Taking on No. 24 Austin Peay at home Saturday night, SUU fell in another close contest.

It was the T-birds who would get the scoring started early, with quarterback Justin Miller finding Chase Merrell for a seven-yard score just over six minutes into the game.

Austin Peay (5-2, 2-0 UAC) responded to SUU’s early score, recording a pair of touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead into the second quarter.

The T-birds answered with a big second quarter. First, Braedon Wissler found the endzone on a two-yard rushing score to knot the score at 14-14 with just over 10 minutes to play until halftime.

Grady Robison then put SUU back in front, ripping off a 73-yard touchdown run for the 21-14 advantage at the 6:50 mark of quarter two.

Southern Utah scored its third touchdown of the period as time expired in the first half. With the T-birds near midfield, Robison took the snap and launched a 47-yard Hail Mary that found Gabe Nunez for the 28-14 lead heading into the break.

Second half

SUU began the third quarter the way they finished the second, scoring another touchdown to increase its advantage.

Just under three minutes into the second half, Justin Miller found Isaiah Wooden for an 8-yard score to push the score to 35-14.

Austin Peay wasn’t about to fold, however, determined to prove they belonged in the Top 25 rankings.

The Governors recorded a pair of touchdowns in a six-minute span, cutting SUU’s lead to 35-28 entering the fourth quarter.

Austin Peay’s momentum carried into the final period of action, scored two more touchdowns to take a 42-35 lead with just over two minutes to play.

Facing a deficit for the first time since early in the second quarter, the T-birds orchestrated a six-play, 75-yard drive to tie the score. Miller capped the march down the field with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Acord with 1:02 to play, sending the game to overtime.

Overtime

Following the late score to send the game to overtime, it seemed as though SUU would notch the victory in the first extra period.

After the T-birds intercepted the Governors on their first possession, the offense needed just a field goal to secure the victory. Instead, a 42-yard attempt hit the left upright and bounced back into the field, sending the battle to a second overtime.

SUU received the ball to begin the second extra frame. Despite gaining an early first down, the offense was forced to settle for a field goal. Tyler Graham converted the 40-yard try, putting the T-birds ahead 45-42.

Needing a touchdown to win, Austin Peay quarterback Mike DiLiello found Trey Goodman for an eight-yard score to seal the 48-45 comeback victory.

T-bird soccer clinches first conference tournament berth in 15 years

Another close loss

The loss drops Southern Utah to 2-5 overall, including 1-2 in conference action.

The defeat also continued a trend of the T-birds falling in close games, where they now have a 1-4 record in matchups decided by three points or less.

Alongside Saturday night’s loss, SUU has lost by three at Arizona State (24-21), by two at FCS No. 16 UC Davis (23-21), and by two at home versus FCS No. 25 Central Arkansas (29-27). The lone single-possession win for the T-birds came at Tarleton State on Oct. 7 (27-26).

Miller sets new mark

Redshirt senior quarterback Justin Miller had a solid outing on offense for the Thunderbirds, completing 24-of-42 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

The three scoring tosses now place Miller atop SUU’s all-time list, having thrown 62 touchdowns over his five seasons at the school.

Up next

The T-birds (2-5, 1-2 UAC) will host Abilene Christian in a conference tilt on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m.

The matchup can be streamed 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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