Utah Tech could not overcome three costly turnovers, two of which came after halftime, as the Trailblazers lost their 2023 season finale, and the "Battle for the Ax," to in-state rival Southern Utah, 24-16, on Saturday night at Greater Zion Stadium.
 
The Blazers closed their fourth and final season as an NCAA Division I FCS provisional member with a 2-9 overall record, 1-5 in United Athletic Conference play.
 
Utah Tech could not have scripted a better start to its in-state battle, opening the game with an eight-play, 75-yard drive, that culminated with a 12-yard Nygel Osborne touchdown run. 
 
In fact, all four Trailblazer backs got into the act, starting with quarterback Kobe Tracy gaining three yards on the first play from scrimmage. Ronnie Walker Jr. followed that with a pair carries for a combined 15 yards, while Chris Street picked up 27 yards on his first three rush attempts.
 
Tracy then completed his lone pass of the drive, an 18-yard pitch-and-catch to Daniel Thomason to the SUU 12. Osborne got his number called on the very next play as the freshman took the hand off around the left side and into the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown. 
 
However the Blazers could not convert on the PAT try and had to settle for the early 6-0 lead.
 
Utah Tech maintained that lead through the first quarter, and had a chance to add to it with a 47-yard Connor Brooksby field goal try three minutes into the second stanza. But the Thunderbirds special teams unit blocked the kick and kept it a one-possession game.


SUU (6-5/4-2 UAC) took advantage of its newly generated momentum on its next possession and scored its first touchdown of the game on a 7-yard Justin Miller scamper. The T-Birds went 86 yards in eight plays, and with the PAT took a 7-6 lead midway through the frame.
 
The Thunderbird defense rode that momentum into Utah Tech's ensuing possession, forcing the first Blazer miscue three plays into the drive when Tre Gola-Callard stepped in front of a Tracy pass at the UTU 48.
 
Southern Utah turned the mistake into points six plays later when Miller found Isaiah Wooden over the middle from 3-yards out to stake his side to a 14-6 advantage.
 
Utah Tech would counter on its next time with the football, and it was the running game that got the Blazers going again. Walker Jr. opened the drive with a 9-yard run, and followed that up with a 12-yard gain on first down to the UTU 45.
 
Tracy then hit the fifth-year back for a 29-yard completion to the SUU 24, where Street managed to rattle off 18 more yards on his next two carries to get the ball to the T-Bird 9.
 
However the drive would stall there and the Trailblazers had to settle for a 25-yard Brooksby chip shot to go into the halftime break down 14-9.
 
Utah Tech's defense came out of the locker room and forced a T-Bird punt on their first time with the ball in the second half.
 
And the Blazer offense capitalized with a quick four-play drive that covered 68 yards that ended with Osborne's second touchdown of the game. 
 
After Tracy opened the drive with a 24-yard completion to Beau Sparks, Osborne rattled off a season high 38-yard gain to the SUU 6. The freshman would find the end zone on the very next play to put Utah Tech back out in front at 16-14.
 
Southern Utah clapped right back with a Braedon Wissler 60-yard run to open the T-Birds' next possession that flipped the field position from the SUU 25 to the Blazer 15. However the Utah Tech defense managed to hold the T-Birds to a 31-yard Tyler Graham field goal, which gave them the lead right back at 17-16.
 
The Trailblazers looked like they were going to reclaim the lead on their next trip down the field as Tracy marched the offense 70 yards on nine plays to set up first and goal at the SUU 3.
 
Unfortunately Utah Tech would suffer its second turnover of the game on a second down fumble.
 
Southern Utah quickly turned that miscue into points, thanks in part to a 62-yard Targhee Lambson run on the ensuing play. Wissler then closed the drive with runs of 6 and 26 yards, the latter found pay dirt and extended the T-Bird lead to 24-16 with 48 seconds remaining in the third period.
 
Utah Tech could not do anything with its three fourth-down possessions, one of which ended on downs, while an ill-timed fumble with 8:18 remaining stopped a possible game-tying drive. UTU had one more chance with five-plus minutes to go, but SUU forced a three-and-out, then ran out the clock to end the game and reclaim the Ax.
 
The Trailblazers finished with 405 yards of total offense on the night, with a season-high 178 of those yards coming on the ground on 32 total attempts (5.6 ypc). 
 
Osborne led the way 60 yards on just seven carries (8.6 ypc) to go with his two touchdowns, while Street also rushed seven times for 46 yards.
 
Meanwhile Tracy, who rushed for a career-high 27 yards on four carries, threw for 227 yards on 18-of-37 passing. Tracy finished the season with 2,762 yards passing, which is the third-highest single season total in the program's NCAA era. 
 
Tracy completed passes to a season-high nine different receivers, with Thomason leading the way with 70 yards on three catches.
 
Senior Rickie Johnson hauled in a team-high five balls for 37 yards to close his storied career with 2,057 receiving yards, which is second all-time in program history. Johnson also added to his career receptions school record total (158), and finished his career seventh all-time in touchdown catches (17). 
 
Defensively, linebacker Jared Fotu led the Blazers with nine total tackles with one tackle-for-loss, while safety Jordan Scott racked up eight stops with one TFL. 
 
SUU ran for 274 yards on the night, with Lambson (138 yds) and Wissler (130 yds) accounting for 268 of those yards. Miller finished with 165 yards on 16-of-37 passing to go with his one touchdown throw.