Traveling to Tennessee to battle the defending conference champions, the T-birds came out on top to snap a two-game skid on Saturday afternoon.

The opening quarter was tight throughout, with neither team able to get any points on the scoreboard.

The highlight of the period came on defense for SUU. Halfway through the frame, Austin Peay appeared to be nearing the red zone, marching down to the 32-yard line. Jayden Robertson had other ideas for the T-birds, intercepting a third-down pass to stop the Governors’ momentum.

The momentum was short-lived, however, as the Southern Utah offense turned the ball back over to the home team on the following play.

SUU would be the first team on the scoreboard early in the second quarter. Capping off an 11-play, 91-yard drive, running back Targhee Lambson found the endzone for the 7-0 lead at the 12:30 mark of the period.

Austin Peay answered just over six minutes later, tying the score with a touchdown. The two teams remained deadlocked 7-7 heading to halftime.

Second half

The T-birds retook the lead early in the third quarter, needing just over two minutes to get back in front.

It took just 47 seconds and two plays, as quarterback Bronson Barron connected with Gabe Nunez for a 46-yard score to put the road team in front 14-7.

Just three minutes later the Governors tied the score with a touchdown and later added a field goal with under a minute left in the quarter to take its first lead (17-14).

The deficit for Southern Utah didn’t last long though, as the road team answered within the opening moments of the final frame.

On the third play of its opening fourth-quarter drive, Targhee Lambson broke off a 63-yard touchdown run to put the T-birds in front, 21-17.

The score remained the same until near the finish, as Austin Peay was trying to take the lead near the end of the game. In a final desperate attempt to keep the game going, the Governors threw an interception to Jayden Robertson for the second time in the game. Robertson returned the catch for a score, sealing the 28-17 SUU victory.

Despite being outgained on the ground and having less of the ball, the T-birds were able to snap a two-game skid and emerge victorious in their conference opener.

Targhee Lambson had another standout game for Southern Utah, racking up 164 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

George Ramirez led SUU on defense, recording a team-high 10 tackles. Jayden Robertson added a pair of interceptions – including a pick-six – in the win.

Up next

Southern Utah (2-3, 1-0 UAC) returns to Cedar City to face FCS No. 16 Tarleton State on Saturday, October 5.

The game will kick off at 6 p.m. MT and 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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