2007 Game Stories

Thunderbirds Fall 48-10 At No. 1 Northern Iowa

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa, Nov. 17 – Cody Stone completed 18-of-28 passes for 259 yards as Southern Utah piled up 337 yards of total offense but top-ranked Northern Iowa shut down the Thunderbird rushing game and intercepted five passes to send the Thunderbirds to a 48-10 loss and the first winless season in SUU history.

Southern Utah held UNI to a field goal on its first drive and answered with a field goal of its own on its ensuing possession but the Panthers reeled off 31 straight points after that point. UNI scored every time it got the ball in the first half, as Eric Sanders hooked up with Victor Williams twice on touchdown passes, Johnny Gray ran 24 yards for another score and Billy Hallgren kicked a pair of field goals.

Southern Utah’s offense was productive in the first period but the Panthers shut SUU down in the second. The Thunderbirds piled up 114 yards in the first quarter, 89 of them through the air, to UNI’s 122, but could come up with just 48 in the second while UNI had another 111.

  Southern Utah’s offense did produce a touchdown on a two yard Johnny Sanchez run in the second half, but four of six  Thunderbird drives ended in with interceptions after halftime, dooming any chances of a comeback.

“This is a disappointing loss and the end of a tough season, but I’m proud of the way our guys played all year,” SUU Coach Wes Meier said. “This team never quit, never stopped playing and never stopped trying to win, no matter what the score was or what our record was. Even though we went without a win our guys continued to play hard all year along and this really didn’t feel like a winless team.”

Southern Utah completed the season 0-11 and faced nine opponents who were ranked at the time of the SUU game, including all of the top-five teams in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

Northern Iowa, on the other hand, completed the first 11-0 season in the school’s history as well as in the history of the Gateway Football Conference, of which it is a member.

Box Score

South Dakota State Steals Momentum, Keeps T-Birds Winless

BROOKINGS, S.D., Nov. 10  – South Dakota State scored 36 straight points in the final 16:30 to overcome an11-point deficit and keep Southern Utah winless with a 52-27 Great West Football Conference win Saturday. Southern Utah tallied its highest point total of the season but fell to 0-4 in Great West Football Conference play and 0-10 overall while SDSU set up a GWFC championship showdown with undefeated North Dakota State next weekend by improving to 3-0 iin league play and 6-4 overall.

 After falling behind 16-0 Southern Utah grabbed the momentum and ripped off 27 straight points to hold a 27-16 lead with five minutes to play in the third period. SUU had turned three turnovers into 21 points in the second period and it looked like the Thunderbirds might even go up by even more after DeWayne Lewis intercepted a Ryan Berry pass at the SUU 40 yard line.

Southern Utah’s drive stalled, however, and on fourth-and-inches Cody Stone’s quarterback keeper was spotted inches short of the first down.

That play took the momentum away from the Thunderbirds. Three plays later South Dakota State claimed the momentum for its own as Berry and tight end Chris Wagner hooked up on a 55-yard touchdown pass. That pulled the Jackrabbits within three after a two-point conversion with 1:30 to play in the third period.

 “That play on fourth down was a real turning point in the game,” Stone said. “We had the momentum and we had the lead but we don’t get the spot we thought we had – and it’s no one’s fault, we just didn’t get it – and a couple of plays later they’re in the end zone and back within three.”

 On the ensuing kickoff, Antonio Thompson forced an Akeem Anofowashe fumble at the SUU 23 yard line and on the first play of the fourth quarter Kyle Minett ran two yards to give the Jacks a 31-27 lead.

 The Jacks’ solidified their lead two minutes later when Tyler Koch picked off a Stone pass near midfield and returned it for a touchdown, the first of two he would score on in the final period, including a 99-yard return for the final tally of the game. Sandwiched in between the two interception returns was a 38-yard TD pass from Berry to Tyler Fox.

“It’s hard to explain,” SUU Coach Wes Meier said. “We’re cruising along, we have the momentum, we’re moving the ball on offense and the defense is making big plays. Then, we don’t get the first down on that fourth down and all of a sudden it’s them moving the ball, it’s them making the big plays.

“Our guys played well enough to win for three quarters but a couple of plays really turned it around for them and you can’t let that happen against a good team like South Dakota State.”

South Dakota State controlled the first period, scoring 16 points and racking up 140 yards of offense but the Thunderbirds came back with 20 points and 120 yards in the second, taking advantage of three Jackrabbit turnovers and an on-side kick.

After Cory Koenig staked SDSU to a 13-0 lead with a pair of first quarter touchdowns it looked like the Jackrabbits were going to run over the Thunderbirds. The Jacks added three more points on a 47-yard field goal on the final play of the first period to hold a 16-0 edge heading into the second quarter.

SUU finally got on the scoreboard with a 41-yard Steve Pulver field goal at the 10:29 mark of the second quarter.

The Thunderbirds came up with a turnover on the ensuing kickoff as Kassidy Gooch separated Paul Aanonsen from the ball near the SDSU 30 yard line and Jovan Jackson was able to fall on it. That turnover led to a three-play, 31 yard drive that saw Johnny Sanchez pull SUU within 16-10 with a 13-yard touchdown run.

SUU got within 16-13 after Pulver hit a 42-yard field goal that was set up after a pooch kick was mishandled by SDSU and recovered by the Thunderbirds near midfield.              

The final Thunderbird score of the period came after Derrick Brown intercepted a pass at the SUU one-yard line and returned it to the 20. The score came on a 45-yard pass from Cody Stone to Nick Miller, giving SUU a 20-16 lead.

SUU then went up 27-16 in the third period when Sanchez ran 22 yards around the right end for a touchdown.

Sanchez finished with 143 rushing yards, his second-best output of the season, while Stone passed for 266 yards, completing 22-of-43 attempts, although he was intercepted four times.

Berry was 17-of-31 for 203 yards with two interceptions, while Koenig finished with 113 rushing yards, giving him four straight 100 yard games.

Box Score

Cal Poly Outlasts Thunderbirds, 28-21

CEDAR CITY, Utah, Nov. 3 – In his first start at quarterback Southern Utah’s Cody Stone completed 23-of-41 passes for a career-high 310 yards and two touchdowns but Cal Poly was able to shut down the Thunderbirds’ running game and out-last SUU, 28-21.

Stone’s 310 passing yards were the most by an SUU quarterback since Nov. 13, 2004, when Casey Rehrer threw for 315 yards in an overtime game against South Dakota State.

Southern Utah held down Cal Poly’s potent offense, breaking a string of four straight 500-plus yard games by limiting the Mustangs to 391 yards of offense.

SUU recorded its first fumble return for a touchdown since 2005 in the first quarter when D.J. Senter caused a Jonathan Dally fumble at the Cal Poly 20 and linebacker Rob Takeno scooped it up and ran in for the score. Last year Takeno scored after scooping up a blocked punt against the Mustangs. The last time SUU returned a fumble for a score came at UC Davis in 2005 when Brian Kofoed ran 13 yards after picking up a loose ball.

SUU’s fumble return pulled the Thunderbirds even at 7-7 with 6:21 to play in the first quarter but late in the fourth quarter Cal Poly made the most of a fumble recovery of its own. Two plays after a Stone pass to Tysson Poots touchdown pass was ruled out of bounds and therefore incomplete, defensive lineman Justin Reece picked up a Jamar Lee fumble at the Cal Poly 25 yard line and rumbled 75 yards to stake the Mustangs to a 14-7 lead with 5:12 to play in the first half. That marked the first time since Oct. 25, 2005, than an SUU opponent (North Dakota State) had scored on a fumble return.

Cal Poly went up 21-7 late in the half after James Noble capped a 98-yard drive with a 14 yard sweep around the right end for a score, and it looked like the Mustangs had put the game away after Ramses Barden and Dally hooked up on a 38-yard scoring play to open the third quarter.

Southern Utah continued to battle, however, and Stone hooked up with Poots on a short pass that Poots broke several tackles on before scoring 27 yards later with 2:46 to go in the third period

Early in the fourth quarter Stone and Poots hooked up again, this time for 28 yards, to pull the Thunderbirds within 28-21, but that was the end of the SUU rally as Cal Poly forced an SUU punt on its next possession, then held SUU short as on fourth and six at midfield safety David Fullerton broke up a pass from Stone to Craig Gritton. Cal Poly took over and ran out the clock to seal the win.

“I was proud of the way our guys didn’t quit, we came back and battled them after we got down and we had our chances,” SUU Coach Wes Meier said. “In the end it came down to a couple of breaks going the wrong way. If they rule that pass to Tysson in bounds it’s a touchdown and we’re up 14-7 and obviously Jamar doesn’t fumble and they don’t get the long return. That was a big turning point because it kind of took the wind out of our sails for a little while.

“A lot of guys had great games today,” he added. “Some of our seniors, Robert Bala and D.J. Senter and Jimmy Judd all played very well on the defensive side, and Cody, Tysson and Jeremy Edwards had great games on the offensive side. I was disappointed we weren’t able to run the ball more effectively, but our passing game really got it done.”

Poots finished with six catches for 114 yards and the two touchdowns while Edwards had six receptions for 110 yards.

Defensively, Bala finished with 11 tackles, including three tackles for losses and a half-sack, and he broke up a pass. Senter had nine tackles and forced three fumbles, while Takeno and DeWayne Lewis had nine stops as well. Judd finished with eight tackles, including two for losses, with two tackles for loss and a pass break-up.

Box Score

Big Third Period Carries North Dakota State Past Thunderbirds

FARGO, N.D., Oct. 27 – Top-ranked North Dakota State scored four third quarter touchdowns to break open a close game and the Bison went on to claim a 52-17 Great West Football Conference win over Southern Utah Saturday night. NDSU stayed perfect in improving to 8-0 and 2-0 in GWFC play while the Thunderbirds dipped to 0-8.

After falling behind 14-0 in the first period the Thunderbirds rallied as Cody Stone took over at quarterback in the second quarter and on his second play from scrimmage found Jeremy Edwards running a short crossing pattern. Stone hit Edwards in stride and 79 yards later the Thunderbirds were on the scoreboard, albeit down 14-7 after NDSU taken a 14-0 first period lead.

 The 79-yard pass was the longest completion of the season for the Thunderbirds, bettering the 53-yard Wes Marshall to Nick Miller completion at Montana State.

 The next time SUU got the ball, however, Stone wasn’t as fortunate as another pass intended for Edwards was intercepted at the SUU 15 yard line, setting up a 15-yard Pete Paschall run to stake the Bison to a 21-7 lead.

SUU struck back on its ensuing possession. Stone found Miller in a seam of the Bison zone on a 43-yard completion at the NDSU nine-yard line, and two plays later Stone evaded the rush, scrambled to his right and found Edwards in the back of the end zone to pull the Thunderbirds within 21-14.

NDSU drove the length of the field before the end of the half to tack on a field goal for a 24-14 halftime advantage.

The Bison dominated the third period, however, out-gaining the Thunderbirds 169 yards to 10 while outscoring them 28-3 to put the game away.

SUU took the opening kickoff of the second half but NDSU forced a punt, then after a 35-yard Shaman Washington punt return put the ball at the SUU 16, the Bison took just three plays to score as Washington ran six yards around the left end for a 31-14 edge.

The Bison also scored on a 15-yard Pete Blincoe run, a 25-yard pass from Walker to Ryan Parsons and a two-yard Pat Paschall run in the third.

“We played well in the first half, for the most part, but all game long we gave them the field position and you can’t do that against a good team,” SUU offensive coordinator Jared Martin said. “We gave up a couple of returns and had an interception on a tipped ball that should have been a catch deep in their territory.”

NDSU’s scoring drives in the second half went just 14, 61, 68 and 14 yards.

Southern Utah wound up with 295 yards of offense but just 74 in the second half, while NDSU had 406 yards, 206 in the second half.

Box Score

UC Davis Keeps Thunderbirds Winless

CEDAR CITY, Utah, Oct. 20 – UC Davis scored 21 points the second quarter, then held Southern Utah at bay through the rest of the game to snap a 3-game losing streak and keep the Thunderbirds out of the win column this season with a 41-21 win. The Aggies improved to 3-5, 1-2 in Great West Football Conference play, while SUU dipped to 0-7 overall in losing their GWFC opener.

Southern Utah drew first blood, scoring on a 24-yard pass from Wes Marshall to Ryan Higgins early in the second quarter, but the Aggies answered with a nine-play, 80-yard drive to tie the score on an eight-yard toss from  Matt Engle to Kale Turner.

Later in the quarter the Aggies took advantage of a pair of SUU miscues to tack 14 more points on the board.

The first was a punt that went off the side of Trevor Ward’s foot and out of bounds at the 50-yard line for a net of 12 yards. UC Davis took 10 plays and 1:25 to drive the 50 yards, with the score coming on a one-yard Brandon Tucker run.

Then, late in the half, Southern Utah attempted a fake punt but after Steve Pulver realized he couldn’t get the yardage for the first down it was too late and his kick was blocked, setting the Aggies up on the 15-yard line with 14 seconds to go. After a five-yard penalty backed UCD up to the 20-yard line, Engle hit Brandon Rice on its first play from scrimmage to put the Aggies up 21-7 going into the half.

UC Davis extended its lead to 28-7 when tucker again went one yard for a score midway through the third period, but the Thunderbirds answered with a pair of touchdowns, the first coming on a three-yard Johnny Sanchez run and the second on a 48-yard pass from Marshall to Jeremy Edwards.

Edwards’ score pulled the Thunderbirds within 28-21, but on its ensuing drive UC Davis drove 75 yards to go up by 14 again when Engle hit Bakari Grant on a 27-yard crossing pattern for the score with 4:18 to play.

UC Davis drove the final nail into the Thunderbirds’ coffin less than two minutes later when Jeremy Scott intercepted a Marshall pass at the 38 yard line and ran untouched into the end zone for the final score.

“I thought we played well early in the game, we were able to move the ball and able to stop them but we weren’t able to capitalize on a couple of scoring opportunities early and that wound up costing us,” SUU Coach Wes Meier said. “The blocked punt and their score at the end of the first half really hurt us too. In hindsight that was probably the wrong decision, trying that fake punt that deep in their territory.

“They were able to capitalize on some of our mistakes too, and that really took some air out of us,” he added.

Engle wound up completing 21-of-35 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, although he did throw an interception on a screen pass that SUU defensive end Chad Westwood was able to pull in. Tucker finished with 119 rushing yards, the second-highest total by a Thunderbird opponent this season.

Marshall completed just 16-of-41 pass attempts, but finished with a season-high 237 yards and two TDs, while Sanchez ran for 74 yards for the Thunderbirds.

Box Score

SUU Misses Upset Opportunity At No. 12 Youngstown State

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, Oct. 13 – Southern Utah missed a 34-yard field goal with 59 seconds to play to allow No. 12 Youngstown State to escape with a 23-22 win Saturday evening.

Southern Utah played its best game of the season with a handful of season-bests but two missed field goals prevented the Thunderbirds from breaking through into the winning column for the first time this season.

The Thunderbirds scored their first first-half touchdown of the season, on a two-yard Wes Marshall run with 1:48 to play in the first period. Marshall’s touchdown also gave the Thunderbirds their first lead of the season. SUU had an opportunity to hold an early 10-0 lead but a short field goal was blocked, the second blocked attempt in the past two weeks.

SUU held a 7-3 lead at the half, but two third period field goals gave the Penguins a 9-7 advantage before Johnny Sanchez ran five yards to give the Thunderbirds a 15-9 edge.

YSU was able to take a 16-15 lead late in the third period after Marshall was sacked and fumbled at the SUU two yard line. Ferlando Williams’ two yard run gave the Penguins a 16-15 lead, but again the Thunderbirds answered when Marshall found Jeremy Edwards in the end zone with 8:52 to play.

 Edwards reception staked SUU to a 22-16 lead but Williams capped a 65-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run with 5:26 to go, giving YSU a 23-22 edge.

After taking the ensuing kickoff Southern Utah was in a position to win the game. The Thunderbirds drove down the field and put the ball in position to kick the game-winner with just over a minute to go but the snap was fumbled and Pulver’s kick was doomed before it ever started.

“We had a chance to win the game but we just couldn’t get it done, again,” SUU offensive coordinator Jared Martin said after the game. We did a great job not making mistakes, doing what we needed to do, but we had that fumble that led to an easy score for them, and we missed two field goals. It’s really disappointing.”

The Thunderbirds wound up with 323 yards of total offense, while YSU finished with 324. Marshall completed 11-of-18 passes for 152 yards and the one touchdown, while his counterpart, YSU’s Tom Zetts, completed 15-of-26 for 164. Neither signal-caller threw an interception.

For the second straight game Edwards was a clutch receiver, with three receptions for 81 yards and the score, including a 45-yarder in the third period that led to Sanchez’s touchdown run, as well as his own 24-yard TD catch.

Southern Utah finished with its highest point total of the season and the 323 yards were their third-most this year.

SUU dropped to 0-6 on the season, while YSU improved to 5-2.

Box Score

No. 13 Montana State Foils T-Birds Upset Hopes

BOZEMAN, Mont., Oct. 6 – Southern Utah and No. 13 Montana State battled for 60 minutes Saturday, but the Bobcats, despite being out-gained by 99 yards, denied the Thunderbirds their first victory of the season by slogging out a 7-3 victory on a muddy, sloppy afternoon.

Overnight storms dropped several inches of snow on Martel Field, and although it was cleared before the game, the conditions were sloppy as wet snow continued to fall throughout the first half.

Southern Utah’s defense allowed just one Bobcat drive all game, a 98-yarder in the first half that ended in the game’s only touchdown. MSU’s Aaron Mason capped the drive with a seven-yard run up the middle early in the second quarter.

Southern Utah had chances to score in the first half but a short Steve Pulver field goal attempt was blocked and a holding call wiped out a 50-yard pass from Wes Marshall to Tysson Poots which would have given the Thunderbirds the ball at the Bobcat one yard line in the last munute of the half.

The Thunderbirds got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when Pulver hit a 48-yard field goal with 11:39 to play in the period.

Southern Utah’s defense shut MSU down in the second half, limiting the Bobcats to under 60 yards of offense and although SUU piled up over 200 yards after halftime, a pair of interceptions stymied their efforts to score more than the field goal.

“We made a great effort this afternoon, on both sides of the ball,” SUU Coach Wes Marshall said. “Our defense was outstanding, especially in the second half when we really didn’t let them get anything going. The offense was up and down but considering the conditions we really did everything we needed to do except score.

“We missed on a couple of scoring opportunities and those interceptions really hurt but all-in-all Wes had a great game and we wouldn’t have been in the position we were without him.”

The Thunderbirds gave themselves a chance to win the game at the end, forcing a Bobcat punt with 2:12 to play. SUU took the ball on its own 13-yard line, then drove down the field. After Marshall hit Nick Miller on a 7-yard out he found Jeremy Edwards a 20-yard pattern, then again for 13 yards. Johnny Sanchez then took a draw play 19 yards before Marshall hit Edwards again, this time a 17-yarder to put the ball on the Montana State 11 with 53 seconds to go. Sanchez carried once for no gain, but on the following play Marshall was intercepted by Kory Austin in the end zone to snuff out the Thunderbird hopes.

Southern Utah tallied 318 yards of offense while holding Montana State to 219, including just 56 in the second half. DeWayne Lewis led the Thunderbird defensive effort with seven tackles, including six solos. He also tallied a pair of sacks and had a huge pass break-up on third and three when the Bobcats were trying to run out the clock in the closing minutes. Jovan Jackson, in his first full game back after being sidelined three weeks ago with an injury, had six tackles, while Derrick Brown had five.

Marshall completed 21-of-33 passes for 226 yards but was intercepted twice. Marshall also carried 19 times for 24 yards. Edward finished with three catches for 50 yards, all on the final drive of the game, while Miller had five receptions for 84 yards and Craig Gritton caught six pass for 50 yards.

Demetrious Crawford carried 15 times for 48 yards for Montana State, while Bobcat QB Jack Rolovich completed 9-of-22 passes for 75 yards.

Box Score

Thunderbirds Offense Arrives Too Late In Loss To No 6 McNeese

CEDAR CITY, Utah, Sept. 22 – Southern Utah rolled up a season-high 419 yards of offense against No. 6 McNeese State on Homecoming Saturday night but the production was too little and too late as the Cowboys built a 27-0 halftime edge en route to a 41-20 non-conference victory.

Southern Utah lost three-year starting quarterback Wes Marshall after he was thrown into the ground on his head by MSU defensive end Bryan Smith midway through the second period. Marshall was wheeled off the field on a stretcher and taken to Valley View Medical Center but he was later released by the hospital.

Backup QB Cody Stone came on to complete 18-of-38 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns for the Thunderbirds while running back Johnny Sanchez rushed for a career-best 181 yards.

In a game played in damp and muddy conditions after a day of thunderstorms, Southern Utah committed five fumbles, losing two, and threw two interceptions. One of the fumbles come on the Thunderbirds’ opening drive, leading to a 22-yard Blake Bercegeay field goal and the second lost fumble led to a MSU touchdown that staked the Cowboys to a 24-0 second quarter lead.

McNeese St. went into the locker room with a 27-0 edge after a 30 yard Bercegeay field goal and MSU scored on its opening possession of the second half to take a 34-0 lead but the Thunderbirds didn’t quit.

SUU scored its first touchdown on its ensuing possession when Stone scrambled eight yards off the left end for a score. After the Cowboys answered with Elrick Jones’s second TD of the night, this time on a 5-yard run, Stone fournd Tysson Poots in the corner of the end zone to pull the Thunderbirds within 41-14. Southern Utah’s final score came when Craig Gritton pulled in another Stone pass, a 14-yarder.

“I was proud of the way our guys kept playing the whole game,” SUU Coach Wes Meier said. “We got down 27 in the first half and a lot of teams would have packed it in after that, especially after losing their starting quarterback, but our guys played hard. We were able to get some offense going and hopefully we will get a little bit of a spark from that.”

Fourroux completed 12-of-17 passes for 223 yards and three TDs, two to Quinten Lawrence, while Jamie Leonard led the Cowboy ground game with 73 yards on 10 carries as McNeese State finished the game with 436 yards of offense.

T.J. Tabatabai and Rob Takeno each had eight tackles to lead the SUU defense while Brandt Linde had six and an interception to pace the Cowboys.

Southern Utah has next week off before traveling to Bozeman, Mont., to take on Montana State, Oct. 6.

Box Score

Thunderbirds Come Up Short Vs. No. 6 Salukis

CEDAR CITY, Utah, Sept. 15 – Southern Utah quarterback Wes Marshall rushed for 123 yards and passed for 150 more Saturday night but after a fumble on the Thunderbirds’ second play from scrimmage SUU fell into catch-up mode early in a 44-10 loss to FCS No. 6 Southern Illinois Saturday night at Eccles Coliseum.

Southern Utah’s offense sputtered through the early going as SIU built a 28-3 halftime lead. The Thunderbirds struggled to execute their passing game, throwing for just 49 yards in the half, and while the team did rush for 90 yards – 86 by Marshall – the Thunderbirds were able to put just three points on the scoreboard, on a career-long 52-yard Steve Pulver field goal.

Meanwhile, Southern Illinois threw for 169 yards and rushed for 74 more in the first half. After Nick Miller’s fumble on the second play of the game set SIU up on the seven yard line, it took just two plays for the Salukis to get on the board, with a one-yard Deji Karim run. A failed extra point attempt left SIU up 6-0 with just 2:02 gone in the game.

SIU scored twice more in the first period, then added another score in the second to go up 28-0 before Pulver’s field goal with 2:57 to go finally got SUU on the scoreboard. Nick Hill threw three TD passes in the half, an eight yard strike to Justin Allen, a 24 yarder to Lucien Walker and a 14 yard completion to Rick Burgess.

In the second half the Thunderbirds mounted some offense and came up with a pair of turnovers but costly mistakes and penalties on both sides of the ball prevented them from capitalizing.

Down 44-3 in the fourth quarter the Thunderbirds finally scored a touchdown when Marshall hit Jeremy Edwards across the middle in the end zone for a score.

“I thought we played better tonight than we did last week but we still made way too many mistakes to expect to compete against a quality team like Southern Illinois,” SUU Coach Wes Meier said. “To beat a team like Southern Illinois you have to be on your A-game, you can’t turn it over and you can’t make mistakes that turn into penalties. We had opportunities but we did dumb things at the wrong times and it wound up costing us.

“You’ve got to give credit to Southern Illinois though, they came in and played hard and executed,” he added. “They’re one of the best teams in the country at our level and they showed it tonight.”

Hill threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns, while Larry Warner paced the SIU rushing game with 92 yards.

Marshall led SUU in passing and rushing while Johnny Sanchez finished with 14 rushing yards and a team-high 28 receiving.

SUU linebacker Rob Takeno led all defensive players with nine tackles, while Tyler Peck and T.J. Tabatabai each had eight stops, including eight tackles for loss by Tabatabai. Jordan Brandin led SIU with six tackles.

Box Score

Fighting Sioux Storm Past Thunderbirds

CEDAR CITY, Utah, Sept. 8 – North Dakota’s Ryan Chappell carried 12 times for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Fighting Sioux to a 37-10 win over Southern Utah Saturday night but the Sioux defense was the story of the game.

UND’s defense held Southern Utah to 242 total yards and just 82 in the first half. UND held Southern Utah quarterback Wes Marshall to 129 yards passing one week after he threw for 218 at FCS No. 2 Montana. Marshall completed just 14-of-31 passes with an interception and he was sacked twice. Equally impressive was the Fighting Sioux’s effort against the run, as they limited the Thunderbirds to 73 yards on the ground.

“We knew coming in that North Dakota was a good team but they really took it to us tonight,” SUU Coach Wes Meier said. “They came in with a good game plan and executed it. They blocked well, they tackled well and they really controlled the game in the first half.

“I thought our defense did a much better job in the second half but the offense wasn’t able to get anything going until late in the game,” he added

UND established itself early, taking the opening kickoff and driving 74 yards in five plays to take a 7-0 lead with just 1:59 gone in the game after wide receiver Weston Dressler caught a 33-yard scoring pass from Danny Freund. Dressler became North Dakota’s all-time reciving yards leader Saturday

North Dakota scored on its following two possessions and went on to hold a 27-0 lead at halftime after Brandon Hellevang hit a career-long 56-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. UND extended its edge to 37-0 in the fourth quarter after Chappell ran 73 yards for his second touchdown of the game.

Southern Utah finally got on the scoreboard after Nick Snowden intercepted a Jake Landry pass near midfield, setting up a career-long 48-yard Steve Pulver field goal to pull the Thunderbirds within 37-3. Jamar Lee ran one yard late in the game to pull SUU to within 37-10.

Zack Samorano led the Thunderbird defense with a career-best 12 tackles, while Rob Takeno had 10 for the second straight week. Snowden and Collin Pretlow each had interceptions for SUU. Chad Westwood had the team’s only sack.

Bobby Stroup had seven tackles and Rory Manke had five, all solo, to lead North Dakota. Manke also had an interception for the Sioux.

Box Score
9/10/07 Football Press Conference

Thunderbirds Play Tough But Fall At No. 2 Montana

MISSOULA, Mont., Sept. 1 – Wes Marshall completed 19-of-32 passes for 218 yards as Southern Utah stayed with No. 2 Montana through three-plus quarters but turnovers in the game’s final minutes sealed Southern Utah’s doom as the Thunderbirds lost their season-opener, 37-17.

Montana controlled the early going and held a 14-2 lead at halftime but the Thunderbirds took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 78 yards in 14 plays to pull within 14-9 after Johnny Sanchez capped the drive with a one-yard run up the middle.

Montana answered with a pair of Dan Carpenter field goals, then tacked on another touchdown when quarterback Cole Bergquist scrambled 14 yards, tove give the Grizzlies a 27-9 advantage with 9:21 to play.

The Thunderbirds didn’t roll over, however, as Marshall directed a nine-play, 78 yard drive that ended with another one-yard touchdown by Sanchez. After Marshall found Jeremy Edwards on a quick slant for the  two-point conversion SUU was back with 10, 27-17 with 5:14 to play.

The Thunderbirds held Montana on its ensuing possession and were in a position to pull even closer but a Marshall pass was intercepted by Loren Utterback at the SUU 44 with 3:23 to play. Montana quickly took advantage of the Thunderbird miscue, scoring on a 44-yard Bergquist to Eric Allen pass on their first play after the interception.

On SUU’s next possession Craig Gritton fumbled near mid-field, leading to a game-clinching 41-yard Dan Carpenter field goal.

“Overall I was pleased with the way we played today,” SUU Coach Wes Meier said. “We stayed close to the No. 2 [Football Championship Subdivision] team in the country until the final three minutes and you saw what No. 1 did today [referring to top-ranked Applachian State’s 34-32 upset win at Michigan Saturday].

“Our defense played them tough the entire game and after a slow start our offense was able to generate some yards as well,” he added. “Offensively we got off to a slow start but in the second half we were able to do some good things. As for the defense though, after Montana scored on their first drive, I thought we played very well.

“We knew this game would tell us something about our team and where we are and I think what we saw was positive,” he concluded.

Southern Utah finished with 304 yards of total offense to 370 for Montana. The Thunderbirds got most of their yards, 218, through the air, while Montana had 177 yards rushing and 193 more through the air. Bergquist led three Grizzly QBs, completing 15-of-22 passes for 150 yards and two scores, both to Lewis, while Lex Hilliard gained 108 yards with a TD on 22 carries to pace the ground game.

Derrick Brown tallied 12 tackles and scored a safety when he covered Bergquist in the end zone after a bad snap. He also forced a fumble and had a half-sack. Rob Takeno had 10 tackles for the Thunderbirds and two tackles for loss.

Box Score