Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | MSU - PDF
Utah Tech Football Media Central
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FOR STARTERS: • Utah Tech continues its three-game road swing this Saturday afternoon with the program's first-ever trip to the "The Show-Me State" as the Trailblazers travel to Springfield for a non-conference tilt at Missouri State.
• Utah Tech is 0-1 all-time vs. Missouri State, with the lone meeting coming during the 2021 fall season in the Blazers' first full NCAA FCS campaign. The two teams squared off in Utah Tech's 2021 fall home finale that the then-No. 14 Bears won by a 55-24 count (11/20/21). 
• Saturday's game will mark the fourth time Utah Tech has faced an opponent from the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Including the 2021 loss to Missouri State, the Trailblazers are 0-3 all-time vs. the MVFC. 
• Utah Tech also squared off against perennial national power South Dakota State (L, 7-55; 10/2/21) in Brookings during the 2021 fall season, and last year the Blazers dropped a 41-14 road decision at Northern Iowa (10/15/22). 
• Utah Tech collected its first win of the 2023 season last Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers posted a 50-36 road victory at Northern Arizona. 
• The Trailblazers' win at NAU marked the first time Utah Tech had defeated a Big Sky Conference school (1-14). Utah Tech began the 2023 season against three-straight Big Sky schools, and came away with a pair of losses to both nationally-ranked Montana State and Montana. 
• Utah Tech has now posted at least one road victory in three of its first four NCAA Division I FCS seasons overall. 

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.
 
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 on Saturday), Alabama (at North Alabama - Oct. 21) and Tennessee (at Austin Peay - Nov. 11). 
            Utah Tech has already played games in Montana and neighboring Arizona, and will make a trip to Colorado next weekend to play at FBS member Colorado State, along with one trip to Texas in November (at Abilene Christian - Nov. 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). 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech used an all-around team effort to collect its first victory of the 2023 season, a 50-36 road decision at Northern Arizona this past Saturday afternoon at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.
            After surrendering a Lumberjack touchdown late in the first quarter, the Trailblazers erupted for 34-unanswered points, thanks in large part to NAU committing three of its five total turnovers in the second quarter, to turn a 7-3 deficit into a commanding 37-7 lead at the half.
            UT would stretch that advantage to 50-15 midway through the fourth quarter, but NAU managed to close the gap with three late touchdowns, two of which came after a pair of successful onside kicks.
            However there would not be a third onside kick conversion as the Blazers recovered the final attempt 1:10 remaining to seal the road win. 
 
FINALLY BROKE THROUGH: Utah Tech finally "got off the schneid" as it were in last Saturday's win at NAU, which broke a 14-game losing streak against teams from the Big Sky Conference. 
            In fact, Saturday's victory was the Trailblazers' first against any Big Sky school. 
            Utah Tech has faced eight current football playing members of the Big Sky and is a combined 1-14 lifetime against league. Utah Tech was 0-6 as a D-II member, and is now 1-8 in their short time as a D-I FCS program after its loss to Montana last Saturday night. 
 
BROOKSBY AND SPARKS EARN WEEKLY HONORS: On the strength of last Saturday's road victory at NAU, Utah Tech Football had two players earn weekly award recognition.
            Junior placekicker Connor Brooksby was named the FedEx Ground FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week, and wide receiver Beau Sparks was tabbed as the UAC's Freshman of the Week. 
            Brooksby enjoyed a record-breaking afternoon in Trailblazers' 50-36 win as the he broke the school's single game record with five made field goals with makes of 22, 48, 34, 48 and 40 yards. 
            He also went 5-for-5 in his FG attempts, and hit all five of his PAT tries en route to a 20-point afternoon. 
            Meanwhile Sparks caught a career-high tying seven passes for 87 yards against the Lumberjacks. The freshman wideout picked up 43 of those yards on his first reception of the day, which ultimately led to Brooksby's first field goal less than two minutes into the game. He also hauled in a 21-yard catch to help set up a second quarter touchdown.
 
KICKIN' IT AT THE TOP: 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 (31-of-41), became the program's career leader in PATs (63-of-64) 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 (156 pts) with the first of his record five field goals at NAU last Saturday.  
            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. 
            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 has also hit three 48-yard field goals this season, including the two at NAU, and a 48-yarder in the fourth quarter at Montana State, all of which are tied for the fifth-longest made field goal in the program's NCAA era.
 
PROVIDING AN INSTANT SPARK: 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).
 
TURNING DEFENSE INTO POINTS: Utah Tech forced a season-high five turnovers in its win at NAU last Saturday. 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 last Saturday 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 notched his fifth-career 300-yard passing game as he threw for a season-high 318 yards with two touchdowns at NAU last Saturday.
• Tracy completed 19 of his 32 attempts and hit seven different receivers. The junior also moved into second place on UT's career total offense list (3,689), and with his two TD tosses, vaulted to third all-time in career touchdown passes (24).
• Tracy has thrown at least two touchdown passes in each of his last two outings, and in eight career games overall. 
• Tracy also recorded his collegiate career-long completion on Saturday when he connected with senior WR Rickie Johnson for a 70-yard catch-and run late in the first quarter, which was one of Johnson's three receptions for a season-high 90 yards.  
• Johnson now stands eighth on UT's career receiving yards list (1,444) after last Saturday, and he is also eighth all-time in career receptions (103) and receiving TDs (10). 
• Fellow senior WR Michael Moten hauled in four passes for a season-high 76 yards at NAU, 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 in as many games after he hooked up with Tracy for a 17-yard score in the second quarter at NAU. 
• 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 two of his five total targets vs. Montana (9/9) for 58 yards, highlighted by a 40-yard diving grab late in the fourth quarter, and snared his lone target for six yards at NAU last Saturday. 
• Davis, who missed the entire 2022 season due to injury, has recorded at least one reception in 13 of his 14 career games as a Trailblazer, including all 11 games during the 2021 fall season. 
• Fifth-year RB Ronnie Walker Jr. ran for his first, and the team's first, touchdown of the 2023 campaign to close out the first quarter at NAU. 
• For Walker Jr., it was his fifth-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. 
• Utah Tech posted a season-high 103 yards rushing against Montana (9/9), with Walker Jr. leading the way with 55 yards on 11 carries (5.0 ypc) ... the fifth-year back also had 49 yards on 16 carries at NAU, and began the year with 10 carries for 52 yards at Montana State (9/2). 
• Freshman RB Nygel Osborne enjoyed a breakout night in his home debut against Montana (9/9), 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.  
• After going just over two full seasons without posting a double-digit tackle game, junior DL Syrus Webster racked up 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 collected 10 more tackles at NAU, including a career-high tying 3.0 TFLs and two sacks, highlighted by a fourth-quarter strip sack that set up Brooksby's final field goal of the game. 
• Webster's two sacks also vaulted him into fifth place on UT's career sacks list (9.5 sacks), leaving him 4.5 sacks shy of becoming the program's career sacks leader ... the junior (18.0 TFLs) is also two TFLs away from cracking into the top-10 on that career list, while his 3.0 TFLs last Saturday tied his previous career-high set in last year's home win vs. Southern Utah (11/5/22).  
• Junior LB Will Leota recorded a season-high 10 tackles (8 solo) at NAU and came up with his third career interception in the third quarter that helped set up Brooksby's fourth field goal of the day.
• 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.
• Senior LB Dondi Fuller continued his strong to the 2023 campaign with eight tackles and 0.5 TFLs at NAU ... 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).
• Three other Trailblazer defenders put up impressive numbers last Saturday, including sophomore LB Jared Fotu who led the team with a career-high 11 stops, while sophomore DB Jagger Williams (9 tackles) and freshman Brevin Hamblin (7 tackles) just missed going for double figures.  
• 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 on week later. 
• Sophomore DB Jayden Sheridan notched his second career sack for an 11-yard loss vs. Montana, 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 (9/2), collected five more solo stops in his home debut vs. Montana (9/9). 
• Utah Tech registered at least one sack in seven of 11 games last season, and in 22 of 30 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 against Montana (9/9) ... 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 only three times at NAU for 147 yards (42.3 ypp) ... Day connected for a season-best 51 yard boot the week prior vs. Montana (9/9). 
 
#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 Missouri State, three Trailblazer defenders enter the game with some impressive streaks on the line.
            Webster has recorded at least one tackle in 25-straight games, while junior safety Jordan Scott (17-straight), and Leota (13-straight), will all seek to continue their impressive double-digit game tackle streaks. 
 
ABOUT THE MISSOURI STATE "BEARS": Missouri State enters its 2023 home opener on Saturday in search of its first win of the season. The Bears opened the year with two-straight road losses, the first coming at Big-XII member Kansas (17-48; 9/1), which was followed by a hard-fought 38-31 loss at UT Martin (9/9). 
    Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jacob Clark, who is currently ranked 24th-nationally in the FCS in passing (237.5 ypg), threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns at UT Martin. Clark's favorite target is junior WR Raylen Sharp, who caught seven passes for 142 yards and a TD at UTM, and is ranked in the FCS top-25 in both receptions (6.0 rpg) and yards (81.5 ypg) per game. 
            As a team, MSU averages 24.0 points and 365.0 yards (92.5 rush/272.5 pass) over its first two games, while giving up 43.0 points and 516.5 yards (325.0 rush/191.5 pass) defensively. 
            Ryan Beard (Western Kentucky, 2012) is in his first season at Missouri State, where he served as defensive coordinator with the program for three seasons from 2020-22 before taking over as head coach. 
            
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will wrap up its 2023 non-conference slate, and its current three-game road swing, next Saturday with a date at FBS opponent and Mountain West Conference member Colorado State. 
            Kickoff inside Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins is set for 5 p.m.