Facing the No. 14-ranked Texans, the T-birds’ comeback attempt fell short in a 38-37 overtime defeat on Saturday night.

First half

Tarleton State was firing on all cylinders out of the gate, needing just under two and a half minutes to score the game’s first touchdown. Kayvon Britten ran in the endzone from one yard out for the 7-0 lead at the 12:31 mark of quarter one.

The T-birds attempted to answer on their first drive, but back-to-back sacks for the Texans’ defense forced an SUU punt.

Tarleton State’s early momentum carried over after the defensive stop, as they took a 14-0 lead in just three minutes on their second possession.

After each team punted on their following drives, SUU took over still looking for its first points of the game. It looked like the Thunderbirds would cut the deficit in half just under four minutes into the second quarter, but Bronson Barron’s pass was intercepted in the endzone.

The interception on Southern Utah’s drive proved costly, as the Texans marched 80 yards in nine plays. Former Utah Tech quarterback Victor Gabalis capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, putting the visitors ahead 21-0.

Now facing a three-score deficit, SUU put together its first scoring drive on the ensuing possession. Needing just two and a half minutes, Bronson Barron finished the drive with a 27-yard scoring toss to Shane Carr. The touchdown made the score 21-7 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half.

Any momentum the T-birds might have gained from scoring was thwarted with 1:41 left in the half. Tarleton State scored yet another touchdown, extending their lead to 28-7. Southern Utah had a chance to make it a little closer at the end of the half with a field goal, but Jayden Rogers missed a 29-yard kick as the clock expired.

Second half

After both teams went three-and-out on their first drives, it would be the T-birds who would score the half’s first points. A 64-yard pass play from Barron to Gabe Nunez brought the ball to the 11-yard line, but SUU didn’t make it much further.

Instead, the drive ended with a 24-yard field goal to make the score 28-10 with 9:23 left in the quarter.

On the very next drive, Tarleton State looked to answer, but a big defensive play gave the ball back to the Thunderbirds. The Texans fumbled the ball at the 42-yard line and SUU scored a touchdown five minutes later. Barron found Chase Merrell for the score, cutting the deficit to 11, 28-17.

The momentum continued for the T-birds from there, as the defensive unit forced Tarleton State into back-to-back punts. The offense then took its turn, capping a 6-play, 62-yard drive with a 10-yard Targhee Lambson touchdown. SUU went for two but was unsuccessful, making the score 28-23 with 11:37 remaining in the game.

Thunderbirds jump in front

Following a missed 43-yard field goal on the next Texans drive, Southern Utah continued its second-half surge to take its first lead of the game. Targhee Lambson found the endzone for the second time, punching it in from eight yards out with 3:09 to play. The T-birds once again went for two, and Lambson converted on the ground to put SUU in front, 31-28.

It looked like Southern Utah was going to pull off the incredible comeback, but Tarleton State drove into field goal range and tied the game at 31 with just 1:02 on the clock.

Needing a field goal to win, the T-birds next drive lasted just one play. A pass attempt by Barron was tipped in the air and intercepted by the Texans, giving them the ball at the SUU 27-yard line. Tarleton State made it down to the 7-yard line but was forced to settle for a field goal attempt. Lining up for a seemingly easy field goal, the visitors missed from 24 yards to keep the score tied.

With just 25 seconds remaining, the T-birds ran out the clock and the game headed to overtime.

Overtime

Southern Utah won the toss in overtime, deferring to give Tarleton State the ball first. The visitors got down to the 1-yard line, but Texans quarterback Victor Gabalis appeared to potentially fumble on the play. After review, the official call stood as down on the play. On the very next play, Tarleton State broke through into the endzone for the score and 38-31 lead following the extra point.

The T-birds now had their chance in overtime, and they took advantage. Barron found Joshua Accord for a 14-yard touchdown, making the score 38-37 following a five-play series. Needing just an extra point to send the game to a second overtime period, kicker Jayden Rogers missed the attempt, and the Texans rushed the field after holding on for a 38-37 win.

SUU volleyball takes down rival Utah Tech

Mistakes prove costly

Following the game, the T-birds were left to only wonder what could have been.

SUU had the No. 14 team in the FCS on the ropes, but a number of mistakes cost them a shot at an upset and did serious damage to their hopes of contending for the United Athletic Conference title.

While falling into a 21-0 hole did them no favors, neither did nearly 100 yards of penalties (94 to be exact). Southern Utah also threw a pair of interceptions, missed a field goal, and missed a PAT to force a second overtime.

Could they have pulled off a memorable upset? With a few less mistakes, it certainly seems likely.

Lambson continues strong season

Despite the defeat for SUU, running back Targhee Lambson continued his strong season.

Lambson racked up 217 yards and 2 touchdowns on 38 carries, while also converting a two-point conversion attempt.

On the season, Lambson has rushed for 928 yards and 9 scores, averaging 154.6 yards per game (6.72 yards per carry).

Tight game blues

While Southern Utah has certainly come a long way under third-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald, one thing has plagued the T-birds in recent years.

SUU has often been in close matchups during the last three seasons, but their record in one-score games has been a struggle.

Since the beginning of the 2022 campaign, the Thunderbirds are just 4-10 in games decided by eight points or less, including 1-2 this season. The T-birds were 1-4 in such games in 2022 and 2-4 in 2023.

In 2022, Southern Utah beat Western Illinois (17-10), but dropped contests to Eastern Kentucky (35-28), Tarleton State (42-40), Abilene Christian (21-18), and Stephen F. Austin (41-38).

2023 was much of the same, as the T-birds won close contents against Tarleton State (27-26) and Utah Tech (24-16), but dropped games to Arizona State (24-21), UC Davis (23-21), Central Arkansas (29-27), and Austin Peay (48-45).

So far in 2024, SUU notched a 27-24 upset win over FBS program UTEP but has lost tight battles with UC Davis (24-21) and Tarleton State (38-37).

Perhaps the one bright spot of the close losses of the last few seasons is the quality of them. Of those 10 one-score defeats, the T-birds have dropped six games to ranked FCS opponents, while also falling to an FBS Power 5 program and both 2022 WAC co-champions.

Once SUU can figure out how to win tight games, they will be a perennial FCS playoff contender and one of the annual favorites to win UAC championships.

Coach Fitzgerald postgame

 

Up next

Southern Utah (2-4, 1-1 UAC) returns to the field next week, hosting Eastern Kentucky in its annual Homecoming game on Saturday, October 12.

Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. MT, while 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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