Utah Tech rode several record-breaking performances on its way to reclaiming "The Ax" with a 48-36 shootout win over in-state rival Southern Utah on Homecoming Saturday night inside Greater Zion Stadium.
 
The victory moved the Trailblazers to 3-6 overall, 1-2 in WAC play, while SUU dropped to 3-6 on the year and 1-4 in the conference standings.
 
First for the records – in all five program records were broken or tied in the victory. Junior wide receiver Rickie Johnson highlighted the night as shattered the UT single-game record with 277 receiving yards and tied a school record with three touchdown receptions. 
 
In fact, Johnson's 277 yards on a career-high nine catches were the second-highest single game total in the NCAA Division I ranks this season - in both FCS and FBS subdivisions. Johnson passed for UT standout receiver Dejuan Dantzler, who racked up 241 yards on 11 catches nearly four years to the day in a Trailblazer Homecoming win vs. Colorado School of Mines back in the 2018 season (11/3/2018). 
 
Redshirt freshman quarterback Victor Gabalis also had a career night as he threw for 463 yards on 24-of-36 passing and tied a school record with five touchdown passes. 

Gabalis, who also threw for a record-tying five TDs in the Blazers' road win at Stephen F. Austin last Saturday, became just the sixth different quarterback in the program's NCAA era to throw for at least 400 yards in one game, while his 463 yards were the third-highest total in program history overall and are fifth most by an FCS quarterback this season (8^th in Division I overall). 
 
Meanwhile, sophomore placekicker Connor Brooksby became the program's all-time field goal leader (20-for-30, .667), which included a school record 55-yard boot with 3:35 to play in the first half.
 
As for the game, Utah Tech drew first blood on its opening possession, marching 72 yards in eight plays, bolstered by a 31-yard pass play from Gabalis to Johnson. However the drive stalled at the SUU 2-yard line and the Blazers had to settle for a Brooksby 29-yard field goal.
 
After the T-Birds answered with a field goal of their own on their initial possession, the Blazers used a pair of big plays on consecutive drives to open up a 17-3 lead just before the end of the first quarter.
 
Sophomore running back Quali Conley set up the UT's first touchdown with a 44-yard scamper to the SUU 15. Gabalis then cashed in the short field two plays later when he hooked up with Joey Hobert for a 6-yard touchdown toss.
 
Then after the Blazer defense forced an SUU punt, Utah Tech when big play again, this time on 3^rd-and 5 when Gabalis threw a deep ball over the middle to Johnson, who hauled in the pass for a 79-yard touchdown. The pass play was the longest scoring play for the Trailblazers this season.
 
SUU managed to get off the deck with 16-unanswered points in the second quarter thanks to a pair of TD runs by Isaiah Williams and Elijah Burns, which bookended a T-Bird defensive sack and safety in the end zone, to take its first lead of the game at 19-17 with 6:00 left in the first half.
 
The two teams then traded field goals and the lead, including Brooksby's record-breaking kick, though the Trailblazers wrestled the lead back just before halftime when Gabalis lofted a 6-yard scoring toss to Johnson over the middle with seven second remaining as UT took a 27-22 lead into the halftime break.
 
Utah Tech made a two-score game with six minutes to go in the third when Gabalis and Hobert connected for their second TD of the game, this one from 39-yards out on 4^th-and-4. Out of the shotgun, Gabalis fired a strike to Hobert, who beat two T-Bird defenders over the middle to haul in the pass at the SUU 5 and dove into the end zone to make it a 34-22 game.
 
After SUU responded with a Justin Miller 4-yard run with 1:22 left in the third, Gabalis and Johnson struck again just one play later to push the Blazer lead back to double digits at 41-29.
 
Gabalis took the shotgun snap and hit Johnson on a well-designed inside screen, and the junior receiver did the rest as he weaved his way around a pair of blockers to the open field and scampered 75 yards for his career-high third TD of the game.
 
SUU would again make a one score game after a Williams 2-yard run with 10:40 remaining, but the Trailblazers countered with a Conley 27-yard touchdown run just over one minute later to extend the lead back to 12 points. 

UT's defense put the clamps on the Thunderbirds from there, limiting SUU to just 52 yards over the final nine-plus minutes, with sophomore Syrus Webster providing the exclamation point with the career-high third sack of the night on the T-Birds' final play from scrimmage.
 
Utah Tech finished with a season-high 603 yards of total offense, while the Trailblazer defense limited SUU to 419 total yards.
 
Conley posted his fifth 100-yard game of the year as he rushed for a career-high 155 yards on 22 carries. The sophomore back also became the third rusher in UT's NCAA era to surpass 1,400 career rushing yards (1,482). 
 
In addition, Conley's fourth-quarter TD was the seventh of the season and 12^th of his career, which moved him into a tie for fourth place on both the UT single season and career touchdown lists. 
 
Meanwhile Hobert became just the second receiver in the program's NCAA era to surpass 1,000 receiving yards (1,018) as he racked up 144 yards on eight catches. The sophomore also moved into second place on UT's single-season touchdown list with his 11^th and 12^th TD catches of the year.  
 
Hobert enters the final two games of the season needing only 28 more yards and two touchdowns to pass former UT All-American tight end Joe Don Duncan (1,045 and 13 TDs; 2013) for first place on both of those single season lists. 
 
Utah Tech's defense also came up big as the Blazers tallied season highs of seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss on the night. Along with Webster's career sack total, sophomore safety Tyrell Grayson racked up a career-high three TFLs along with his second-career sack. 
 
Miller threw for 273 yards on 23-of-34 passing and rushed for 16 more yards to go with his touchdown to lead SUU.  
 
Utah Tech will wrap up its 2022 home schedule with a Senior Day Saturday matinee vs. WAC foe Tarleton State. Kick off inside Greater Zion Stadium is set for 1 p.m.