End Game

SUU finishes year with loss to ISU

By DAVID DeMILLE
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

Big plays and exploited advantages by Idaho State proved to be too much for SUU in its season finale, as the Bengals built a big first-half lead and never looked back in a 42-17 win over the Thunderbirds Saturday.
ISU quarterback Doug Baughman finished 19 of 32 for 302 yards and three touchdowns through the air to lead the Bengals.
The loss ended Southern Utah’s season at 1-10 while ISU finished its regular season at 8-3 with a slim chance to still be selected for a playoff spot by the NCAA Division I-AA playoff committee.
The Thunderbirds opened the game strong, moving downfield and taking a 3-0 lead on a 25-yard field goal by Dave Pretzer, but it was all Idaho State from there as the Bengals took a 28-3 lead by halftime.
The T-Birds had chances in the ISU red zone but weren’t able to come away with scores early, letting ISU take the big lead.
“We started the game by going right down there but we came up short,” SUU head coach C. Ray Gregory said.
“We’re not going to get any breaks, we didn’t make any, and we never create any,” he added. “We had the ball down there by their goal and couldn’t get it in. If you don’t get a touchdown here, at home, then you’re not going to get one.”
Baughman hit Jeff Davenport and Shack Okoebor in the first half to build the big lead, and with SUU showing some life in the second half he hit Okoebor again on a 70-yard scoring play to eliminate any hopes the T-Birds had.
Okoebor finished with six catches for 129 yards.
The SUU offense was far from anemic, racking up 264 yards on the ground and 103 through the air, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the high-flying Bengals, especially with seemingly every bounce going against the T-Birds.
ISU punter Eddie Johnson appeared to have shanked a short punt on the Bengals’ first possession, but the ball rolled for nearly 20 yards to pin the ’Birds at their own 3-yard line.
Later in the half, an SUU pass was deflected high into the air and caught by Jared Allen to twart a Thunderbird drive.
Quarterback Charles Henderson led the ’Birds with 78 yards rushing on 29 carries, and slotback Wes Patterson ran for 72 yards on only seven carries.
Henderson was 6-17 through the air for 93 yards but also had two interceptions, each of which led to a Bengal score.
The T-Birds never had enough to stay with a determined ISU team.
“The balls never bounce our way,” Patterson said. “It’s really frustrating not to get any breaks. We came into this game prepared and looking at it as a playoff game, but we just didn’t