2023 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team

American college football season

2023 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football

Conference| United Athletic Conference
Record| 6–5 (4–2 UAC)
Head coach|

* DeLane Fitzgerald (2nd season)

Offensive coordinator| Tye Hiatt (1st season)
Defensive coordinator| John Kelling (2nd season)
Home stadium| Eccles Coliseum

Seasons

<- 2022

2024 ->

2023 United Athletic Conference standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

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Team |  | W |  | L |  |  |  |  | W |  | L |
No. 18 Austin Peay $^  |  | 6  | - | 0  |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 3  |
Central Arkansas |  | 4  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 4  |
Southern Utah |  | 4  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  |
Eastern Kentucky |  | 4  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  |
Tarleton State*  |  | 4  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 8  | - | 3  |
Abilene Christian |  | 3  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  |
North Alabama |  | 1  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  |
Utah Tech*  |  | 1  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 9  |
Stephen F. Austin |  | 0  | - | 6  |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  |

* $ - Conference champion
* Note: Tarleton State and Utah Tech are ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transitions from NCAA Division II.

Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team represented Southern Utah University in the United Athletic Conference (UAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald, the Thunderbirds played their games at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah.

After the 2022 season, the WAC and the ASUN Conference, which had partnered in a football-only alliance in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, fully merged their football leagues, creating what eventually became the United Athletic Conference.[1]

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Site| TV| Result| Attendance

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August 31| 8:00 p.m.| at Arizona State*|

* Mountain America Stadium
* Tempe, AZ

| P12N| L 21–24| 47,773
September 9| 1:00 p.m.| at BYU*|

* LaVell Edwards Stadium
* Provo, UT

| ESPN+| L 16–41| 60,834
September 16| 8:00 p.m.| at No. 16 UC Davis*|

* UC Davis Health Stadium
* Davis, CA

| ESPN+| L 21–23| 7,942
September 23| 6:00 p.m.| Western Illinois*|

* Eccles Coliseum
* Cedar City, UT

| ESPN+| W 37–17| 6,504
September 30| 6:00 p.m.|  No. 25 Central Arkansas|

* Eccles Coliseum
* Cedar City, UT

| ESPN+| L 27–29| 4,013
October 7| 5:00 p.m.| Tarleton State|

* Memorial Stadium
* Stephenville, TX

| ESPN+| W 27–26| 10,835
October 21| 6:00 p.m.| No. 24 Austin Peay|

* Eccles Coliseum
* Cedar City, UT

| ESPN+| L 45–48 2OT| 3,547
October 28| 1:00 p.m.| Abilene Christian|

* Eccles Coliseum
* Cedar City, UT

| ESPN+| W 52–14| 2,969
November 4| 1:00 p.m.| Lincoln (CA)*|

* Eccles Coliseum
* Cedar City, UT

| ESPN+| W 35–6| 3,023
November 11| 3:00 p.m.| at Stephen F. Austin|

* Homer Bryce Stadium
* Nacogdoches, TX

| ESPN+| W 45–17| 6,835
November 18| 7:00 p.m.| at Utah Tech|

* Greater Zion Stadium
* St. George, UT

| ESPN+| W 24–16| 6,077

* *Non-conference game
* Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
* All times are in Mountain time

[2][3]

## Game summaries

[edit]

### at Arizona State

[edit]

See also: 2023 Arizona State Sun Devils football team

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0–0) vs Arizona State Sun Devils (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Thunderbirds | 0 | 7 | 7| 7| 21
Sun Devils | 7 | 14 | 0| 3| 24

at Mountain America Stadium • Tempe, AZ

* Date: August 31, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy, 102 °F (39 °C)
* Game attendance: 47,773
* Referee: Cravonne Barrett
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

* (9:00) ASU – Cameron Skattebo 6-yard run, Dario Longhetto kick (Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 1:59; Arizona State 7–0)

Second quarter

* (11:05) SUU – Targhee Lambson 1-yard run, Tyler Graham kick (Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 6:43; Tied 7–7)
* (5:32) ASU – Xavier Guillory 47-yard pass from Jaden Rashada, Dario Longhetto kick (Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 2:37; Arizona State 14–7)
* (0:02) ASU – Troy Omeire 3-yard pass from Jaden Rashada, Dario Longhetto kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:54; Arizona State 21–7)

Third quarter

* (0:49) SUU – Zack Mitchell 17-yard pass from Justin Miller, Tyler Graham kick (Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 3:39; Arizona State 21–14)

Fourth quarter

* (13:41) ASU – Dario Longhetto 38-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, -14 yards, 1:49; Arizona State 24–14)
* (7:50) SUU – George Ramirez 47-yard blocked punt return, Tyler Graham kick (Drive: 9 plays, 27 yards, 4:40; Arizona State 24–21)

Statistics | SUU | ASU

|
|

First downs | 11 | 19
Total yards | 226 | 371
Rushes/yards | 87 | 135
Passing yards | 139 | 236
Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–18–0 | 18–31–0
Time of possession | 30:48 | 29:12
Team | Category | Player | Statistics

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Southern Utah | Passing | Justin Miller | 8/17, 123 yards, TD
Rushing | Braedon Wissler | 15 carries, 45 yards
Receiving | Zach Mitchell | 4 receptions, 52 yards, TD
Arizona State | Passing | Jaden Rashada | 18/31, 236 yards, 2 TD
Rushing | Cameron Skattebo | 17 carries, 75 yards, TD
Receiving | Xavier Guillory | 5 receptions, 73 yards, TD

### at BYU

[edit]

See also: 2023 BYU Cougars football team

Southern Utah at BYU  |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Thunderbirds | 3 | 0| 7| 6 | 16
• Cougars | 6 | 21| 7| 7 | 41

* Date: September 9
* Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
Provo, UT
* Game start: 1:02 p.m. MDT
* Elapsed time: 3:12
* Game attendance: 60,834
* Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), Winds NE 3 mph
* Referee: Tutashinda Salaam
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Matt Schumacker, Brad Hopkins, and Shane Sparks

Sources:
Scoring summary

| Quarter  | Time  | Drive | Team  | Scoring information  | Score

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Plays | Yards  | TOP | SUU  | BYU
1  | 7:17  | 9  | 52  | 4:06  | SUU  | 29-yard field goal by Tyler Graham  | 3  | 0
1  | 1:03  | 9  | 85  | 4:23  | BYU  | Isaac Rex 20-yard touchdown reception from Kedon Slovis, Will Ferrin kick no good  | 3  | 6
2  | 12:36  | 5  | 36  | 2:12  | BYU  | Keanu Hill 8-yard touchdown reception from Kedon Slovis, Will Ferrin kick good  | 3  | 13
2  | 5:47  | 8  | 78  | 4:22  | BYU  | Darius Lassiter 8-yard touchdown reception from Kedon Slovis, Will Ferrin kick good  | 3  | 20
2  | 00:30  | 4  | 70  | 0:30  | BYU  | Deion Smith 2-yard touchdown run, Will Ferrin kick good  | 3  | 27
3  | 11:00  | 7  | 75  | 4:00  | SUU  | Isaiah Wooden 33-yard touchdown reception from Justin Miller, Tyler Graham kick good  | 10  | 27
3  | 0:36  | 7  | 72  | 3:25  | BYU  | Kedon Slovis 6-yard touchdown run, Will Ferrin kick good  | 10  | 34
4  | 9:39  | 1  | 39  | 0:09  | BYU  | Chase Roberts 39-yard touchdown reception from Kedon Slovis, Will Ferrin kick good  | 10  | 41
4  | 5:15  | 8  | 75  | 4:24  | SUU  | Targhee Lambson 2-yard touchdown run, Tyler Graham kick no good  | 16  | 41
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 16  | 41
Statistics  | SUU  | BYU

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First downs | 16 | 18
Plays–yards | 60–346 | 55–394
Rushes–yards | 27–84, 1 TD | 23–46, 2 TD's
Passing yards | 262 | 348
Passing: comp–att–int | 17–33–1, 1 TD | 22–32–1, 4 TD's
Time of possession | 31:19 | 28:41
Team | Category | Player | Statistics

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SUU  | Passing | Justin Miller | 16–30–1, 235 yards, 1 TD
Rushing | Targhee Lambson | 7 carries, 32 yards, 1 TD
Receiving | Zach Mitchell | 7 receptions, 135 yards
BYU  | Passing | Kedon Slovis | 22–32–1, 348 yards, 4 TD's
Rushing | LJ Martin | 6 carries, 27 yards
Receiving | Isaac Rex | 4 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands as the United Athletic Conference" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
2. ^ "2023 Southern Utah Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
3. ^ "2023 Football Schedule". Southern Utah University Athletics. Retrieved April 19, 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Southern Utah Thunderbirds football

Venues|

* Eccles Coliseum (1967–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Northern Arizona: Grand Canyon Rivalry
* Weber State: Beehive Bowl

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

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*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[comp]: Completions
*[att]: Attempts
*[int]: Interceptions