2022 Utah Tech Trailblazers Football (1-6/0-2 WAC)
Game No. 8
at No. 19 Stephen F. Austin (5-3/2-0 WAC)
Saturday, October 29; 1 p.m. (MT)
Homer Bryce Stadium (25,000); Nacogdoches, Texas
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | SFA
Utah Tech Football Media Central
Live TV: NONE
Live Streaming Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: THE FAN SPORTS RADIO NETWORK (99.5 FM)
Live Stats: at SFA
Twitter: @UtahTech_Sports | @UtahTechFB | #UtahTechBlazers | #WACfb
FOR STARTERS: • Saturday's game at No. 19 Stephen F. Austin will be the second-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Lumberjacks on the gridiron.
• The first meeting came last season in St. George (10/23/21) when the 'Jacks scored the first 20 points and spoiled the Trailblazers' Homecoming with a 37-20 road win.
• Utah Tech will look to snap its five-game losing skid on Saturday, and will vie for its first road win and first WAC win of the 2022 campaign on Saturday afternoon.
• The Blazers will be playing just its fourth game ever in the "Lone Star State" on Saturday, with all three previous games coming over the two seasons.
• UT made the most of its Texas, and D-I FCS, debut when the Blazers knocked off then No. 22 Tarleton State by a 26-14 count (2/27/21). Utah Tech returned the next week and dropped a hard-fought 36-29 decision at FBS member New Mexico State (3/7/21) in a game played in the Sun Bowl in El Paso due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Last season the Blazers ran into then No. 1-ranked and defending FCS national champion Sam Houston, which blitzed UT by a 59-10 count (11/6/21) in Huntsville.
QUICK HITS: • Utah Tech's "Spread-N-Shred" offense was held below 300 total yards for the third-straight game, though the Blazers did manage to gain 262 yards (204 in the air) in last Saturday's home loss to Sam Houston.
• Utah Tech's defense stepped up big in the fourth quarter vs. Sam Houston, limiting the Bearkats to 39 total yards while forcing one turnover.
• Senior LB
Malaki Malaki made program history last Saturday night as he became Utah Tech's all-time leader in tackles (277) after he racked up a season-high 12 tackles vs. SHSU to lead a strong Trailblazer defensive effort.
• Meanwhile, sophomore LB
Will Leota was solid once again as finished with seven stops vs. SHSU to go with his second career interception, which came in the fourth quarter and set-up a Trailblazer field goal.
• Sophomore WR
Joey Hobert moved into a tie for fourth place on UT's single-season TD receptions list after he caught his seventh of the season in the fourth quarter vs. Sam Houston on Saturday night.
• RS-Freshman QB
Victor Gabalis threw for a collegiate career-high 193 yards with one TD off the bench last Saturday vs. SHSU.
HI MY NAME IS...: The Trailblazers began the 2022 season with a new institutional name - Utah Tech University.
This past July 1, the university re-branded to the new moniker, replacing "Dixie State University," while the "Trailblazers" nickname remained in place.
NEW RADIO HOME OF UT ATHLETICS:
Along with the new name, Utah Tech University Athletics announced in July a new five-year multimedia agreement with Canyon Media Corporation.
Beginning this fall through the 2026-27 season, all Trailblazer football and men's basketball games, including comprehensive pregame and post game coverage, will be broadcast live on
The Fan Sports Network (99.5/95.3 FM in St. George; 93.1 FM/1400 AM in Cedar City).
The agreement will also feature select coverage of several other Trailblazer Athletic events throughout the year.
AND A NEW VOICE: In conjunction of the new radio home announcement, longtime Utah sportscaster
Rod Zundel was introduced as director of broadcasting and multimedia content for Trailblazer Athletics, and will serve as the new radio voice for football and men's basketball.
Along with complete radio coverage, Zundel will host
"The Paul Peterson Coaches Show" every Tuesday night on The Fan Sports Network at 6 p.m. He will also oversee the production of several weekly Trailblazer student-athlete, coach and team online video feature stories, along with other digital content throughout the year.
Joining Zundel in the broadcast booth this season is former NFL and Super Bowl winning quarterback
Jay Schroeder, who will provide color analysis for nine of UT's 11 2022 games, while former UT linebacker
Steve Cook (2006-08) will serve as sideline reporter for select games.
WELCOME TO THE WAC: Utah Tech kicked off the 2022 season as a full football member of the Western Athletic Conference.
Utah Tech will play all five other members of the WAC, though Saturday night's game vs. Sam Houston will not officially count as a conference game.
Due to previous game contract agreements last season, the Blazers were only able to play a limited three-game WAC schedule.
HITTING THE TRAIL: After traveling nearly 13,300 miles for five road dates last season, Utah Tech will "only" have to navigate a grand total of 7,424 miles to-and-from its six road dates this season.
Three of the Blazers' six road games will be played in the Beehive State, including road tilts earlier this season at Weber State (9/17) in Ogden (676 total miles), and a 102-mile round trip on I-15 to Cedar City for their WAC opener at Southern Utah (9/24).
Utah Tech will also stay in-state for its season finale at FBS member BYU, which will be played in Provo (516 total miles) on Saturday, Nov. 19.
UT will also rack up just over 6,100 air miles for its other three road games. In fact, this weekend's trip to Nacogdoches will be the Blazers' longest trip of the season (2,674 miles).
The Blazers traveled 912 miles round trip to Sacramento (9/3) to open the season, and flew 2,544 miles to and from Cedar Falls for their last road game at Northern Iowa (10/15).
Last season, UT covered 4,697 round trip miles just to play at Delaware (10/30/21), which was the longest trip to play a football game in the program's NCAA era.
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech saw a furious fourth quarter rally come up just short as the Trailblazers dropped a hard-fought 18-13 home decision to Sam Houston on a rainy Saturday night inside Greater Zion Stadium.
Trailing 18-3 heading into the fourth quarter, UT scored 10 unanswered points, capped by a
Victor Gabalis-to-Joey Hobert 10-yard touchdown connection, which made it a one possession game with 6:33 remaining.
The Trailblazer defense, which was stout in the fourth quarter, forced a three-and-out on the Bearkats' ensuing possession, and
David Fisher flipped the field with a 40-yard punt return with just over five minutes to play.
Utah Tech then drew a roughing the passer penalty, which moved the ball to the Bearkat 19. Unfortunately for the Trailblazers that would be as close as they would get to the end zone as Sam Houston forced three Gabalis incompletions, and sacked the sophomore quarterback on fourth down.
UTAH TECH VS. RANKED OPPONENTS:
After playing six top-25 teams in arguably the toughest schedule in the entire FCS subdivision last fall, Utah Tech has "only" three top-25 opponents on its 2022 docket to this point of the season.
Including losses earlier this season to current No. 2/3 Sacramento State (9/3) and No. 5/7 Weber State (9/17), UT is slated to face all three ranked opponents on the road, with Saturday's WAC match-up at No. 19 SFA coming up on Saturday afternoon.
Following the loss at Weber State, Utah Tech fell to 3-26 all-time (2-26 AFCA) against ranked opponents in its NCAA era, which includes 14 years as a Division-II program, and two-plus years at the D-I FCS subdivision.
The Trailblazers' 2021 gauntlet was rated as the second-toughest schedule at the FCS level (.640) behind only Northern Iowa (.651) by the folks at
WarrenNolan.com.
UT's 2021 slate featured seven 2021 FCS Fall playoff teams, and the 10 FCS teams the Blazers played combined to post 82-39 (.677) overall record.
Utah Tech did split a pair of games against ranked opponents during the Spring 2021 season, highlighted by its third-ever triumph over a ranked foe in the opener at then-No. 22 Tarleton (Stat Perform ranking, 26-14; 2/27/21). UT also dropped a hard-fought 37-27 decision at then-No. 9 Kennesaw State (AFCA and Stat Perform; 3/20/21).
Prior to the Tarleton road result, the last UT win vs. a ranked opponent came on Nov. 3, 2018, in a 52-45 thriller at home against then-No. 6 Colorado School of Mines (D-II/RMAC). The Trailblazers claimed their first win over a ranked opponent in a 38-31 victory at then-No. 23 Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction (D-II) in 2016.
O CAPTAINS! MY CAPTAINS!: Utah Tech will take the field in 2022 with five team captains leading the charge. As selected by their teammates, senior offensive lineman
Nathen Aceves, redshirt freshman quarterback
Victor Gabalis, senior linebacker
Malaki Malaki, and senior safety
Darrius Nash were all announced before the season opener. In addition, sophomore WR
Joey Hobert was named a captain prior to the SUU game.
YO JOE: Speaking of Hobert, the sophomore wideout caught his team-leading seventh touchdown pass of the year in the fourth quarter vs. Sam Houston last Saturday night. His scoring grab also moved him into a tie for fourth on UT's single-season TD reception list.
Hobert finished with seven catches for 55 yards vs. the Bearkats, which marked the sixth time the sophomore had at least six receptions and one touchdown in seven games overall.
Earlier this season, Hobert became the first Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to record four-straight 100-yard receiving games in his first four career games.
The sophomore also became just the second player in the program's four-year era to record four-straight, 100-yard receiving games overall. The last to do it was former Blazer tight end
Joe Don Duncan, who achieved the feat twice in 2011 (five-straight) and 2013 (four-straight) during his All-American career.
Hobert announced his presence with authority in his Blazer debut at Sacramento State (9/3), against which he caught 11 balls for 183 yards and a touchdown. His 183 yards were the eighth-most in a single game in the program's NCAA era, while his 11 catches were tied for sixth-most.
He followed that up with six receptions for 161 yards (#10 on UT's single game list) and two TDs in the Chadron State home win (9/10), both of which came in the second half on receptions of 38 and 50 yards. He then went for 10 receptions for 123 yards and a score at Weber State (9/17), and caught six passes for 105 yards and a TD at SUU (9/24).
Hobert heads into Saturday's game at SFA as the WAC leader and third-overall in the
FCS in receiving yards per game (109.3), and is fourth-nationally in receiving yards (765 - #2 in the WAC).
Meanwhile he is seventh nationally in receptions/game (7.4 rpg), t-7th in receptions (52), t-12th in TDs (7), and 24th in all-purpose yards/game (121.9 ypg), all of which (except all-purpose yards/game - 2nd in the WAC) are good for the WAC lead in each stat category.
TD STREAKS: Hobert also became just the second player in UT's NCAA era to catch at least one touchdown pass in the first four games of a season, and was the fourth player in program history to have a streak of four or more games with at least TD catch.
Joe Don Duncan holds the record for the longest streak to open a season as he caught 10 of his single-season record 13 touchdowns over his first six games in 2013. Duncan also had a five-game TD streak during second half of the 2011 season.
Former WR
Kyser Christensen was the first to achieve the feat with a four-game streak in 2010, while former WR
Mitch Frei caught a TD pass in five-straight games in 2012.
BLAZING TRAILS
•
Victor Gabalis threw for a UT and collegiate career-high 193 yards on 16-of-36 passing and a touchdown last Saturday night vs. Sam Houston.
•
Gabalis' 193 yards eclipsed his previous career-high total of 180 yards (with two TDs), which he racked up in a reserve role after he started the second half of the 2021 Sun Bowl vs. Central Michigan last season while at Washington State.
• RS-Sophomore QB
Kobe Tracy became the third signal caller in the program's NCAA era to surpass 3,000 passing yards after he threw for 277 yards on 19-36-2 passing at SUU (9/24) ... Tracy, who has been hampered by injury over the past couple weeks, has thrown for 3,063 career yards in the air, and also stands third in career total offense (3,065).
• Tracy's 388-yard night vs. Chadron State (9/10) was his fourth-career 300-plus passing game, which moved him into a tie for second place (
Griff Robles 2012-13) on UT's career list.
• Tracy's two TD tosses at Southern Utah (9/24) was his sixth multi-TD game of his career, while is three TD passes vs. Chadron State (9/10) tied his career high (3 vs. Fort Lewis; 11/13/21).
• Tracy also extended his streak with at least on TD pass to nine-straight games with his first scoring toss at SUU, though he unfortunately saw that streak come to an end at Northern Iowa two weeks ago (10/15).
• Utah Tech's 506 yards passing at Sacramento State (9/3) was the highest total since the program began its NCAA FCS transition in 2020-21, and is the third-highest single-game total in the program's four-year era.
• Meanwhile, the 579 total yards gained at Sac State were the program's most during its FCS transition.
• Meanwhile, UT's 579 total yards at Sac State were the most yards gained in a season opener since the Blazers went for 640 yards on the road at Colorado Mesa (9/6/14).
• In addition, the 579 yards gained at Sac State are the third most in
Paul Peterson's tenure as head coach (677 vs. Black Hills State - 10/5/19; 591 vs. Colorado Mesa - 11/2/19), while the 561 yards vs. Chadron are the fourth-most.
• The two 500-plus yard games at both Sac State and vs. Chadron marked the first time in the program's NCAA era that the Trailblazers gained more than 500 yards in back-to-back games to start a season.
• In all, it was the sixth time overall that UT/DSU posted consecutive 500-plus yard games, and the second instance in the
Paul Peterson era (2019) ... Utah Tech also did it twice in both 2013 and 2018.
• Sophomore RB
Quali Conley rushed for a career-high 151 yards and a touchdown in UT's loss to ACU on Oct. 1, and in the process, became just the seventh different running back in the program's NCAA era to post back-to-back 100-yard games (112 at SUU; 9/24).
• Conley also became the ninth rusher in the program's NCAA era to reach the 1,000-yard plateau and has moved into eighth on UT's career rushing list (1,132).
• Conley earned WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors this past Sept. 12, after he rushed for a career high three touchdowns and a then-career high 139 yards in the win over Chadron State (9/10).
• The sophomore carried the ball a season-high 21 times en route to his first collegiate 100-yard rushing game, while his three TDs, coupled with his scoring run vs. ACU on Oct. 1, vaulted him into sixth place (10 TDs) on UT's career rushing TD list.
• Conley rebounded from a then-season low 10 yards rushing at Weber State (9/17) with a game-high 112 yards on 14 carries at SUU (9/24).
• Conley's back-to-back 100-yard rushing games came just over four years since the last Blazer RB achieved the feat, that being former back
Sei-J Lauago, who went for 168 yards (9/15) and 144 yards (9/22) in consecutive home wins over NM Highlands and South Dakota Mines, respectively, during the 2018 season.
• Conley, who is averaging 6.1 ypc over his last four games, enters the weekend second in the WAC in rushing (76.1 ypg), while he is second in the conference in total rushing yards (422) and rushing TDs (5).
• Conley currently stands eighth (1,196 yards) on UT's career rushing list ... he needs just four more yards to become the eighth back to gain at least 1,200 rushing, and is 101 yards away from vaulting all the way to fifth on UT's career rushing list.
• Conley recorded his seventh career game with a TD run in the ACU (10/1) loss.
• Conley became the eighth different running back, and the 15th different player, in UT's NCAA era to score at least three touchdowns in one game ... former Trailblazer RB
Drew Kannely-Robles broke both single game TD records with four rushing touchdowns in last year's home win vs. Fort Lewis (11/13/21).
• Conley also has three career TD receptions to go with his 10 scoring runs, and his 13 combined TDs moved him into a tie for 10th place (
Skyler Ence, 10 TDs; 2006-09) on that career list.
• Freshman RB
Jeter Fenton made the most of his first collegiate carry late in the fourth quarter vs. ACU (10/1) as rambled 31 yards on 4th-and-1 ... Fenton's carry is Utah Tech's longest run from scrimmage to this point of the season ... Fenton got the start last Saturday vs. SHSU and rushed five times for 12 yards.
• Sophomore defensive back
Kyle Floyd also made his offensive debut in the Blazer backfield vs. ACU as he carried the ball four times for two net yards ... Floyd followed that up with a team-high 14 yards on the ground and career-high eight tackles at UNI (10/15).
• For the second time this season, and just the second time in the last 20 games overall, UT had a 100-yard rusher (Conley) and a 100-yard receiver (Hobert) in the same game, as the pair achieved the feat at SUU on Sept. 24.
• The dynamic duo first did it in UT's win vs. Chadron State (9/10), which was the first occurrence since the 2019 campaign, when RB
Sei-J Lauago (185 yd) and WR
Jalen Powell(127) did it vs. Colorado Mesa (11/2/19).
• UT also snapped a 28-game stretch between having a 300-yard passer (Tracy) and a 100-yard rusher (Conley) in the Chadron win ... the last time that happened came all the way back to the 2018 season when
Michael Sanders also threw for 388 yards, and Lauago rushed for 103 yards at Adams State (11/10/18).
• While Hobert was doing his thing at Sac State (9/3), fifth-year WR
Deven Osborne caught six balls for 113 yards and a TD, which was his third career 100-yard receiving game.
• Osborne notched a pair of 100-plus yard games during the 2021 Spring season, highlighted a 147-yard effort with a pair of TDs vs. Fort Lewis (3/27/21) ... he also hauled in a career-best nine balls for 127 yards and a score at Kennesaw State (3/20/21).
• Hobert and Osborne's combined effort at Sac State marked the first time since the 2019 season that Utah Tech had two 100-yard receivers in one game (
Kasey Allison – 126/
Chase Hess – 107, vs. Black Hills State; 10/5/19).
• In fact, Utah Tech's receiving corps just missed making history at Sac State as sophomore WR
David Fisher tallied 96 yards on three catches, including the 72-yard first quarter connection with Gabalis.
• Utah Tech has never had three receivers go for 100 or more yards in a single game in the program's NCAA era, with the Sac State game marking the closest UT has come to achieving that feat.
• Utah Tech has only had two 100-yard receivers in one game just 11 times in 173 NCAA-era games.
• Six different receivers have caught TD passes through seven games this season ... along with Hobert and Osborne, junior wideout
Rickie Johnson added his name to the list with his first of the year at SUU (9/24), and the fourth TD of his career at UNI (10/15) ...
junior Michael Moten also notched his third career TD in the Sac State opener, while fellow junior
Malcolm Ross-Turner made his second-career TD reception in the third quarter vs. Chadron (9/10) ... Fisher then added his name to the list with his first of the year which got UT on the board at Weber State (9/17).
• While Utah Tech has had 75 instances where a player gained 100 or more yards receiving in its NCAA era, Hobert (161 yards) became the first player to finish a game with a yardage total in the 160s ... that said, UT is still waiting for the first receiver to finish in the 190s.
• While the UT offense was doing its thing in the second half vs. Chadron, the Blazer defense was the story, forcing five second half Eagle turnovers, including four INTs, and held Chadron to just 288 total yards, including only 129 on the ground on the night.
• UT's defense also held Chadron State without a touchdown pass in the win, which marked the 32nd time in 174 NCAA-era games the defense had achieved that feat.
• Utah Tech scored seven touchdowns in the second half vs. Chadron, two of which came on the defensive side thanks to a pair of pick-6s by senior linebacker
Kaejin Smith-Bejgrowicz and sophomore safety
Tyrell Grayson.
• Smith-Bejgrowicz kick-started Utah Tech's dominant second half with his third career interception, which he returned 32 yards to pay dirt for his first career touchdown just 1:22 in the third quarter.
• Grayson followed suit in the fourth with his third career pick, which he returned 51 yards for his first collegiate TD.
• The two defensive scores marked the second time the program's NCAA era that Utah Tech's defense achieved that feat. In 2019, the Trailblazers housed two interceptions in a big 55-0 home win over New Mexico Highlands (
Aaron Simpson/Augustus Fraser; 9/21/19).
• Grayson's TD was one of three scores Utah Tech recorded in a span of 1:42 to begin the fourth quarter ... Tracy and Hobert hooked up for a 38-yard TD on the first play of the period (14:52) ... Grayson followed with his TD just 33 seconds later (14:19), before another Chadron INT set up a Tracy-to-Hobert 50-yard catch and run on 3rd-and-10 at the 13:18 mark.
• Senior DBs
Darrius Nash and
Steven Ashby accounted for the other two interceptions for the Blazers defense, while freshman DB
Jonah Henry collected his first collegiate fumble recovery, forced by sophomore DL
Laytan Tanuvasa, as Utah Tech scored touchdowns on all five Chadron miscues on the night.
• Grayson led the Blazer defense with 11 total tackles (7 solo) at Weber State (9/17) ... he opened the year with 10 solo tackles at Sac State (9/3), which was his third double-digit solo stop game in his two-plus standout seasons in the Blazer defensive backfield.
• Grayson also had 12 solo tackles (13 total) in last year's home match-up against the Hornets (9/4/21), and posted a career-high 15 solo stops at UC Davis (9/18/21) in a game where he tied the program's NCAA-era record for total tackles with 19.
• Grayson enters the weekend third in the WAC in total tackles (57) an solo stops (34)
.
• Grayson led all of FCS, albeit unofficially, in solo tackles with 79 and led the WAC with 103 total tackles last season on his way to freshman All-America honors.
• Sophomore DL
Syrus Webster collected a career-high 2.5 TFLs, including his fourth career sack, vs. ACU back on Oct. 1 ... Webster had UT's lone sack through the Blazers' first four games, which came on a third quarter strip-sack in the season opener at Sacramento State (9/3).
• Webster finished with five tackles (3 solo) at Weber State ... he also racked up six tackles (5 solo) and two TFLs at Sac State (9/3) ... the sophomore now has 4.0 sacks and 10.5 TFLs in 15 career games.
• Senior DL
Dylan Hendrickson accounted for UT's second sack vs. ACU (10/1), which came on the Wildcats' first possession of the second half.
• Hendrickson's sack, the 12th of his career, moved him into a tie for second place on UT's career sack list and leaves him two full sacks shy of becoming the program's all-time sack leader (
Chad Frank - 13.5 sack; 2007-08) ... in addition, his sack moved him into t-10th on UT's career TFL list (17.5).
• Senior LB
Malaki Malaki collected a season-high 12 tackles vs. Sam Houston last Saturday, and in the process, became Utah Tech's career tackles leader (277) ... Malaki passed former UT defensive standout
Chad Frank (2007-08) tallied 275 total tackles over his two seasons at UT.
• Meanwhile
Nash (203) became the eighth player in the program's NCAA era to surpass the 200-tackle plateau after he tallied four total tackles last Saturday vs SHSU ... Nash needs only three more tackles to move into sixth on UT's career list.
• Junior DL
Sam Kanongata'a made a little history as he recorded the first blocked field goal in UT's FCS era just before halftime vs. ACU (10/1) ... prior to Kanongata'a's block, the Trailblazers had gone 22 games since they blocked a field goal, which was done by former UT lineman
Tyler Heaton at home vs. Colorado Mesa (11/2/2019).
• Utah Tech tied a school record with eight total touchdowns in the Chadron win (9/10) ... sophomore PK
Connor Brooksby also tied his own school PAT record, which he shares with former kicker
Jameson Schultz (8 PATs at Simon Fraser 2011).
• Brooksby went 8-for-8 in PAT tries in the game, which matched his first 8-for-8 effort that came last season vs. Fort Lewis (11/13/2021) ... Brooksby is now a perfect 37-of-37 in PATs after he hit on both attempts last Saturday at UNI, which moved him into sixth on UT's career PAT list.
• Brooksby also vaulted into solo second on UT's career FG list after he hit both of his attempts last Saturday vs. SHSU ... the sophomore is now 16-for-26 (.615) in FG tries overall and he needs only three more to become UT's career FG leader.
• Utah Tech's 56 points scored vs. Chadron State tied for third on the program's single game points list, while the 46-point margin of victory was also the third-highest in UT's NCAA era.
#AB3FOREVER: Senior linebacker
Malaki Malaki has once again been awarded the No. 3 jersey for the 2022 season. The senior captain is the second Trailblazer player to wear the coveted number since the 2021 spring season.
The awarding of the No. 3 jersey has become an annual tradition honoring the memory of former Trailblazer football player
Abraham Reinhardt, who passed away unexpectedly on March 22, 2019.
Head Football Coach Paul Peterson noted that the No. 3 jersey would be awarded to a student-athlete who best exemplified Reinhardt's leadership, both on and off the field.
"When we lost a great young man in Abraham [in 2019], we wanted to honor him and his legacy the best we possibly could," Coach Peterson said. "Abe was a perfect representative of our team culture which focuses on toughness, hard work, trust and accountability.
"Malaki exemplifies everything that we are trying to build here at Utah Tech. He is tough, works tremendously hard, is a great student and leader. Malaki will continue to wear AB3's jersey this season in honor of his legacy."
ABOUT THE STEPHEN F. AUSTIN "LUMBERJACKS": SFA began the year as the overwhelming choice to win the 2022 WAC title, receiving four of the possible six first-place votes.
The Lumberjacks are already 2-0 in WAC play, having defeated Tarleton State (W, 41-24; 10/15) and Southern Utah (W, 41-38; 10/22) over the last two weeks. SFA has won three-straight over and four of its last five, a stretch that started with a 98-0 (yes 98-0) victory over NAIA member Warner (FL), while the 'Jacks lone loss was a slim 17-16 setback vs. SHSU back on Oct. 1.
Senior WR
Xavier Gipson, who was tabbed as the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year, is coming off a career game last Saturday at SUU, against which he caught 10 passes for an SFA record 256 yards and two TDs on his way to WAC Player of the Week honors. That effort also helped vault him to the conference lead in receiving yards (756).
Senior QB
Trae Self currently leads the WAC in pass efficiency (146.36) while throwing for 1,742 yards on 125-of-216 passing with a WAC-high 16 touchdowns. Meanwhile, freshman running back
Jerrell Wimbley has rushed for 509 yards (63.3 ypg) on 86 carries with three TDs.
SFA is averaging 37.8 ppg and 415.1 ypg of total offense, while allowing 29.8 ppg and 407.5 ypg on defense through eight games this season.
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will close out its 2022 home slate with a two-game homestand, beginning with a Homecoming non-conference showdown vs. Southern Utah next Saturday night, Nov. 5. Kick off inside Greater Zion Stadium is set for 6 p.m.