In the final week of regular season action, Weber State and Southern Utah both picked up wins while Utah Tech fell to BYU.
No. 7/10 Weber State
Facing Northern Arizona on the road, Weber State was able to pull out a close win while securing a berth in the FCS playoffs.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 14-0 lead before a Lumberjacks touchdown early in the second quarter cut the deficit in half.
Weber State responded with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score, but NAU battled back to tie the score at 21-21 heading into halftime.
A pair of third quarter field goals put the Wildcats ahead 27-21 before the Lumberjacks took their first lead via a touchdown at the 11:40 mark of the final period.
Field goals by both teams made the score 31-30 in favor of Northern Arizona.
Needing at least a field goal on their final drive, Weber State traveled 65 yards in 11 plays, setting up the chance for a last-second win. Kyle Thompson stepped up and knocked a 23-yard field goal through the uprights, putting the Wildcats on top 33-31 with five seconds remaining.
The Lumberjacks attempted a lateral on their last play to no avail, sealing a Weber State win.
Quarterback Bronson Barron led the Wildcats on offense, completing 19-of-33 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. Ty MacPherson added eight catches for 97 yards and a score as Barron’s preferred target, while Josh Davis tallied 80 yards on nine carries to lead the ground attack.
Weber State concludes the regular season with a 9-2 record, including 6-2 in Big Sky Conference play.
Up next
The Wildcats now look forward to the FCS playoffs, where they found out Sunday morning that they were part of the 24-team field.
Weber State (9-2) will host North Dakota (7-4) of the Missouri Valley Conference on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 2 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
After a tough stretch in the middle of the season, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team ended its season on a high note with back-to-back wins.
Following a blowout win over Lincoln University in its home finale, SUU traveled to future FBS program Sam Houston to end the season on Saturday.
The T-birds jumped out to a 10-0 lead on the 2020 FCS national champions before the Bearkats responded with a touchdown in the second quarter.
The game was a defensive battle, and it was proven multiple times over the course of the matchup between the two teams.
Southern Utah added a touchdown in the third quarter to make the score 17-7, which proved to be the final points of the contest.
The T-birds’ defense was able to halt any attempt at a Sam Houston comeback, clinching a win to end the season.
After winning just one game a season ago, SUU ends the 2022 season with a 5-6 record, including 1-3 in WAC play.
Utah Tech
Utah Tech battled in-state foe BYU on Saturday in Provo. While the Trailblazers were able to keep the game close in the first half, the Cougars pulled away in the second half for a blowout win.
You can read more about the game here.
BYU football: Cougars run away in second half, clinch bowl eligibility
Utah Tech finishes the season 4-7 overall, and 2-2 in WAC action.
