Following its first win last week, SUU football lost a close contest to No. 25 Central Arkansas 29-27 on Saturday.
The T-birds fell behind early once again in this game, trailing 10-0 after the opening quarter.
Southern Utah got on the board early in the second frame, when Justin Miller threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tim Patrick Jr. to cap a 7-play, 49-yard drive just under a minute and a half into the period to make the score 10-7.
The visiting Bears answered just over two minutes later, taking a 17-7 lead before adding a field goal before halftime to make it 20-7 entering the break.
SUU scored the first points of the second half, cutting the UCA lead to 20-14 midway through the third quarter. This time, Miller connected with Zach Mitchell for a 22-yard touchdown.
Central Arkansas then recorded the next nine points of the game, adding a touchdown in the third quarter before adding three points courtesy of a field goal in the fourth.
Trailing 29-14, the T-birds made it a one-score matchup with just under seven minutes remaining. Capping a 4-play drive, Miller tossed a 25-yard touchdown to Trim Patrick Jr. to make the score 29-21.
The Thunderbirds cut the Bears’ lead even more with just over two minutes to play. Miller found Patrick Jr. for a 20-yard score, the third touchdown connection between the two in the game. Needing a two-point conversion to tie the score, SUU was unable to convert, leaving the score at 29-27.
The T-birds’ defense stopped UCA on its next possession, giving the offense back the ball with 2:04 left. SUU was unable to get into field goal range, seeing its comeback attempt fall short.
Justin Miller had a solid performance for Southern Utah’s offense, completing 20-of-44 passes for 186 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
Tim Patrick Jr. led the way for the T-birds’ receivers, catching five passes for 79 yards and three touchdowns.
SUU struggled on the ground against the Bears, managing only 46 net yards and scoring no touchdowns.
With the narrow defeat, the T-birds fell to 1-4 and 0-1 in United Athletic Conference action.
Up next
Southern Utah (1-4, 0-1 UAC) heads back out on the road to face Tarleton State on Saturday, Oct. 7.
The battle between the T-birds and Texans will kick off at 5 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
