Southern Utah defense forces 3 late turnovers, defeats Utah Tech 31-17 to claim ‘Battle of the Axe’

Written by E. George Goold
September 25, 2022
In this file photo, Southern Utah University hosts Utah Tech in a football game, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Turnovers made the difference when Utah Tech and Southern Utah University renewed their rivalry on the gridiron Saturday night at Eccles Coliseum.

Southern Utah University hosts Utah Tech in a WAC conference football game, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

SUU forced three Trailblazer turnovers in the fourth quarter to secure a 31-17 victory in the first meeting between the two teams in 60 years. 

“We came into the game leading the country in turnover margin,” SUU coach DeLane Fitzgerald said in a press conference after the win, adding that the T-Birds defense played well but didn’t force a turnover in the first half.

“You go into halftime and you’re a little bit hesitant about what you’re saying to your defensive players,” Fitzgerald said. “We came out in the second half and it’s three to one turnover margin. That’s the difference in the game.”

Utah Tech came out of the chute with a purpose, taking the opening kickoff down the field with a 13-yard run by Quali Conley and a 30-yard pass from quarterback Kobe Tracy to Deven Osborne.

However the drive stalled when SUU stopped the Trailblazers on a 4th-and-1 play.  

SUU stormed right back with a 1-yard touchdown run by Elijah Burns, set up by a 44-yard pass play from quarterback Justin Miller to receiver Isaiah Wooden.

Wooden’s name is familiar to UTU fans as he played his freshman year in St. George when the school was still called Dixie State. Wooden transferred from there to Kent State and then to SUU this year as a fifth-year player.

Wooden scorched his former team Saturday night, hauling in five passes for 129 yards and a score.

“As far as for me, it felt like a rivalry,” Wooden said. “I mean, there’s a lot of people on that team I know. They have a good coaching staff as well. So I just wanted to show them that I could play. Don’t forget about me, that’s basically it.”

Southern Utah University hosts Utah Tech in a WAC conference football game, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Utah Tech tied the game 7-7 on its ensuing drive with Tracy’s 13-yard scoring strike to Rickie Johnson, whose spectacular leaping grab in the corner of the end zone evened the score late in the first quarter. 

Miller’s 65-yard touchdown bomb to Wooden gave the home team a 14-7 advantage in the second.

Conley’s catch-and-run of 47 yards then set up Utah Tech on the SUU 20-yard line. Former Pine View High School kicker Connor Brooksby nailed a 20-yard boot and the Trailblazers cut the lead to 14-10. 

An answering 47-yard field goal from Micah Pettit and a 3-yard TD pass from Miller to Ethan Bolingbroke just before halftime put the home team ahead for good 24-10.

Utah Tech kept pace with a touchdown pass late in the third frame.

Tracy lofted a jump ball to the end zone, where Joey Hobert beat three defenders to pluck the pill from the sky and somehow stay in bounds. It was a one-score game, 24-17, entering the final quarter.

The Trailblazers had a golden opportunity to tie the score after freshman linebacker Jared Fotu recovered a Miller fumble that stopped SUU on the 1-yard line.

But UT had to punt the ball back, and SUU ran a 7-play, 60-yard scoring drive capped by Bobby Cole’s 9-yard scoring burst with 4:55 remaining in the contest.

SUU’s Rodrick Ward snared his second interception of the game to secure the victory.

Utah Tech tallied 376 yards of total offense on the night, with 302 of those yards coming through the air. Tracy wound up 19-of-36 passing for 277 yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Conley posted his second-career 100-yard rushing game and racked up 112 yards on the ground to go with 50 yards receiving.

Hobert finished with six catches for 105 yards to go with his touchdown. The sophomore receiver continued to add to his impressive start, becoming the first Trailblazer in the program’s NCAA era to record four-straight 100-yard receiving games and catch at least one TD pass in his first four career games. 

Miller threw 352 yards on 25-of-33 passing and two touchdowns, while Burns led SUU with 61 yards rushing to go with his first-quarter score. SUU finished with 449 yards of total offense.

Utah Tech (1-3, 0-1 Western Athletic Conference) returns home next Saturday for a WAC match-up against Abilene Christian. Kick-off inside Greater Zion Stadium is set for 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, SUU (3-1, 1-0) goes on a long road trip next Saturday to play Eastern Kentucky. 

The two teams are scheduled to meet again in six weeks, when the Trailblazers will host the T-Birds in a rematch on Nov. 5 at Greater Zion Stadium for homecoming.

Cedar City News reporter Jeff Richards contributed to this report.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master's degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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