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Utah Tech Football Media Central
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FOR STARTERS: • After opening the 2023 season with four of its first five games on the road, Utah Tech (1-4/0-0 UAC) returns to Greater Zion Stadium for its United Athletic Conference debut game against Stephen F. Austin (3-2/0-1 UAC). 
• Saturday night's game will mark the third time that the Trailblazers and Lumberjacks have squared off on the gridiron, with both teams having claimed victory on the other's home field over the previous two meetings. 
• The two sides first met in the 2021 fall season in St. George in a game that SFA led wire-to-wire in a 37-20 road win (10/23/21).
• Utah Tech would return the favor last season in Nacogdoches, Texas, when the Trailblazers, who led for the majority of the game, used a Victor Gabalis-to-Joey Hobert 14-yard touchdown pass with 47 seconds remaining, to spoil the then-No. 19 Lumberjacks' Homecoming festivities with a 47-44 road triumph (10/29/22). 
• Utah Tech is 3-11 all-time in conference openers, 0-2 during its brief FCS era, with all three of those wins coming at home.  
• The Trailblazers enter Saturday night's game looking to snap a five-game skid in conference openers, with the last win coming in 2016 in that season's home and RMAC opener vs. New Mexico Highlands (21-14; 9/1/16).  
• Utah Tech goes into Saturday night's game looking to bounce back from a hard-fought 41-20 road loss at Mountain West Conference member Colorado State last Saturday night in Fort Collins. UT trailed 21-20 late in the third quarter, only to see the Rams score 21-unanswered points to dash the Blazers' hopes for an upset win over an FBS opponent. 
 
UTAH TECH ON THE AIR: All Utah Tech home and away games this season are broadcast live on The Fan Sports Network (99.5/95.3 FM in St. George; 93.1 FM/1400 AM in Cedar City; www.thefansportsnetwork.com).
            The "Voice of the Trailblazers" Rod Zundel is in his second season calling the play-by-play action. 
            Utah Tech has also debuted a new 60-minute comprehensive pregame show, and 30-minute post-game show, both of which will air live on the The Fan Sports Network and streamed live on YouTube on the newly created Trailblazer SportsVision (youtube.com/TrailblazerAthletics).
            Along with complete Game Day radio coverage, Zundel hosts the weekly "The Paul Peterson Coaches Show" every Tuesday night on The Fan Sports Network and streamed on Trailblazer Sports
Vision at 6 p.m.
            Joining Zundel in the broadcast booth this season is former Trailblazer wide receiver Deven Osborne, who will provide color analysis for all home game and select road games. 
 
NEW CONFERENCE FOR 2023: Utah Tech began the 2023 season in a new football only league as the established football-only partnership between both the Western Athletic and ASUN conference was rebranded into the new United Athletic Conference. 
            The newly christened UAC currently has nine participating institutions: Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton and Utah Tech. In addition, the conference will officially add UTRGV in the fall of 2025 when it begins sponsorship of football.
            The 2023 UAC schedule will be limited to six conference games among its nine members, while the 2024 schedule will feature a full eight-game single round robin. 
 
THREE BLAZERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-UAC HONORS: Utah Tech had three players voted onto the UAC's debut preseason all-conference team. 
            Junior DL Syrus Webster was tabbed as the preseason UAC Defensive Player of the Year, while he and junior LB Will Leota were voted to the All-UAC Defensive Team.
            Meanwhile, senior WR Rickie Johnson was the lone Blazer listed on the All-UAC Offensive Team. 
 
WEBSTER ON WATCH LIST: In addition to his UAC preseason honor, Webster has been named to the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award preseason watch list. The junior defensive standout was also named to both the 2023 Phil Steeleand Blue Bloods All-United Athletic Conference preseason first teams.
 
O CAPTAINS! MY CAPTAINS!: Utah Tech will take the field in 2023 with four team captains leading the charge. As selected by their teammates, this season's captains are senior offensive lineman Kana'i Eldredge, along with Johnson, Leota and Webster. 
 
ROAD WARRIORS: Through its first three seasons of FCS play, Utah Tech has traveled more than 28,300 round-trip miles on 14 different road trips. 
            In their first FCS season in Spring 2021, the Trailblazers covered 7,630 miles for three road dates, then followed that up by traversing nearly 13,300 for five road games during the 2021 Fall campaign.
            Last season Utah Tech traveled just 7,424 miles, thanks in large part to playing three in-state road games at Weber State, Southern Utah and BYU.
            This season, the Blazers are slated to eclipse that 2021 Fall mileage mark as they are scheduled to travel just over 15,000 round-trip miles for seven road games, including the program's first-ever trips to the states of Missouri (at Missouri State 9/23), Alabama (at North Alabama 10/21) and Tennessee (at Austin Peay 11/11). 
            Utah Tech has already played games in Montana and in neighboring Arizona and Colorado. The Blazers will also jump on the bird for their now annual trip to Texas in November (at Abilene Christian 11/4).
            Of note, Utah Tech's longest trip to play a football game came during the 2021 Fall season, when the Trailblazers traveled 4,697 miles round trip to play at Delaware (10/30/21). 
 
TURNING DEFENSE INTO POINTS:      Utah Tech forced a season-high five turnovers in its win at NAU on Sept. 16. In fact, 21 of the Trailblazers' 50 points were scored off of those five Lumberjack miscues, including two defensive touchdowns. 
            Three of the NAU's five turnovers came in UT's 27-point second quarter. Senior DL Sam Kanongata'a got the unit's first defensive touchdown of the season he picked off NAU QB Kai Millner and rambled 53 yards to pay dirt for his first career pick-6.
            Then just over three minutes later after a Utah Tech punt pinned the Lumberjacks deep inside their own territory, Millner could not handle a high snap and the ball bounded backwards to the NAU 9, where sophomore DB Amari Duncan scooped up the loose ball and sprinted to the end zone for his first collegiate TD.
            On NAU's very next offensive play, backup QB Adam Damante came on and fired a strike to Blazer freshman DB Gabriel Valenzuela, and the freshman's first collegiate interception helped set up the first of two Brooksby field goals in the period.
            Utah Tech's two scores on defense marked the fourth time in program history that the Blazers had scored at least two defensive touchdowns in a game.
            UT last achieved that feat in 2022 with a pair of pick-6s at home vs. Chadron State (56-10; 9/10/22), and returned two more interceptions for touchdowns in a road win at Adams State (52-10; 11/10/18) during the 2018 season. 
            Utah Tech also returned two interceptions and a fumble for touchdowns in a road victory at New Mexico Highlands (W, 55-0; 9/21/19) in Paul Peterson's first year as UT head coach, and was the program's final D-II year in 2019. 
             
BLAZING TRAILS
• RS-junior QB Kobe Tracy (4,059 yds) became the second Trailblazers in the program's NCAA to surpass 4,000 career passing yards last Saturday night at Colorado State.
• Tracy, who threw for 185 yards on 21-of-33 passing against the Rams, hit the 4,000-yard plateau right on the number when he hit senior WR Rickie Johnson on a 22-yard pass play in the third quarter. 
• Tracy currently stands 1,041 yards shy of passing former QB Griff Robles (5,096 yds; 2012-13) for first place on UT's career list.
• Tracy has thrown at least one touchdown pass in four of his five games this season with three two-touchdown games, including a pair of TD passes to freshman WR Beau Sparks at CSU last Saturday night.
• Tracy, who also threw for a pair of touchdowns against both Montana (9/9) and Northern Arizona (9/16), has nine career multi-touchdown games with two three-TD outings to his credit. 
• The lone game that Tracy has not recorded a TD pass this season was at Missouri State (9/23), though he did collect his second-career rushing touchdown on a 1-yard QB sneak in the second quarter ... coincidentally, Tracy's first rushing TD also came against Missouri State, that one a 4-yard scamper, at home in the 2021 fall season finale (11/20/21).
• Tracy notched his fifth-career 300-yard passing game at NAU (9/16), where he threw for a season-high 318 yards to go with two touchdowns in the win.
• In addition, Tracy is currently second all-time in career total offense (4,044 yds), and is third in career touchdown passes (26). 
• Meanwhile Johnson currently stands eighth on UT's career receiving yards (15,27) and TDs (10) lists (1,527), and he vaulted into sixth place in career receptions (112) after he caught a team-high eight passes for 69 yards last Saturday at Colorado State.
• Sparks also had a solid night at CSU, tying a career-high with seven catches for 67 yards to go with his two touchdowns - his first collegiate two-TD game. 
• Sparks quickly made a name for himself in the season opener at Montana State (9/2), against which he set a Utah Tech freshman record with 144 receiving yards on seven catches, highlighted by hauling in a 66-yarder for his first collegiate reception.
• Sparks also became the first freshman to record a 100-yard receiving game in his collegiate debut, and is just the fourth freshman in Utah Tech's NCAA era to post a 100-yard receiving game overall.
• Former Blazer wideout Isaiah Wooden (116 yds vs. Colorado School of Mines) was the last freshman to do it in 2018. Skyler Ence (101 vs. Colorado Mesa) was the first UT freshman receiver in the program's first NCAA D-II season in 2006, while Dejuan Dantzler (106 vs. New Mexico Highlands) added his name to the elite list in 2016.
• Sparks' 144 receiving yards were also the fourth-most in a season opener in program history, and he became the ninth receiver to go for 100-plus receiving yards in a season opener overall. 
• Sparks' 144 receiving yards are also tied for the 21st-most on Utah Tech's single game list. The freshman joined former UT All-American Joey Hobert (144 yds vs. Southern Utah, 2022) and Nash Fowler in that three-way tie.
• In fact, Fowler was the first to post that number, which he did on eight receptions with a touchdown in a road game at, coincidentally, Montana State during the 2009 season (9/12/09).
• Sparks earned UAC Freshman of the Week honors on Sept. 18, after he tied a career-high with seven receptions for 87 yards at NAU (9/16). 
• The freshman, who has caught at least four passes in all five games this season, currently leads the team in receptions (30), yards (349), and TDs (3). 
• Senior WR Michael Moten hauled in four passes for a season-high 76 yards at NAU (9/16), highlighted by a career-long 60-yard catch-and-run for his fourth-career touchdown in the third quarter. 
• Moten's last touchdown reception came in the 2022 season opener at Sacramento State (9/3/22), while his 76 yards receiving last Saturday are second only to his 99 yards on six catches and a TD he recorded at Delaware (10/30/21) in 2021. 
• Senior WR Jaivian Lofton recorded his second TD reception of the year after he hooked up with Tracy for a 17-yard score in the second quarter at NAU (9/16). 
• Lofton made the most of his home debut vs. Montana (9/9), against which he caught five passes for 108 yards, highlighted by a 50-yard reception in the third quarter, and a 23-yard touchdown grab in the fourth.
• Lofton, who transferred to Utah Tech after playing three seasons at FBS member Liberty University, where he recorded 10 receptions for 102 and two touchdowns in 10 games for the Flames in 2022. 
• RS-Junior WR Keith Davis caught both of his two targets at Missouri State (9/23) for a team and season-high 61 yards, highlighted by a 43-yard grab in the first quarter to set up the Blazers' first touchdown of the day. 
• Davis also had a career day in his first game against Missouri State (11/20/21) in 2021, as he recorded career highs in receptions (7) and yards (146) against the Bears. 
• Davis, who missed the entire 2022 season due to injury, has recorded at least one reception in 14 of his 16 career games as a Trailblazer, including all 11 games during the 2021 fall season. 
• Utah Tech posted season-highs in rushing yards (164) and attempts (35) last week at Colorado State. 
• Fifth-year RB Ronnie Walker Jr. ran for a season-high 83 yards on 20 carries against the Rams, including a 26-yard scamper on the Blazers' first offensive play. 
• Walker Jr. rushed for his second, and at the time the team's second, touchdown of the 2023 campaign to put Utah Tech on the board at Missouri State (9/23), against which he racked up 38 hard-fought yards on 11 carries ... Walker Jr. also found the end zone to close out the first quarter in the win at NAU (9/16). 
• For Walker Jr., it was his sixth-career rushing touchdown on his third different team ... Walker Jr. recorded two rushing touchdowns as a freshman at Indiana in 2018, and ran for two more during his junior year at Virginia in 2021. 
• Junior RB Chris Street enjoyed a breakout game at CSU as he rushed for 78 yards on just 10 carries (7.8 ypc), highlighted by a 28-yard run that helped lead to the Trailblazers' first points of the game. 
• Street, who tallied a team-high 62 yards at Missouri State (9/23), is averaging 7.0 yards/carry over his last two games overall.
• After going just over two full seasons without posting a double-digit tackle game, junior DL Syrus Webster has racked up 10 or more tackles in three of his last four starts overall. 
• The preseason UAC Defensive Player of the Year collected a career-high 12 total tackles (5 solo) vs. Montana (9/9) ... Webster was also credited with a 0.5 TFL and one QBH.
• Webster then doubled-down and tallied 10 more tackles at NAU (9/16), including a then-career high tying 3.0 TFLs and two sacks, highlighted by a fourth-quarter strip sack and fumble recovery that set up Brooksby's final field goal of the game. 
• Webster bettered his TFL total at Colorado State last Saturday night with a new career-high 3.5 TFLs, including his second strip sack of the year early in the second quarter, which UT turned into points on its very next offensive play.  
• Webster's big night vaulted him into eighth place on UT's career TFLs list (22.0), and he now stands fifth all-time in career sacks (10.5). 
• Junior LB Will Leota recorded a season-high 10 tackles (8 solo) at NAU (9/16) and came up with his third career interception in the third quarter.
• The three Trailblazer interceptions defensively at NAU also tied for the eighth-most in the program's NCAA era, and tied for the most interceptions recorded in UT's NCAA Division I FCS transition.
• In fact, Utah Tech's defense has recorded all five of its interceptions this season over the last three games, including two at Colorado State last Saturday.
• RS-sophomore DB Bryant Weekly recorded his first career interception in the first quarter, while RS-sophomore CB Amari Duncan hauled in his first collegiate INT in the third quarter. 
• Senior LB Dondi Fuller has racked up at least five tackles in all five games this season, including six stops at Colorado State, and eight more with a 0.5 TFL at NAU (9/16) ... that effort came on the heels of a career-high 11 tackles vs. Montana (9/9).  
• Fuller enjoyed a strong Trailblazer debut as he led the UT defense with nine total tackles, including seven solo stops, and a team-high 2.0 TFLs at Montana State (9/2).
• Sophomore LB Jared Fotu, who led the team with a career-high 11 tackles at NAU (9/16), followed that up with six stops at Missouri State (9/23), and 10 more at Colorado State - all of which came in the second half. 
• After being held without a sack in the season opener at Montana State (9/2), the Blazer defense combined for three sacks and 6.0 TFLs vs. Montana, and then duplicated that effort at NAU one week later. 
• Utah Tech has registered at least one sack in four-straight games, in 11 of its last 15, and in 24 of 32 games during the program's FCS transition. 
• Senior DL Max Christensen III was credited with his first-career field goal block at Missouri State (9/23) ... the senior's blocked FG came nearly one-year-to-the-day from the last one, which Kanongata'a recorded last season at home vs. Abilene Christian (10/1/22).
• Junior punter Andy Day "had a day" at Missouri State (9/23), against which he punted five times for 222 yards (44.4 ypp), highlighted by a season long 56-yard boot in the first quarter.
• Day also made a potential touchdown-saving tackle after his first punt of the game. 
• Day then closed his afternoon with a 30-yard run on a fake punt in the fourth quarter, which was his first career collegiate rushing attempt ... Day's scamper is currently the Trailblazers' longest run from scrimmage through five games this season.
• Day put up another solid night at Colorado State last Saturday, punting four times for 179 yards (44.8 ypp), which included a 48-yarder in the first quarter. 
 
KICKIN' IT AT THE TOP: Junior placekicker Connor Brooksby has had quite the start to his 2023 season as he has etched his name atop three more career records lists. 
            The junior, who is already UT's career leader in field goals made (33-of-45), became the program's career leader in PATs (67-of-68) with the second of his two PATs midway through the fourth quarter at Montana State (9/2). 
            He followed that up by becoming the program's career leader in points scored (166 pts) with the first of his single game school record five field goals in the road win at Northern Arizona on Sept. 16. 
            Brooksby's career day at NAU broke the tie he had with former All-American tight end Joe Don Duncan(136 pts - 22 TDs/2 2-pt conversions; 2011-13) atop the points list. 
            Brooksby went on to hit field goals of 22, 48, 34, 40 and 48 yards, and nailed all five PAT chances at NAU, en route to a 20-point day and to Stats Perform FedEx Ground FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week honors (9/18). 
            In addition, Brooksby is UT's current record holder in season field goals made (14-of-17, 2022), and owns the school record for the longest made FG, a 55-yarder he nailed last season in a home win vs. Southern Utah (11/5/22).
            Brooksby has also hit three 48-yard field goals (t-fifth longest in UT's NCAA era) this season, including the two at NAU, and a 48-yarder in the fourth quarter at Montana State, and drilled a 52-yarder at Colorado State last Saturday night.
            The junior's 52-yard FG is the second-longest of his career and in UT program history, and is now the longest FG made by a CSU opponent in the Rams' Canvas Stadium's history. 
 
#AB3FOREVER: Webster was presented with one more honor prior to the start of the 2023 season as he was chosen to wear the No. 3 jersey.
            The awarding of the No. 3 jersey is the third instance in what has become an annual tradition honoring the memory of former Trailblazer football player Abraham Reinhardt, who passed away unexpectedly on March 22, 2019. Utah Tech Head Football Coach Paul Peterson noted that the No. 3 jersey would be awarded to a student-athlete who best emulates 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.
            "I am excited to award Syrus Webster the number 3 jersey for the 2023 season," Coach Peterson added. "He exemplifies everything that we are trying to build in our program and especially represents the legacy Abraham Reinhardt left behind. Look for him to lead us and make plays all over the field!"
 
WE'RE GOING STREAKING: Heading into Saturday night's game vs. SFA, four Trailblazer defenders enter the game with some impressive streaks on the line.
            Webster has recorded at least one tackle in 27-straight games, while junior safety Jordan Scott (20-straight), Leota (15-straight), and Christensen III (11-straight) will all seek to continue their impressive double-digit game tackle streaks. 
 
ABOUT THE STEPHEN F. AUSTIN "LUMBERJACKS": SFA enters Saturday night's game with a 3-2 overall record following a decisive 56-27 home victory over Texas A&M-Commerce last Saturday in Nacogdoches. The Lumberjacks will also look to even their UAC record after they dropped their conference debut game to Austin Peay (20-22; 9/23) at home two weeks ago. 
            Redshirt junior quarterback Brian Maurer has thrown for 1,081 yards and nine touchdowns in five starts this season. Maurer, who transferred to SFA from Tennessee, completed 30-of-50 passing for 342 yards and five touchdowns in the 'Jacks' win over TAMU-C last Saturday.  
            Maurer's two primary targets are senior WR Lawton Rikel (23 rec., 261 yds) and sophomore WR Kylon Harris (26 rec. 260 yds). Harris, who leads the team with five TD receptions, caught 11 passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns vs. TAMU-C on his way to UAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. 
            Maurer (157 yds) is also one of three players who have racked up over 150 yards rushing to this point of the season. Sophomore RBs Jerrell Wimbley and Anthony Williams have rushed for 358 and 216 yards, respectively, while the trio has each recorded three rushing touchdowns.  
            On defense, RS-sophomore LB Luke Watson has tallied a team-best 7.0 TFLs with one sack and 19 total tackles, while junior LB Jermaine Brown leads the 'Jacks defense with 2.0 sacks and 20 total tackles. 
            As a team, SFA averages 37.0 points and 411.6 yards (159.8 rush/251.8 pass) over its first five games, while giving up just 22.8 points and 331.0 yards (189.2 rush/141.8 pass) defensively. 
            Colby Carthel (Angelo State, 2000) is in his fifth season at SFA, where he is 26-21 overall, and 85-42 through 11-plus seasons as a head coach. 
            
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Following its bye week next week, Utah Tech heads back out on the road for a UAC date at North Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kick-off at Braly Stadium in Florence is set for 5 p.m. (MT).