Playing in the team’s home opener on Saturday night, SUU rode a big second half to its first win of 2023.

The T-birds started off the game fast, notching a 31-yard field goal on the first drive of the game to take an early 3-0 lead.

Just over three minutes later, SUU quarterback Justin Miller found Zach Mitchell for a 10-yard touchdown pass, putting the home team ahead 10-0.

Western Illinois got on the board with a field goal to make it 10-3 early in quarter two, but the T-birds answered with a touchdown.

Targhee Lambson rushed for a two-yard score for the home team with just under seven minutes to go before halftime for the 17-3 advantage.

Western Illinois wasn’t about to go down quietly however, as they scored a pair of touchdowns to tie the score at 17-17 heading into the halftime break.

Second half

After allowing the Leathernecks back into the game to close the first half, SUU came out and made sure the same would not happen in the second frame.

The T-birds regained the lead with 1:26 to play in the third quarter, thanks to a second touchdown from Targhee Lambson. The score was from nine yards out which put the home team in front, 24-17.

After Western Illinois missed a field goal on its second drive of the fourth quarter, SUU capitalized with a touchdown on its next drive to increase the lead.

With under two minutes to play, quarterback Justin Miller threw a 43-yard score to Isaiah Wooden to put the T-birds up 30-17 (SUU missed the PAT).

With the win likely in hand, the defense added a score of their own with just 30 seconds left. Cody Coleman intercepted the Western Illinois quarterback and returned it for a 60-yard touchdown, securing a 37-17 victory.

Justin Miller led the T-birds passing attack in the game, completing 24-of-35 passes for 242 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Zach Mitchell led the way for the SUU receivers, catching six passes for 78 yards and a score. Targhee Lambson led the rushing attack with a pair of touchdowns on the ground.

The T-birds also had a standout day on the defensive side of the ball in the win, forcing three interceptions while allowing -7 rushing yards to the Leathernecks.

Up next

SUU (1-3) now opens conference play next, hosting No. 25 Central Arkansas.

The T-birds will battle the Bears on Saturday, September 30 at 6 p.m. MT. The game can be seen on ESPN+.

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Spencer Rodak
Spencer has always been passionate about sports, growing up playing and following various sports. He ran cross country in high school and began his journey in sports media in 2017 as a journalism intern at The Spectrum & Daily News. Since then, his work has been published in numerous outlets including Deseret News, Standard-Examiner, St. George News, Southern Utah Now, SUU's Thunderground, SB Nation's RSL Soapbox, FanSided's Venom Strikes, fan-insider.com, The Spurs Web, and Iron County Today. Spencer is the founder of Stadium Sportzz and both the Sportzz with Spencer and Mountain States Sports Report podcasts. His experience extends to public address announcing, having first served as the PA announcer for Southern Utah University soccer in 2017 and as a high school sports PA announcer. He is now entering his fourth year as a PA announcer at Utah Tech University, where he also occasionally takes on the role of in-game emcee. Spencer's versatility also extends to radio, where at The Fan Sports Network he produced high school and Utah Tech athletics broadcasts, hosted the weekly Region 9 Football Tailgate Show, and appeared daily on The Drive. Now working towards completing his Bachelor's degree in Media Studies, Spencer was recently named the Sports Director at Utah Tech University's 91.3 The Blaze for the 2024-25 year. He will host a weekly show and serve as a play-by-play broadcaster, continuing his dedication to sports journalism and broadcasting. When he isn’t talking, writing about, or watching sports, Spencer enjoys traveling and spending time with his amazing wife.

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