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- Southern Utah secured a 42-21 homecoming victory over Eastern Kentucky at Eccles Coliseum, marking their first win at home this season.
- The Thunderbirds scored in every quarter without settling for field goals, and their defense held strong until the second half.
- Targhee Lambson shone with 170 rushing yards and three touchdowns, leading the team's offensive charge.
CEDAR CITY — The Southern Utah offense exploded against Eastern Kentucky Saturday afternoon and away with a 42-21 homecoming victory.
The Thunderbirds have fought tooth and nail on their home turf, now outscoring opponents 100-83, but the win against the Colonels was the team's first in Eccles Coliseum this season.
Southern Utah scored at least once in every quarter and never settled for a field goal in the win, while the defense did not allow a touchdown until the second half. It was also the Thunderbirds' highest-scoring game of the year.
Targhee Lambson was a star for the Southern Utah offense, again. The senior running back led all players with 170 rushing yards as he charged his way into the end zone three times.
"I show up to Targhee every drive, look at him and say 'take us to the promise land,'" quarterback Jackson Berry said.
After doing all the quarterback work for the Thunderbirds the past two weeks, Bronson Barron was sidelined with a wrist injury. Berry took the helm against the Colonels, and steered his way to the best game of his career. He threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns without giving up an interception.
"I saw a leader," Thunderbird head coach DeLane Fitzgerald said of Berry's performance. "I saw a guy bounce back from adversity and have a really good week of practice and then come in today and lead. Good leader, good football player, good quarterback."
Though a win, the Thunderbirds started out the game with exactly what they didn't want to do, which was a three-and-out series.
When Alyas Vigil's punt pinned the Colonels inside their own 20-yard line, the defense got to work. Though Eastern Kentucky gained some ground, a couple QB hurries forced incomplete passes and a turnover on downs, giving Southern Utah another chance to be the first scorer.
Berry and his offense exercised patience in the laborious, six-minute possession. He completed four straight passes to four different targets, while Lambson and Niko Alailefaleula did the leg work. It all amounted to Lambson's first touchdown of the day, a short 3-yard rush to put Southern Utah on top.
In an attempt to answer, the Colonels made their way to the red zone, where they faced a fourth-down situation. Instead of risking another turnover, they opted for a field goal, and Patrick Nations put it through the uprights from 34 yards out, making it 7-3.
The Thunderbirds continued their disciplined play and this time took eight minutes off the clock before reaching the end zone. Berry completed all but one pass on the drive, with his last attempt reaching Gabe Nunez who ran it in for the score.
Eastern Kentucky, in contrast with Southern Utah, consistently tried to play fast, rarely meeting for a pre-play huddle. It got the Colonels down the field quickly, but they still had a tough time finishing drives. Again they faced a fourth down, and again they tried for a field goal. Nations missed the 38-yard kick and the score held at 14-3.
Southern Utah was unable to earn insurance points before the half, but Eastern Kentucky wanted to enter the break on a high note. Back in Thunderbird territory, the Colonels put their faith in Nations again, and he nailed a 47-yarder to match his season best and tack on 3 more points for Eastern Kentucky.
The Colonels re-entered the game feeling hot. Redshirt senior Joshua Carter collected 32 yards on the first drive of the half, all rushing, ending with a 2-yard touchdown. A double-pass play resulted in a successful 2-point conversion, tying the game at 14 apiece.
"We scored first, which is big. We were winning at halftime, which was big," Fitzgerald said. "Even when they scored in the second half and got the 2-point conversion, I didn't get real worried because I knew we were gonna play well in the second half."
With their lead completely erased, the Thunderbirds took the field with a little more urgency. Devin Downing came alive and contributed two of his three receptions on the ensuing drive: one was good for a 45-yard gain to break into the red zone and the other was a 12-yard touchdown. It was Downing's first career touchdown and his 69 receiving yards were also a career high.
Just like that, it was Southern Utah's game to lose. The next Eastern Kentucky possession lasted just one play, where quarterback Matt Morrissey fumbled the ball during a sack, and SUU's Parker Andrus recovered.
At the EKU 31-yard line, Lambson took matters into his own hands and carried every snap until he found the end zone again, building his team a 28-14 lead.
Southern Utah put the game away with two more scores. Berry threw a 38-yard pass to Shane Carr for the first, and Lambson completed his hat trick for the second.
Morrissey connected with Dequan Stanley for another Colonel score, but it was too little, too late.
"I've never in my career been prouder of a group of young men," Fitzgerald said. "We'll practice three days this coming week and be fresh-legged going into Georgia two weeks from now, and we've got a chance to put ourselves back in this conference title race."
The Thunderbirds, now with a winning record in UAC play, will get to enjoy the high for a while as they are scheduled for a bye week.
