CEDAR CITY, Utah -- With just two games remaining on their 2019 schedule, the Thunderbird football team will play their final home contest of the year this weekend against Grand Canyon Trophy rival Northern Arizona. Kickoff in Cedar City is set for 2 p.m. MT.
Last Time Out
When the Thunderbirds were last on the field, before their bye week, they fell to the Montana State Bobcats 42-7 on the road.
The Bobcats wasted little time getting rolling, as they built a 21-0 lead through the first quarter of play.
MSU continued rolling as the second half started, upping their lead to 28-0 with 13:32 to play in the second of four frames. Before the end of the first half the Bobcats added two more touchdowns to take a 42-0 advantage into the break.
The third quarter went by without a score on either side, as both defenses held the opposing side scoreless for the 15 minutes of action.
In the fourth and final quarter the Thunderbirds were able to keep the Bobcats off the board again, and got on there themselves. Justin Miller threw his first career touchdown as a T-Bird to John Mitchell to get SUU seven points on the board.
The contest ended 42-7 in favor of the home team.
Offensive Leaders
Through 10 starts, Thunderbird quarterback Chris Helbig has completed 230 passes for 2,404 yards and 13 touchdowns. He's currently averaging 240.4 yards per game through the air. Helbig also has six rushing touchdowns for the T-Birds.
Lance Lawson continues to lead the Big Sky in terms of total catches with 70 this year for 646 yards and three touchdowns. He also has two rushing touchdowns. In five games Landen Measom has caught 20 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns.
James Felila is the leading rusher for SUU with 337 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas Duckett is second for the T-Birds with 247 yards and two touchdowns as well.
Top Defenders
Alex Sims is the current leader in tackles for the Thunderbirds, totaling 66 through the course of the season. Nela Otukolo and AJ Stanley are second for SUU, each with 57 tackles.
Otukolo, along with Bishop Jones and Aaron Romero lead the team with six tackles for loss.
Carlton Johnson leads the team with three interceptions this season and four pass breakups. He is the lone T-Bird to win Big Sky Player of the Week honors this year.
Senior Day
Saturday will be Southern Utah's Senior Day game, where 10 players will be honored for their time as a member of the Thunderbirds.
The following players will be honored before the game on Saturday:
Lehi Afatasi, Watson Asi, Carlos Baker, Kyle Hannemann, Zach Larsen, Jedadiah Lulu, PJ Nu'usa, Nela Otukolo, Gasetoto Schuster and Nathaniel Vaughn
Opponent Preview: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (4-6, 2-4 Big Sky)
The Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona will come to Cedar City following a heartbreaking loss to the No. 6 Sacramento State Hornets 38-34.
Quarterback Case Cookus has been the catalyst for the Lumberjacks all season long, throwing for 3,339 yards and 27 touchdowns in 10 starts.
Brandon Porter has been his top target, catching 66 passes for 897 yards and eight touchdowns. Stacy Chukwumezie is second on the team with 37 catches for 801 yards and seven touchdowns. Both Hendrix Johnson and Joe Logan have caught five touchdowns for NAU.
On the ground, Joe Logan has been the team's top rusher with 657 net yards and 11 touchdowns.
Defensively, Antohony Sweeney leads the team with 60 tackles and four tackles for loss. Brooklyn Hardiman has 54 tackles and 1.5 sacks on the season. Defensive back Khalil Dorsey has 12 pass breakups this year.
Chris Ball is in his first season as the head coach of the Lumberjacks, and is the 30th head coach in the history of the program.
Last Time vs. NAU
The Lumberjacks were able to get the best of the Thunderbirds last season, knocking off SUU 31-23 in Flagstaff.
Chris Helbig started the game for the T-Birds, but suffered an injury forcing Aaron Zwahlen into action.
Jay Green Jr. led the T-Bird rushing attack with 94 yards and one touchdown.
Chinedu Ahanonu led the defense with nine tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Recent Series HIstory
The Thunderbirds and the Lumberjacks have squared off seven times since becoming members of the same conference.
The T-Birds hold a 5-2 advantage over the Lumberjacks, and were riding a four-game winning streak from 2014-17 before falling to NAU last season.
In both 2015 and 2017, Southern Utah's victory over Northern Arizona resulted in a Big Sky Conference Championship.
Big Sky At A Glance
The Big Sky Conference is continuing to dominate the top 10 of the STATS FCS and AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 polls. With two weeks remaining the league has all four of its honorees in the top 10.
Weber State (8-2) knocked off another Top 25 opponent when it beat then-No. 22 North Dakota, 30-27 at home. Weber State remains the lone undefeated team in league play as it maintains its No. 3 spot in the STATS FCS and AFCA FCS Coaches' polls. The Wildcats will be tested once again when they play at No. 4/5 Montana on Saturday in the ROOT SPORTS Game of the Week. A win for Weber State would give the Wildcats' the Big Sky's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs and a share of the Big Sky crown.
Montana (8-2) picked up a 42-17 win on Saturday at home over Idaho. The Griz enter the week at No. 4 in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll – its highest ranking this season - and No. 5 in the STATS FCS Poll. Montana welcomes the Wildcats to Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday in a top five showdown.
Sacramento State (7-3) pulled off a jaw dropping comeback at Northern Arizona to earn the 38-34 win and maintain its top 10 ranking. The Hornets are slotted No. 6 in both polls. Sacramento State will play at Idaho (4-6) this week.
Montana State (7-3) earned its second straight win with a 45-14 win at Northern Colorado. The victory bumped the Bobcats up to No. 10 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and the STATS FCS Poll. Montana State will go up against a UC Davis squad in the Eleven Sports Game of the Week. The Aggies (5-5) were ranked as high as No. 4 this season.
Eastern Washington (5-5) received four votes in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and three votes in the STATS FCS Poll. UC Davis earned 58 votes in the STATS FCS Poll.
Words From Coach Warren
On the bye week…
"We were just trying to get freshened up," SUU head coach Demario Warren said. "We played 10 weeks in a row, and that's a long stretch. That's a lot of football. We we tried to get these guys a mental break, get them caught up on some homework and try to finish this season off the way we want to. We've got two games left against two good opponents, and we want our guys to give everything they've got for the last two weeks of the season."
On NAU…
"I love Cookus, he's one of my favorite guys to go against," Warren said. "He's a guy that can throw every throw. He's a competitor, if he throws something nice he'll say something to the sideline. I just love playing against him, so that'll be exciting. They've got the best passing offense in the country. Their kicker is amazing, he hasn't missed a field goal in seven weeks. And their punt team is tremendous, they're fifth in the country in punting. Their defense stepped up against a really good offense last week and got some really big stops, before giving up two right at the end to let it slip away. It's a first-year head coach and I know he wants to start this rivalry off the right way."
On closing out the season right...
"We just need to focus on the now, and control what we can control," he said. "We want to be a smart, tough and relentless football team and we've got to be able to execute. That's where we're at right now. We've got to make sure we execute and not beat ourselves, we do that way too often. We had a stretch there for three weeks where I thought we got better every week, but we took a big step back against Montana State. I'm hoping with some clear heads and some motivation we can get a win for the seniors that have won championships here, but have gone through a few tough seasons. I want to make sure we send those guys out on the right note, and then head out on the road for another ranked opponent."
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Saturday's contest will be livestreamed on the PlutoTV App and www.WatchBigSky.com.
The contest can be heard on the local airwaves, both on KSUB 590 AM in Cedar City and ESPN 97.7 FM in St. George. On the call will be legendary Thunderbird broadcaster Art Challis, and ESPN 97.7's Devin Dixon, host of the Devin Dixon Show.
Live stats will be available on www.suutbirds.com prior to kickoff.
Promotions
Southern Utah Athletics will be collecting donations for the Utah Food Bank as a part of the 'Rivalry Food Fight where SUU holds a 553-400 lb lead over Weber State. Donation Bins will be located at each entrance of Eccles Coliseum.
As another charitable donation at halftime members of the Cedar City Police Department and Southern Utah Student Athlete Advisory committee will collect donations for the annual Shop With a Cop drive for local families in need.
This game will be a redout and the first 100 fans through the gates will receive a free red T-Shirt.
Follow Us
Keep tabs on the Thunderbirds throughout the entire Big Sky Kickoff by following @SUUFB on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Football page on Facebook.
Tickets
Single game tickets are available for the remainder of the 2019 campaign online at www.tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
