American college football season
The 2021 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team represented Southern Utah University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season . They were led by sixth-year head coach Demario Warren and played their home games at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah . They played their final season as a member of the Big Sky Conference , as they would depart for the Western Athletic Conference for the 2022 season.
On July 26, 2021, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff , the Thundebirds were predicted to finish eleventh in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.[ 1]
Coaches poll
Predicted finish
Team
Votes (1st place)
1
Weber State
(7)
2
Montana
(3)
3
Eastern Washington
(2)
4
Montana State
(1)
5
Sacramento State
(1)
6
UC Davis
7
Northern Arizona
8
Idaho
9
Idaho State
10
Portland State
11
Southern Utah
12
Cal Poly
13
Northern Colorado
Media poll
Predicted finish
Team
Votes (1st place)
1
Weber State
(14)
2
Montana
(4)
3
Eastern Washington
(3)
4
Montana State
(3)
5
Sacramento State
6
UC Davis
7
Northern Arizona
8
Idaho
9
Idaho State
10
Portland State
11
Southern Utah
12
Northern Colorado
13
Cal Poly
[ edit ] The Thunderbirds had one player selected to the preseason all-Big Sky team.[ 2]
Defense
La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis – OL
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance August 28 8:00 p.m. at San Jose State * CBSSN L 14–4516,204 8:30 p.m. at No. 25 (FBS ) Arizona State * P12N L 14–4144,456 September 18 5:00 p.m. vs. Tarleton State * ESPN+ W 40–35 8,346 September 25 6:00 p.m. No. 6 Eastern Washington L 21–50 7,096 October 2 6:00 p.m. Portland State Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT L 13–20 4,013 October 9 7:00 p.m. at Sacramento State ESPN+ L 20–41 6,244 October 16 2:00 p.m. at Northern Arizona L 35–59 7,511 October 23 6:00 p.m. Northern Colorado Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT ESPN+ L 9–17 3,208 October 30 12:00 p.m. at No. 11 Montana RTRM L 19–2022,587 November 6 2:00 p.m. at Idaho ESPN+ L 24–42 6,082 November 13 2:00 p.m. Weber State ESPN+ L 0–62 4,045
[ 3]
Conference opponents not played this season: Cal Poly , Idaho State , Montana State , UC Davis
1
2
3
4
Total
Thunderbirds
0
14
0
0
14
Spartans
21
17
7
0
45
[ edit ]
1
2
3
4
Total
Thunderbirds
7
0
7
0
14
No. 25 (FBS ) Sun Devils
13
15
6
7
41
1
2
3
4
Total
Thunderbirds
14
14
6
6
40
Texans
7
21
0
7
35
No. 6 Eastern Washington [ edit ]
1
2
3
4
Total
No. 6 Eagles
9
21
13
7
50
Thunderbirds
7
7
7
0
21
1
2
3
4
Total
Vikings
0
10
3
7
20
Thunderbirds
3
7
3
0
13
At Sacramento State [ edit ]
1
2
3
4
Total
Thunderbirds
0
7
6
7
20
Hornets
17
7
7
10
41
At Northern Arizona [ edit ]
1
2
3
4
Total
Thunderbirds
0
14
14
7
35
Lumberjacks
17
14
14
14
59
1
2
3
4
Total
Bears
7
3
0
7
17
Thunderbirds
3
0
3
3
9
1
2
3
4
Total
Thunderbirds
3
13
3
0
19
Grizzlies
0
10
7
3
20
1
2
3
4
Total
Thunderbirds
7
3
7
7
24
Vandals
14
14
7
7
42
1
2
3
4
Total
Wildcats
14
31
7
10
62
Thunderbirds
0
0
0
0
0
Venues Bowls & rivalries People Seasons
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