Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | WEBER STATE - PDF
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FOR STARTERS 
• Saturday's game vs. No. 13/12 Weber State will be the third-ever NCAA meeting between the Trailblazers and Wildcats on the gridiron.
• Utah Tech is 0-2 all-time vs. the Wildcats in its NCAA era, which includes a 41-3 home loss last season in St. George (9/11/21), and 44-7 result in Ogden during the 2008 campaign (9/13/08) when the program was in its third Division-II season in 2008.
• Utah Tech collected its first victory of the 2022 season on the strength of its 56-10 rout of former RMAC rival Chadron State last Saturday night inside Greater Zion Stadium.
• UT broke a 7-7 halftime tie with five unanswered touchdowns, including two pick-6s, and outscored the Eagles 49-3 after the intermission.
• UT moved to 7-10 all-time in home openers, and has won four of its last seven home debuts overall.
• UT will look to improve on its 2-25 all-time record vs. opponents (FCS and D-II) ranked in the AFCA top-25 Coaches' Poll when they square off against the Wildcats. UT opened the year with a loss at Sacramento State (33-56; 9/3), and went 0-6 against AFCA ranked teams last fall.

QUICK HITTERS
• Utah Tech's "Spread-N-Shred" offense enters Saturday's game as the "unofficial" leader in both the FCS, AND FBS, subdivisions in passing offense at 452.0 ypg through its first two games. UT is currently in its third transition season to NCAA Division I status and is not eligible for national rankings.  
• Redshirt sophomore QB Kobe Tracy got the start against Chadron State and threw for a career-high 388 yards on 25-of-44 passing with a career-high tying three TDs.
• Sophomore running back Quali Conley was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after he rushed for career highs of 139 yards and three TDs in the Chadron win. The 139-yard performance was his first collegiate 100-yard rush game.
• Sophomore WR Joey Hobert continues to shine in his Blazer debut season as he hauled in six passes for 161 yards and two TDs vs. Chadron. That effort came on the heels of his 11-catch, 183-yard night with a touchdown at Sacramento State (9/3), which is the fifth-highest single game yardage total in the FCS this season.

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 Fox Sports Southern Utah (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 Fox Sports Southern Utah 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, while former UT linebacker Steve Cook (2006-08) will serve as sideline reporter for select games.  

READY FOR PRIMETIME: Utah Tech will make its Utah state-wide television debut when it takes the field on Saturday night. The game will be broadcast live on KJZZ-TV (Channel 14 on most cable providers and Dish/DirectTV), with Dave Fox, Alema Harrington and Tony Parks covering the action. 

UT/WEBER STATE TIES: One member of Utah Tech's coaching staff is very familiar with the Wildcat program.
        Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coach Mike Fassel's father, the late Jim Fassel, was the OC at Weber State (1977-78), and his older brother John played receiver at WSU (1997-98).

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 a full five-game conference schedule this year, beginning with a road date at in-state rival and new WAC member Southern Utah up the road in Cedar City next Saturday, Sept. 24. 
        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, with the first coming this Saturday night at Weber State in Ogden (676 total miles), followed a week later by a 102-mile round trip on I-15 to Cedar City to open WAC play at SUU. 
        Utah Tech will also stay in-state for its season finale at FBS member BYU, which will be played in Provo (516 miles) on Saturday, Nov. 19.
        Including the season-opening round trip to Sacramento (912 miles), the Blazers will fly to and from Cedar Falls, Iowa (2,544 miles) for their game at Northern Iowa (Oct. 15), and will make their longest trip of the season to Nacogdoches, Texas (2,674 miles) to play at Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 29.
        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 opened its five-game home slate with a convincing 56-10 victory over former RMAC rival Chadron State last Saturday night inside Greater Zion Stadium. 
        The Trailblazers broke a 7-7 first half with three third quarter touchdowns, then tacked on three more scores in a span of 1:42 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, as UT outscored the Eagles 49-3 after halftime.
        UT racked up 559 yards of total offense on the night, marking the first time in the program's NCAA era that it posted consecutive 500 yard-plus games to open a season (579 at Sac State; 9/3).
        Meanwhile, the Blazer defense got into the act, forcing five Chadron turnovers in the second half, which led to 35 points, including two pick-six interception returns for touchdowns. 

QUALI-TY PICK FOR WAC POW: Sophomore running back Quali Conley was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday for his performance in the Trailblazers' 56-10 triumph over Chadron State last Saturday night at Greater Zion Stadium.
        Conley enjoyed his finest outing in his two-plus season as a Trailblazer as he rushed for career highs of 139 yards and three touchdowns. He got UT on the board with a 10-yard scamper just five minutes into the game, and followed that up with a pair of 1-yard scoring runs in the second half.
        The sophomore carried the ball a season-high 21 times en route to his first collegiate 100-yard rushing game, while his three touchdowns vaulted him sixth place (9 TDs) on UT's career rushing TD list. In addition, his 139 rushing yards moved him into ninth (850 yards) on the program's career rushing list. 
        Conley enters the weekend as the WAC's leading rusher (187 yds/93.50 ypg), while his four TDs also leads the conference. 

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 heading into the season opener.
        Including last Saturday's game at then-No. 7/7 Sacramento State, UT is scheduled to face three teams currently ranked in the top-25 - ALL ON THE ROAD - including Saturday's date at No. 13/12 Weber State, and at No. 16/21 SFA (10/29).
        Meanwhile, future opponents Abilene Christian (10/1) and Northern Iowa (10/15) are receiving votes in the polls.
        Utah Tech is 3-25 all-time (2-25 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). DSU claimed its 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 four team captains leading the charge. As selected by their teammates, this season's captains are senior offensive lineman Nathen Aceves, redshirt freshman quarterback Victor Gabalis, senior linebacker Malaki Malaki, and senior safety Darrius Nash.

BLAZING TRAILS
• Kobe Tracy's 388-yard night vs. Chadron was his fourth-career 300-plus passing game, which moved him into a tie for second (Griff Robles 2012-13) on UT's career list. 
•  Tracy's three TD passes not only tied his career high (3 vs. Fort Lewis; 11/13/21), it was his fourth multi-TD game of his career, 
•  Tracy also extended his streak with at least on TD pass to seven-straight games.
•  Tracy enters the week as the WAC leader in passing (727 yds - #6 FCS), pass efficiency (149.49), TDs (5) and total offense (380.0 ypg). 
• Redshirt freshman QB Victor Gabalis started under center at Sac State (9/3), but his Blazer debut got off to a rocky start as the Hornets forced him into three early interceptions.
• Gabalis did finish with 127 yard passing, which included a 3-yard TD pass to junior receiver Michael Moten in the fourth quarter. 
• Fellow redshirt freshman QB Boone Abbott also saw time in the fourth quarter at Sac State (9/3) and accounted for 49 total yards in six plays, including 2-of-4 passing for 40 yards, and nine yards rushing on two carries during UT's final possession.
• Utah Tech's 506 yards passing at Sac 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.
• - UT's offense went "Big Play" at Sac State, completing eight passes of at least 25 yards, highlighted by a Victor Gabalis-to-David Fisher 72-yard strike in the first quarter ... four of those eight connections were north of 45 yard, including a pair of 46-yard pitch-and-catches, and a 47-yarder. 
• 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 Sac State/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.
• Redshirt sophomore WR Joey Hobert has enjoyed quite the debut, having already posted back-to-back 160-yard plus receiving games, highlighted by a 183-yard night in the opener at Sac State (9/3) ... Hobert's 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. 
• Hobert followed that up by catching six balls for 161 yards (#10 on UT's single  game list) and two TDs last Saturday vs. Chadron State, both of which came in the second half on receptions of 38 and 50 yards. 
•  Hobert heads into the Weber State game as the WAC leader in receptions (17), yards (344), TD catches (3) and all-purpose yards (359; 179.5 ypg - 7th in FCS).  
•  The trio of Tracy/Conley/Hobert also combined to snap a pair of double-digit game streaks in Saturday's win vs. Chadron.
•  For the first time in 18 games, UT had a 100-yard rusher (Conley) and a 100-yard receiver (Hobert) in the same game ... the last instance came back in 2019 when RB Sei-J Lauago (185 yd) and WR Jalen Powell (127) did it vs. Colorado Mesa (11/2/19).
•  Meanwhile UT snapped a 28-game stretch between having a 300-yard passer (Tracy) and a 100-yard rusher (Conley) in the same game ... 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, 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 170 games during its NCAA era. 
•  Four different receivers have caught TD passes through two games this season ... along with Hobert and Osborne, Moten snared 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 last Saturday. 
• Unfortunately all the news is not all good in the Blazers' receiving corps as junior WR Keith Davis suffered a season-ending injury during practice ahead of the Sac State game.
• Conley recorded his sixth career game with a TD run in the Chadron game last Saturday ... prior to his career night vs. Chadron, Conley's previous career-high rushing game came at home vs. Tarleton State (3/13/21), against which he ran for 97 net yards (100 yards gained) on 22 carries. 
• Conley also has three career TD receptions to go with his nine scoring runs, and his 12 combined TDs are one shy of breaking into the top-10 on that career list. 
•  Conley also 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 back 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).
•  While Utah Tech has had 73 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. 
•  Hobert has only played in two games and he is already t-ninth on UT's career 100-yard receiving list ... meanwhile his 26.8 ypc average last Saturday vs. Chadron State tied him for eighth on the program's single game list.
• 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 on Saturday night, which marked the 32nd time in 170 NCAA-era games the defense had achieved that feat.
• Utah Tech scored seven touchdowns in the second half, 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 paydirt 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 racked up 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 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 recorded the Blazer defense's first (and to date only) sack of 2022 when he strip-sacked Hornet QB Jake Dunniway in the third quarter, which later led to a Conley 5-yard TD run.  
• Webster finished with six tackles (5 solo) and two TFLs ... the sophomore now has 3.0 sacks and 7.5 TFLs in 13 career games.
• Freshman DL Justin Kirkland made the most of his collegiate debut as he got the start, recorded one assisted tackle, and recovered the fumble on the Webster sack.
• Utah Tech tied a school record with eight touchdowns in the Chadron win last Saturday ... 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, and he is now a perfect 30-of-30 (t-7th on career PAT list), which includes his first 8-for-8 effort that came last season vs. Fort Lewis (11/13/2021).
• 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. 
• Prior to the loss at Sacramento State (9/3), the Trailblazers were 7-0 in the Paul Peterson tenure when they scored 30 or more points, and were 4-0 when gaining 500 or more yards.
• Heading into Week #3, UT is now 8-1 and 5-1, respectively in those two stat categories under Peterson, and 25-12 and 16-6 overall. 

#AB3FOREVER: 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. UT 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."

WE'RE GOING STREAKING: Heading into Saturday's game at Weber State, eight Trailblazers enter the game with some impressive streaks on the line.
        On offense, Tracy will look to extend his streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass to eight-straight games, while Conley (12-straight games) and junior WR Rickie Johnson (11-straight games) will look to extend their collective pass reception streaks.
        Meanwhile on defense, Malaki and Nash have recorded at least one tackle in 29-straight games, while Colby Williams (16-straight), Grayson (13-straight) and sophomore DB Kyle Floyd (10-straight) will seek to continue their impressive double-digit game tackle streaks. 

RECORDS WATCH: We are on "Records Watch 2022" as several Blazers look to continue to move up the career charts this season.
        Along with his move up the rushing TD list, Conley moved into ninth in rushing (850 yards) and is sixth in yards/game (47.2).
    Meanwhile, Tracy (2,546 yards/15 TDs) tied for fourth in career passing yards, t-fifth in TD passes, and sixth in total offense (2,551 yards). 
        On defense, Malaki (236) needs 40 more total tackles to become UT's career leader in that category, and is 3.0 TFLs shy of vaulting to second (22.0 TFL) on that list.
        In addition, senior DL Dylan Hendrickson (11.0) enters his final season just 3.0 sacks shy of becoming UT's career sacks leader. 
    Brooksby (12 FG) is currently fourth in career field goals and needs three more to vault into second on the career list.

ABOUT THE WEBER STATE "WILDCATS": Weber State enters Saturday night's match-up with a 2-0 record following a decisive 35-7 road victory over in-state FBS opponent Utah State last Saturday night in Logan. The Wildcats forced four Aggie turnovers and held USU to just 283 yards of offense en route to the big road win. 
        The Wildcat defense leads all of FCS four stat categories (INT/turnovers/3rd down conversions/pass efficiency) and are ranked in the top-five in five others. Weber State is also one of two FCS programs (Jackson State) which has not allowed an offensive touchdown to this point of the season.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will travel north up I-15 to Cedar City to open WAC play at in-state rival and conference newcomer Southern Utah next Saturday, Sept. 24. Kick-off inside Eccles Coliseum is set for 6 p.m.