to 46-33 after the two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
There were just under three minutes left, so SUU kept the ball on the ground and waited for time to expire. At the end of the fourth annual Battle for the Ax, SUU pulled away with the 46-33 victory.
Top T-Birds
— Will Burns completed eight of his 11 pass attempts for 124 passing yards and two touchdowns. He led the team with 187 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
— Floyd Chalk posted 115 rushing yards and a touchdown.
— Ran Sawyer scored a touchdown on a 99-yard kick return. He was named Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week for this achievement.
— Joshua Acord and Mark Bails each only had two receptions, but they both scored a touchdown.
— Myles Amey recorded the SUU defense’s only sack. He also had two solo tackles and a tackle for a loss.
— Parker Vance led the team with nine total tackles and combined with Logamina Lesa for a tackle for a loss.
— Jayden Rodgers made all five extra point kicks and successfully kicked a field goal.
Next up
SUU has a bye week coming up, so they won’t play on Saturday, Oct. 10. They’ll host the University of California, Davis, on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Eccles Coliseum at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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Author: Payson Davis
Photo by SUU Athletics
Editor: Lainey Porter
