In their final road game of the season, the Thunderbirds came away with a 38-31 upset victory over No. 24 Central Arkansas on Saturday afternoon.
First half
After receiving the opening kickoff, Central Arkansas would take a 7-0 lead on its first possession, courtesy of an 11-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly five minutes off the clock.
SUU would respond with a field goal on its first chance with the football, making the score 7-3 with 4:29 on the first quarter clock.
The Bears would answer, however, taking a 14-3 lead in the final seconds of the period after orchestrating another time-consuming drive.
Southern Utah would get down to the 15-yard line on the following drive as they looked for a touchdown. UCA would keep them there, though, resulting in a field goal for the visitors to make it 14-6.
The Thunderbird defense was then able to force a three-and-out on the next Bears’ drive, giving the offense the ball back down just one score. 10 plays and 61 yards later, running back Targhee Lambson found the end zone from the 1-yard line with 5:32 left in the half. SUU opted to try a two-point conversion and was successful, knotting the score at 14 apiece.
21 Touchdowns on the ground this year for @nolimit_targ and Berry finds Shane Carr for the 2pt conversion!
⚡️: 14
🧸: 14 pic.twitter.com/alKq2n4RJ5— Southern Utah Football (@SUUFB_) November 16, 2024
It didn’t take long for UCA to respond, as they needed just over three and a half minutes to regain the lead with a touchdown, 21-14.
With just 1:50 on the clock, the T-birds dialed up a quick answer. Needing just two plays, Jackson Berry found an open Devin Downing for a 55-yard score to tie the game at 21 heading to halftime.
T-Birds respond! @jacksonberryyyy to Devin Downing!
⚡️: 21
🧸: 21 pic.twitter.com/7T1wVfTwHh— Southern Utah Football (@SUUFB_) November 16, 2024
Second half
The SUU offensive show continued into the third quarter, with the visitors adding a touchdown through the air and a field goal to cap off 17 straight points.
First, Jackson Berry would toss his second touchdown of the game, finding Joshua Acord for a 16-yard score. The play wrapped up a 6-play, 51-yard drive just before the midway point of the frame.
.@acord_joshua will not be stopped! 💪🏻💪🏻
⚡️: 28
🧸: 21@ESPNCFB
📺: ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/A37CukYFsR— Southern Utah Football (@SUUFB_) November 17, 2024
The drive was made possible by a big defensive play, as George Ramirez forced a fumble that Rylen Sua-Filo recovered.
FUMBLE! @gramirez_9 pokes it out and @rylensuafilo45 is on it! pic.twitter.com/FwQxEnzbz5
— Southern Utah Football (@SUUFB_) November 17, 2024
Southern Utah’s defense came up big again on the next UCA possession, as Lacarea Pleasant-Johnson intercepted a pass to give the ball back to the offense. The Thunderbirds’ Jayden Rogers hit a 37-yard field goal a few moments later, putting the visitors ahead by 10 (31-21).
A big time INT by LPJ! We see you @LaCarea3100 Jayden Rogers hits a 37-yard FG to extend the lead!
⚡️: 31
🧸: 21 pic.twitter.com/2fBpnsB26q— Southern Utah Football (@SUUFB_) November 17, 2024
The Bears would respond with a field goal of their own, cutting the deficit to 31-24 heading into the final quarter.
SUU would make it a two-score game on its second possession of the fourth quarter, thanks again to a Jackson Berry touchdown pass. This time Berry connected with Chase Merrell for a 14-yard score, pushing the lead up to 38-24 with 9:19 remaining.
Touchdown @chasemerrell84
⚡️: 38
🧸: 24@espn
📺: ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/nIPNXDt0Mr— Southern Utah Football (@SUUFB_) November 17, 2024
It would take the Bears under two minutes to cut into the T-birds’ lead again, as they needed just three plays to make it 38-31.
Southern Utah was forced to punt on its next drive, giving the ball back to Central Arkansas with a chance to tie – or potentially – take the lead late. Instead, Raymon Crump intercepted a fourth-down pass to seal the SUU upset victory.
Top players
The SUU offense was led by a balanced attack through the air and on the ground.
Quarterback Jackson Berry contributed a solid outing, completing 17-of-28 passes for 242 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. Running back Targhee Lambson added another strong performance on the ground, totaling 161 yards and a score on 28 carries. Lambson has racked up 1,758 yards in this campaign, good for second all-time in a Thunderbird football season.
George Ramirez led the way on defense, tallying a team-high 9 tackles and forcing a fumble. Raymon Crump added 5 tackles and an interception in the win.
A long time coming
Not only did the win secure at least a .500 season for the T-birds, but it also snapped an 18-game losing streak to ranked FCS opponents.
Before taking down the No. 24 Bears on Saturday, SUU had not defeated a Top 25 team since a 48-20 win at home against No. 23 Northern Arizona on Nov. 18, 2017.
Coach Fitzgerald postgame
Up next
The T-birds (6-5, 5-2 UAC) will look to clinch a winning season and rivalry victory in Cedar City in the final game of the 2024 season.
SUU will battle Utah Tech on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. MT, and the game can be seen on ESPN+.
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