CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Thunderbird football team will be back at home this Saturday, as they will continue their Big Sky Conference campaign against the Mustangs of Cal Poly. This Saturday will be Southern Utah's Homecoming Game, which will be part of a busy Homecoming Weekend at Southern Utah University.
Last Time Out
The Thunderbirds kicked off Big Sky Conference play in Sacramento against the Hornets of Sacramento State. The Thunderbirds fell to the Hornets 54-27.
Thunderbird quarterback Aaron Zwahlen got the start in Sacramento, and threw for 188 yards and a touchdown. He competed six balls to Bryan Beckson, who finished the evening with 44 receiving yards. James Felila also had 17 carries for 86 yards in the contest.
Alex Sims led the team in tackles with 11, with one tackle for loss and two pass breakups to complete his stat line. Mike Needham had 10 total tackles and Jarmaine Doubs Jr. had an interception for the Thunderbirds.
Recent Homecoming History
Southern Utah's Homecoming Game last season was one to remember, as the Thunderbirds topped Portland State in front of a record-breaking crowd at Eccles Coliseum. Doubs Jr. returned an interception for a touchdown to seal the contest, as 10,306 fans cheered on the Thunderbirds.
In 2015 the Thunderbirds knocked off Brevard College for the Homecoming Game, claiming a 55-7 victory.
Words From Warren
On the challenges of playing Cal Poly…..
"Cal Poly has a winning tradition as a football program," SUU head coach Demario Warren said. "They play hard, they play physical, and they play tough. It's going to be a fight for 60 minutes. We have to bring our hard hats and be ready to go to work because these guys aren't going to lay down for anybody. This is going to be a tough challenge for our team. We need to be disciplined on defense, and offensively, we have to overcome some of our shortcomings from the last couple of weeks."
On what he wants the mindset of the team to be…..
"We're fortunate to be here," he said. "There are things going on in the country that are really terrible, and we're fortunate to be out here playing the sport that we all love. We need to enjoy each other, get refocused, and recommitted for these last seven weeks. We have to take it one day at a time."
On the biggest keys to come away with a victory…..
"We've got to protect the football on offense, and defensively we've got to play one-eleventh football for 60 minutes," he said. "It's got to be disciplined, we have to have our eyes right and we've got to make sure we tackle. If we do those things, we should have some success on Saturday."
Opponent Preview: Cal Poly
The Mustangs of Cal Poly will come to Cedar City looking for their first win of the season, after starting their 2017 campaign 0-5.
Despite the record, they have competed in a number of close contests this season. They opened their season against Colgate, where they fell 20-14. After a loss to San Jose State, the Mustangs went to Northern Iowa and took the Panthers to overtime, but ultimately fell 45-38. Cal Poly also played a very tight contest with the Bengals of Idaho State, where they fell 38-34 last weekend.
Khaleel Jenkins has started in all five contests for the Mustangs at quarterback, rushing for 454 yards and four touchdowns, along with throwing for 597 yards and eight touchdowns. In total he's completed 28 out of 66 passes this year.
Running back Jared Mohamed has carried the ball 102 times for 431 yards. J.J. Koski is the Mustang's leading receiver with 12 catches for 216 yards and three touchdowns. Kyle Lewis has eight catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, senior linebacker Mason Montgomery leads the team with 55 total tackles. R. J. Mazolewski has 36 total tackles, four tackles for loss and one and a half sacks.
The Mustangs rank first in the Big Sky in rushing offense, third in passing efficiency, third in rushing defense and third in fourth-down conversions.
Big Sky At A Glance
Two weeks of Big Sky action are in the books, and through two weekends of competition there are three undefeated teams remaining in the league. Weber State (4-1; 2-0), Eastern Washington (3-2; 2-0) and Northern Arizona (2-2; 2-0) are all unscathed through two contests, and sit on top of the Big Sky.
Six teams are currently 1-1 in the league, with both Portland State and Southern Utah sitting at 0-1 in the conference.
North Dakota and previously mentioned Cal Poly have both started the season 0-2.
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Saturday's game will be streamed live on PlutoTV and WatchBigSky.com.
The game will be available on the airwaves locally on KSUB 590 AM with Art Challis and Devin Dixon on the call for the Thunderbirds.
Live stats will be available on www.suutbirds.com prior to the start of the game on Saturday.
Follow Us
Keep tabs on the Thunderbirds by following @SUUFB on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Football page on Facebook.
Tickets
Tickets for SUU's Homecoming Game against Cal Poly can be purchased at tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
