Beginning a two-game road trip following a bye week, the SUU football team defeated West Georgia 28-17 to improve to 3-1 in conference play on Saturday.

First half

After both teams stalled on the first few drives, the T-birds were able to break through near the end of the opening quarter to take the lead. With just under two minutes left in the frame, Jackson Berry unloaded a 56-yard bomb to Shane Carr for a touchdown and a 7-0 advantage. The scoring play capped a 7-play, 80-yard drive.

It didn’t take West Georgia long to respond, as they scored the tying touchdown in the opening moments of the second quarter. The Wolves would also add a 42-yard field goal midway through the period, taking a 10-7 lead.

Despite allowing 10 unanswered points, it would be Southern Utah that took the lead back before halftime.

Using over six minutes on the clock, SUU’s Targhee Lambson finished off a 13-play, 71-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring run to make it 14-10 with 53 seconds left in the half.

Second half

The T-birds’ late first-half momentum carried into the third quarter, as they extended their lead with a pair of touchdown drives.

First, SUU made it 21-10 with just over 10 minutes left in the period. Jackson Berry found Chase Merrell for a 12-yard scoring toss, capping off a 9-play, 75-yard possession.

Southern Utah then made it a three-score lead following a missed West Georgia field goal with 1:44 on the clock. Targhee Lambson finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to put the visitors ahead 28-10.

The Wolves were able to get a touchdown back midway through the final quarter but wouldn’t get any closer.

SUU closed the game by using much of the clock on their final two drives to secure the 28-17 victory.

With the win, the T-birds improved to 4-4 overall, including 3-1 in United Athletic Conference play.

Quarterback Jackson Berry led the SUU aerial attack, completing 16-of-20 passes for 257 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. Targhee Lambson added another strong performance on the ground, racking up 135 yards and 2 scores on 30 carries.

George Ramirez led the T-birds on defense, totaling 10 tackles. The defense allowed just 93 net rushing yards, sending West Georgia to a 0-6 conference record in their debut Division I FCS season.

Coach Fitzgerald postgame

 

Up next

SUU (4-4, 3-1 UAC) heads to The Lone Star State for a battle with No. 17/19 Tarleton State on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The T-birds and Wildcats matchup will kick off at 2 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.

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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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