Southern Utah rallied in the second half to take the lead against UTEP and then had to survive multiple comeback attempts to win 27-24 in overtime. The Thunderbirds won against an FBS for the fourth time in school history and the first time since they defeated South Alabama 22-21 in 2013. It was also the first FCS over FBS win for the United Athletic Conference since it came into existence in 2023.
It was a sloppy game, especially in the final quarter and overtime, with the two teams combining for 23 penalties and 202 penalty yards. There were no turnovers by either team but the special teams missed a combined three field goals. Targhee Lambson was the star of the game racking up 183 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries as SUU rushed for 268 yards.
The game opened with three straight 75-yard touchdown drives as SUU’s 40-yard strike from Bronson Barron to Zach Mitchell was sandwiched between UTEP’s Skyler Locklear throwing a TD pass and running another one in. The defenses settled in after that with only a field goal added on by UTEP to make it 17-6 at halftime. The second saw a heavy dose of Targhee Lambson with the first drive culminating in a missed field goal. The second drive showcased Braedon Wissler at the start and Lambson at the end with the latter rumbling for a 20-yard score to make it a 17-14 game following a successful two-point conversion. Lambson made his presence known again early in the fourth quarter when he outran the UTEP defense from 46 yards out to give SUU a 21-17 lead.
UTEP had a chance to cut the deficit to 21-20 but missed a field goal wide left, foreshadowing what was to come in overtime. Southern Utah kept the ball on the ground with Jackson Berry and Lambson getting to the edge of the red zone. The Thunderbirds settled for a field goal to take a 24-17 lead but UTEP came back with a game-tying drive capped off on a trick play that saw Locklear on the receiving end of a 4-yard touchdown pass.
In overtime, SUU saw another big third-down run from Jackson Berry but penalties crept up at the worst time with back-to-back offences putting them in a 2nd and 34 from the UTEP 37. It was Berry again who picked up 21 yards to put the Thunderbirds back into field goal range, which Daniel King slotted in the left upright from 33 yards out. The SUU defense stopped UTEP on its 3rd down and forced a field goal attempt, which went wide left. However, SUU was offside giving UTEP another set of downs. The defense stepped up again and forced a 32-yard field goal attempt, which again went wide left.
Southern Utah will have its home opener next week against UC Davis before completing the non-conference schedule against Idaho State on Saturday, September 21. The Thunderbirds being United Athletic Conference play with a road trip to Austin Peay on Saturday, September 28.
Photo Credit to Gaby Velasquez / El Paso Times
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