Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | NAU - PDF
Utah Tech Football Media Central
Pre-Game/Post-Game Show: TRAILBLAZER SPORTSVISION
Live TV: ESPN+
Live Streaming Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: THE FAN SPORTS NETWORK
Live Stats: AT NAU
Twitter: @UtahTech_Sports | @UtahTechFB | #UtahTechBlazers | #UACfootball

FOR STARTERS: • Utah Tech opens a three-game road swing against its third Big Sky opponent in as many weeks this Saturday afternoon as the Trailblazers travel south to Flagstaff for matinee at Northern Arizona.
• Utah Tech is 0-1 all-time vs. the Lumberjacks, with the lone meeting coming exactly 17 years to the day of this Saturday's tilt in Flagstaff, during the program's first NCAA Division II season in 2006. The Trailblazers opened that season with four-straight road games that first NCAA season, with the NAU match-up serving as the final game of that stretch, which culminated with a 66-14 Lumberjack win at the Walkup Skydome (9/16/06). 
• Saturday's game will mark the first game of a six-game series between Utah Tech and Northern Arizona, with both teams playing alternating home and away games each year through the 2028 season. Utah Tech will host NAU during the even years of 2024, 2026 and 2028, while the Trailblazers are slated to travel back to Flagstaff in 2025 and 2027. 
• Utah Tech fell to 7-11 all-time in home openers, which includes a 4-4 mark over its last eight overall, following last Saturday night's 43-13 loss to current No. 11/12 Montana at Greater Zion Stadium. Last season the Trailblazers halted a three-game slide in home debuts thanks to a 56-10 triumph over former RMAC foe Chadron State (9/10/22). 
• Saturday's game will mark the 15th time Utah Tech has squared off against a Big Sky Conference opponent on the gridiron, with the Trailblazers still searching for their first victory against a member of the long-established league.
• Utah Tech has played 11 of the previous 14 games against Big Sky opponents on the road. 
 
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 SportsVision 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 Steele and Blue Bloods All-United Athletic Conference preseason first teams.
 
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 the 2021 Fall 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 - Sept. 23), Alabama (at North Alabama - Oct. 21) and Tennessee (at Austin Peay - Nov. 11). Utah Tech will also play games in neighboring Arizona and Colorado, and will make one trip to Texas, to go with this Saturday's game at NAU, and the 2023 season opener at No. 3 Montana State two weeks ago.
            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). 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech could not overcome a slow start on both sides of the ball as the Trailblazers opened their 2023 home slate with a 43-13 loss to current No. 11/12 Montana last Saturday night at Greater Zion Stadium. 
        The Blazers trailed 36-0 at the half, and 43-0 after three quarters, though they did manage to avoid the Grizzlies' shutout bid with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
 
UTAH TECH VS. RANKED 
OPPONENTS: Utah Tech is a combined 3-28 (4-28 overall) all-time vs. opponents (FCS and D-II) ranked in the AFCA top-25 Coaches' Poll, which includes an 1-10 mark the last two seasons following last Saturday's home loss to Montana.  
            Two of the Trailblazers' four total wins over ranked foes have come during the first three years of their NCAA FCS transition - both of which were road victories.
            Last season Utah Tech posted a 47-44 win at then No. 19 Stephen F. Austin (10/29/22), and began its FCS transition with a 26-14 at then (Stat Perform) No. 22 Tarleton (2/27/21). 
 
LOOKING TO BREAK THROUGH: Utah Tech enters Saturday's game at Northern Arizona looking for its first-ever win against a Big Sky Conference opponent.
            The Trailblazers have faced eight current football playing members of the Big Sky and are a combined 0-14 lifetime against league. Utah Tech was 0-6 as a D-II member, and is now 0-8 in their short time as a D-I FCS program after its loss to Montana last Saturday night. 
            This Saturday game at NAU is also the third and final game of three-straight games against Big Sky foes Utah Tech will face to open the 2023 season. 
 
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, senior WR Rickie Johnson, junior linebacker Will Leota, and junior defensive lineman Syrus Webster. 
 
PROVIDING AN INSTANT SPARK: Freshman WR Beau Sparks had himself quite the debut in UT's season opener at Montana State back on Sept. 2. 
            The speedy wideout announced his presence with authority late in the first quarter when he got behind the Bobcat secondary and hauled in his first collegiate pass, a 66-yard catch-and-run that helped set up the Trailblazers' first points of the night.
            Sparks would later record a 33-yard reception in the second quarter, which ultimately led to his first collegiate touchdown catch from 4-yards out with 3:21 to play in the first half.
            Sparks wound up with a Utah Tech freshman school record 144 receiving yards on seven catches along with his TD.
            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 JOINS AN ELITE LIST: 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.
            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) joined 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.
            Former UT receiver Travis Brown set the standard with 230 yards in the program's first NCAA game, which was played at Colorado Mesa in 2006. Former Blazer Kyser Christensen (215 at Adams State, 2009) is the lone other receiver to eclipse the 200-yard plateau, while Hobert went for 183 yards on 11 catches in last season's season opener at Sacramento State (9/10/22). 
 
KICKIN' IT AT THE TOP: Junior PK Connor Brooksby added one more school record to his impressive list at Montana State (9/2) when he became Utah Tech's career PAT leader with his second of his two PATs midway through the fourth quarter. 
            Brooksby, who is already Utah Tech's career leader in made field goals (26-of-36), booted his 57th career PAT (now 58-of-59) to move past former kicker James Baird (56-of-61; 2019-20). 
            The junior kicker (136 points) enters Saturday's game at NAU tied atop the program's career points scored list with former All-American tight end Joe Don Duncan(136 pts - 22 TDs/2 2-pt conversions; 2011-13). 
            In all, Brooksby is UT's current record holder in season field goals made (14-of-17, 2022), and owns the school record for the longest FG made, a 55-yarder he nailed last season in a home win vs. Southern Utah (11/5/22). Brooksby also hit a 48-yard FG in the fourth quarter at Montana State, which tied for the fifth-longest made field goal in the program's NCAA era. 
 
BLAZING TRAILS
• For the second-straight game, Utah Tech split quarterback duties last Saturday night ... RS-sophomore Boone Abbott received the starting nod went 6-of-16 passing for 49 yards with one interception. 
• RS-junior Kobe Tracy came on in the second quarter and threw for a season-high 209 yards on 15-of-33 passing and two touchdowns.
• For Tracy, it was his first multi-touchdown game of the season and the seventh of his career. 
• Tracy also moved into second place on Utah Tech's career passing list (3,389 yards).
• Tracy enters this Saturday's game at NAU needing only 218 yards to move into second place on UT's career total offense list.
• Senior WR Rickie Johnson caught his second touchdown pass in as many games when he hauled in a 7-yard toss from Tracy late in the fourth quarter vs. Montana. 
• Johnson, who finished with four catches for 28 yards, moved into a tie for eighth place on UT's career TD receptions list (10), and became the eighth receiver in the program's NCAA era to record 100 career receptions. 
• Johnson (100 rec./1,354 yds/13.54 ypc) enters this Saturday's game at NAU needing only 73 more yards to vault into eighth place on UT's career receiving yards list. 
• Senior WR Jaivian Lofton made the most of his home debut last Saturday night as he hauled in five catches 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 caught 10 passes for 102 and two touchdowns in 10 games for the Flames in 2022. 
• RS-Junior WR Keith Davis was caught two of his five total targets vs. Montana for 58 yards, highlighted by a 40-yard diving grab late in the fourth quarter.
• Davis, who missed the entire 2022 season due to injury, has recorded at least one reception in 12 of his 13 career games as a Trailblazer, including all 11 games during the 2021 fall season. 
• In all, eight different players recorded at least one reception in the Montana game.  
• Utah Tech recorded a season-high 103 yards rushing last Saturday night, with fifth-year RB Ronnie Walker Jr. leading the way with 55 yards on 11 carries (5.0 ypc). 
• Walker Jr. also got the start in the backfield at Montana State (9/2) and carried the ball 10 times for 52 yards, including a 16-yard scamper in the fourth quarter that helped set up a Johnson touchdown catch.
• Freshman RB Nygel Osborne enjoyed a breakout night in his home debut as he rushed for 48 yards on six carries (8.0 ypc), highlighted by a career-long 19 yard scamper on his first carry late in the first quarter.  
• Junior DL Syrus Webster racked up a career-high 12 total tackles (5 solo) vs. Montana on Saturday night ... Webster was also credited with a 0.5 TFL and one QBH.
• Webster (7.5 sacks) goes into Saturday's game at NAU needing only two sacks to vault from t-ninth to fifth on Utah Tech's career sacks list. The junior (15.0 TFLs) is also five TFLs away from cracking into the top-10 on that career list.  
• Senior LB Dondi Fuller continued his strong to the 2023 campaign with a career-high 11 tackles, including his team-leading third TFL and first sack of the season. 
• 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). 
• 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.
• Sophomore DB Jayden Sheridan notched his second career sack for an 11-yard loss, while senior DL Max Christensen III and sophomore DL Fasito-Otai Sagapolu were each credited with their first career sacks as Trailblazers. 
• Freshman CB Scooter Jackson, who was credited with six tackles at Montana State, collected five more solo stops in his home debut last Saturday night. 
• Utah Tech registered at least one sack in seven of 11 games last season, and in 21 of 29 games during the program's FCS transition. 
• RS-Sophomore CB and kickoff returner Devyn Perkins rattled off a career-long 41 yard return in the third quarter on Saturday night ... his 41 return yards are the most since he racked up 50 return yards in last season's home opener vs. Chadron State (9/10/22). 
• Junior punter Andy Day punted six times for 244 yards (40.7 ypp) vs. Montana, including a season-best 51 yard boot just before halftime. 
 
#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's game at NAU, four Trailblazer defenders enter the game with some impressive streaks on the line.
            Webster has recorded at least one tackle in 24-straight games, while junior safety Jordan Scott (17-straight), Perkins (13-straight) and junior LB Will Leota (12-straight), who registered nine tackles vs. Montana last Saturday night, will all seek to continue their impressive double-digit game tackle streaks. 
 
ABOUT THE NAU "LUMBERJACKS": Northern Arizona also enters Saturday's game in search of its first win of the 2023 campaign. The Lumberjacks opened the season with two-straight road losses, the first coming at PAC-12 member Arizona (37-3; 9/2), which was followed by a 37-22 loss at current No. 13/14 North Dakota last Saturday. 
    Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kai Millner, who is currently ranked 24th-nationally in total offense (251.5 ypg), threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 78 more yards and another score last week in the UND loss. 
            As a team, NAU averages 12.5 points and 354.5 yards (124.5 rush/230.0 pass) over its first two games, while giving up 37.5 points and 463.0 yards (168.0 rush/295.0 pass) defensively. 
            Chris Ball (Missouri Western State, 1986) is in his fifth season at NAU, where he is 15-26 overall. 
            
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech continues its three-game road swing next Saturday with a non-conference game at Missouri State. Kick off at Robert W. Plaster Stadium in Springfield is set for 2 p.m. (CT).