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FOR STARTERS: • Utah Tech begins a stretch that will see the team play three of its next four United Athletic Conference games on the road, starting with a return trip to the "Yellowhammer State" to face North Alabama this Saturday afternoon in Florence.

• The Trailblazers return to Florence looking to avenge a 31-30 heartbreaking road loss to the Lions last season (10/21/23), in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

• In that game, Utah Tech trailed 31-24 with 1:37 to remaining, but managed to drive 69 yards in 1:01 for a potential game-tying touchdown. The Trailblazers elected to go for two and the win with 31 second to go, but the try failed. UNA fielded the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to escape with the win.

• The Blazers rattled off two school-record breaking 99-yard touchdown drives on its way to 505 yards of total offense in that loss at UNA.

• Utah Tech dropped to 4-12 all-time in conference openers, 1-3 during its brief FCS era, after its 55-30 Homecoming loss to current No. 17/16 Abilene Christian last Saturday night inside Greater Zion Stadium.  

• Utah Tech fell to 4-32 (3-31 overall vs. AFCA) all-time record vs. ranked opponents (FCS and D-II), which includes an 1-14 mark over the previous two seasons.

• Of note, each of Utah Tech's first five opponents were either ranked at the time the Trailblazers played them, or are now currently ranked in either or both the FCS, and FBS (UNLV), top-25 polls. 

UTAH TECH ON THE AIR: All Utah Tech 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), while all United Athletic Conference home and away games will be streamed online on ESPN+.
        The "Voice of the Trailblazers" Rod Zundel is in his third season calling the play-by-play action for all home games on ESPN+, and all road games on The Fan Sports Network.  
        As part of this season's game day broadcast coverage, Utah Tech airs a 60-minute comprehensive pregame show, and 30-minute post-game show, both of which 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 coverage, Zundel hosts the weekly "The Lance Anderson Coaches Show" every Tuesday night on The Fan Sports Network and streamed on Trailblazer Sports Vision at 6 p.m. (MT).

FINALLY ELIGIBLE FOR POSTSEASON PLAY: Not only is the 2024 season Utah Tech's fifth Division I FCS season overall, it is also the FIRST season that the Trailblazers are eligible for NCAA postseason play. 
        The NCAA Division I Board of Directors officially approved Utah Tech's move to active Division I status on June 28. With that confirmation, Trailblazer Athletics is now officially eligible to participate in all NCAA postseason championships in its 15 intercollegiate programs.

LET'S PLAY 12: Utah Tech's 2024 football schedule features a program NCAA-era high 12 games, six home games and six road dates, and a full eight-game United Athletic Conference (UAC) slate. Add in the bye week (11/9), and the 13-week regular season will be the longest in program history.   

TOOK ON ALL COMERS: As Utah Tech wrapped up its four-year NCAA Division-I FCS transitional period last November, it was safe to say that the Trailblazers did not shy away from playing anyone, anytime, anywhere. 
        Over their 38 games during those four years, the Trailblazers faced 15 top-25 teams (2-13) and 12 total FCS playoff teams.
        In fact, Utah Tech's 2021 fall schedule was rated as the second-toughest schedule in the entire country and featured seven 2021 FCS Fall playoff teams, including the 2021 spring national champion (Sam Houston) and runner-up (South Dakota State).

AS FOR ANYWHERE: Utah Tech were road warriors during that four-year transitional period, a stretch that saw the Trailblazers travel more than 43,300 round trip miles on 21 trips.
        Utah Tech played road games in 13 different states, seven of which the program had never played in before, including three last season with trips to Missouri, Alabama and Tennessee. The Trailblazers also made their first-ever visits to Georgia (Spring 2021), Delaware (Fall 2021) and Iowa (2022) over the four-year span.
        Utah Tech traveled just over 15,000 round trip miles last season, which eclipsed the previous high of just under 13,300 miles set during the 2021 Fall campaign. 
        In their first FCS season in Spring 2021, the Trailblazers covered 7,630 miles for three road dates. Then after the 2021 Fall season, Utah Tech traveled "only" 7,424 miles in 2022, thanks in large part to playing three in-state road games at Weber State, Southern Utah and BYU.
        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).

THIS YEAR'S ROAD SLATE: Utah Tech is "only" slated to travel 10,518 total miles for its six road dates this season. We say only because the Trailblazers have a pair of short bus trips that bookend their six itineraries.
        In addition to their quick trip down I-15 to Las Vegas (252 miles round trip) last month to play at UNLV, the Trailblazers will make an even shorter drive up the interstate to Cedar City (105 miles round trip) for their annual "Battle For the Ax" showdown at Southern Utah on Saturday, Nov. 23.
        In between those two drives are four flights, two of which will come during these next two weeks with back-to-back road trips, with the first stop in Florence for Saturday's UAC match-up at North Alabama (3,818 miles round trip).
        The Trailblazers will also get back on bird next week with a trip to the "Lone Star State" to face Tarleton State in Stephenville (2,162 round trip miles) on Saturday, Oct. 12. Utah Tech will wrap up its out-of-state road schedule with its first-ever trip to the "Bluegrass State" to play at Eastern Kentucky (3,227 round trip miles) on Saturday, Oct. 26. 

ONE TRAILBLAZER LANDS ON PRESEASON ALL-UAC LIST: Utah Tech had only player voted onto the 2024 United Athletic Conference preseason all-conference team. 
        Redshirt sophomore long snapper Ryan Kean was the lone Trailblazer representative to crack the list, doing so on special teams.  
        Last season, Kean (6-2. 210; Corona, Calif./Centennial HS) earned first team all-UAC and Stats Perform Freshman All-America honors after he was near perfect on every special teams snap as the Trailblazers' primary long snapper.

YOUR LOSS IS OUR GAIN: Utah Tech's defense racked up season highs of 8.0 TFLs and 4.0 sacks in its non-conference finale at UC Davis (9/21). Those efforts marked the ninth time the Trailblazers had recorded at least 8.0 TFLs, and eighth time with at least 4.0 sacks, in a game during their NCAA Division I FCS era.
        Last season, the Blazers collected 10.0 TFLs and five sacks at Austin Peay (11/11/23). Meanwhile, the current FCS-era program high for TFLs is 12.0 (t-#5 all-time at Utah Tech), posted in a home win over Fort Lewis (3/27/21) and on the road at Montana (10/9/21). In addition, the Blazers tallied an FCS-era high 7.0 sacks in a home triumph over Southern Utah (11/5/22) during the 2022 season.  

GRAFF JOINS ELITE LIST: RS-freshman QB Reggie Graff etched his named on a pretty elite list last Saturday night vs. ACU as he became just the seventh different signal caller in the program's NCAA era to pass for, and run for, a touchdown in the same game twice in one season.
        Graff, who also achieved that feat a week earlier at UC Davis (9/21), also became only the fourth different Trailblazer quarterback to do it in consecutive games, and the second during Utah Tech's current NCAA FCS era.
        Former Blazer QB Kody Wilstead did three times during Utah Tech's five-game 2021 spring season, including in each of the program's first two FCS games. In addition, former QBs Blake Barney (2 in 2017), Josh Thompson (2 in 2016), Griff Robles (4 in 2012 and 2013), Stefan Cantwell (3 in 2011) and Dexter Hill (4 in 2008) all achieved the feat multiple times during the program's D-II era, with Robles (three times in two years), Cantwell (once) and Hill (back-to-back-to-back) doing so in consecutive games.
        In all, 17 different players, including 16 quarterbacks and one running back, have both passed and run for a touchdown in the same game in the program's NCAA era overall. 

EVERYBODY EATS: Utah Tech had 10 different players record at least one reception in last Saturday's game vs. ACU, which marked the fourth time in the program's brief FCS era, and the 15th-time overall in the four-year era, that the Trailblazer offense reached double-digits in pass catchers in a single game.
        The last time Utah Tech reached double figures in pass receivers in a game came nearly three years ago to the day during the 2021 fall season at South Dakota State (10; 10/2/21). Meanwhile, the school record is 11 different receivers, which has been reached nine different times, with the last instance also coming during that 2021 fall campaign on the road at UC Davis (9/18/21). 

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS
• Utah Tech racked up a season-best 508 yards of total offense last Saturday vs. ACU, including season highs in both rushing (180) and passing (328) yards ... the last time the Trailblazers gained at least 500 yards in a game was last season at, coincidentally, North Alabama (507; 10/21/23).
• Graff enjoyed a career night vs. ACU, throwing for a career-best 231 yards on 13-of-22 passing with one touchdown, and he led the Blazers with 79 yards and a fourth-quarter rushing TD - all off the bench ... Graff led three touchdown drives of 70-plus yards, including a 75-yard drive just before halftime that took only 18 seconds, and ended with a 32-yard pass to sophomore TE Eric Olsen with nine seconds to play until halftime. 
• That effort came a week after Graff made his first collegiate start at UC Davis (9/21), against which he ran for a team and career-high 85 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown ... he also threw for 95 yards on 7-of-21 passing and another score.
• Graff rattled off 49 of those yards on consecutive plays in the third quarter, including a career-long 37-yard scamper down the right sideline, which ultimately set up his 12-yard TD run up the middle one play later.
• Graff also completed a 48-yard TD pass to fellow RS-freshman WR Bryce Parker with less than three minutes to play in the game. 
• One week earlier vs. NAU (9/14), Graff led the offense on its longest touchdown drive of the young season, a 14-play, 80-yard trek in the fourth quarter which he ended with his first collegiate TD pass, a 23-yard toss over the middle to a sliding Tru Tanner in the back of the end zone. 
• Four of Utah Tech's five TD passes on the year have been 30 yards or longer. 
• RS-junior QB Deacon Hill, who started the ACU game but was forced out by a second-quarter injury, threw for a season-high 188 yards on 14-of-28 passing with two touchdowns at UNLV (9/7) ... Hill connected with TE Alec Burton for a 61-yard scoring strike on the Blazers' third play from scrimmage early in the first quarter, which was followed by a 31-yard catch-and-run by RB Chris Street on 4th-and-4 late in the third quarter. 
• Hill rushed for a team-high 25 yards on two carries in the opener vs. Montana State (8/31), highlighted by a 24-yard touchdown scamper early in the fourth quarter ... Hill's TD run was the third of his collegiate career (2 at Iowa in 2023). 
• Street recorded his first rushing touchdown of the year in the first quarter vs. ACU, which staked Utah Tech to its first lead of the season ... Street wound up 44 yards on 15 carries, along with 37 more yards on two receptions en route to a season-best 81 all-purpose yards.  
• Street's TD catch at UNLV (9/7) was his first as a Trailblazer, and of his collegiate career. 
• Speaking of all-purpose yards, redshirt senior RB/KR Shamar Garrett tallied a season-high 121 all-purpose yards vs. ACU ... Garrett hauled in a team-high four passes for 57 yards and ran for 25 more yards on two carries.
• Garrett also posted a season-high 39 yards on two punt returns, including a 33-yard run back that helped set up a second quarter Trailblazer field goal. 
• Sophomore RB Bretton Stone made the most of his opportunities last week vs. ACU, against which he carried the ball three times for a career-high 31 yards, highlighted by his first collegiate TD run, a 10-yard fourth quarter scamper untouched up the middle for the final score play of the night. 
• Sophomore RB Nygel Osborne ran for a season-best 39 yards on seven carries and his first TD of the season vs. NAU (9/14) ... Osborne's fourth quarter TD was his third rushing score of his brief career - all of which have come at home ... the sophomore also ran for two scores in last year's season finale vs. Southern Utah (11/18).
• Bolstered by his first collegiate TD reception at UC Davis (9/21), Parker finished with a career-high 65 yards on two catches, and he rushed one time for 15 yards ... Parker's reception yardage total eclipsed his previous career high of 52 yards he posted at UNLV (9/7), against which he hauled in a career best three passes.
• Sophomore WR Chernet Estes enjoyed a break-out game vs ACU, against which he caught three of his six targets for a career-high 44 yards.  
• After going two full years without one pass completion to a tight end, the new look Trailblazer offense has recorded 20 of its 75 total completions (on 32 combined targets) to tight ends through its first five games.
• Olsen's TD grab just before halftime vs. ACU was his first collegiate touchdown overall ... Olsen finished with a career-high 60 yards on three receptions vs. ACU. 
• Burton was finally able to do the one thing he had waited his whole college career for - catch a touchdown pass ... Burton scored his first collegiate TD on the third play from scrimmage at UNLV (9/7) when Hill found him all alone over the middle for a 61-yard scoring strike.
• The touchdown catch was Burton's first reception as a Trailblazer, and just his 17th collegiate reception overall ... Burton spent six seasons at Ohio University, where he recorded 16 catches for 118 yards in 33 games as a Bobcat.
• Burton's TD catch at UNLV was also the first by a Blazer tight end in 24 games ... prior to the Burton grab, the last TD catch by a tight end came in the 2021 fall finale vs. Missouri State (Cade Veach - 11/20/21).  
• Freshman OLB Rick Mua'e moved into a tie for second place on the UAC's sack list (3.5) with his third quarter strip sack vs. ACU last Saturday ... Mua'e has recorded all of his sacks over his last four games, including 1.5 sacks (for 18 yards) at UC Davis (9/21), which was part of a six-tackle night.
• Mua'e enjoyed a breakout performance at UNLV (9/7), against which he collected eight total tackles and 1.5 TFLs, including his first collegiate sack late in the first half.
• Since we are talking breakouts, redshirt freshman DB Quincy Lejay was pressed into duty three weeks ago vs. NAU (9/14), and he responded with a then-career high seven tackles, including a 0.5 TFL ... Lejay bettered that one week later with a career highs in tackles (9-team high), PBUs (2-team high) and TFLs (1.0) at UC Davis (9/21). 
• RS-junior ILB Spencer Rich continued his strong start to the season with six tackles vs. ACU, which followed consecutive eight-tackle nights against both NAU (9/14) and UC Davis (9/21) ... Rich, who is ranked seventh in the UAC in total tackles (39), led the Trailblazer defensive effort with a season-high 12 total tackles at UNLV (9/7).
• Utah Tech's cornerback duo of Jayden Sheridan and Scooter Jackson both matched Rich with six tackles apiece vs. ACU ... in addition, Sheridan (career-high 2) and Jackson (1) combined for three PBUs to lead the Blazer defense. 
• Junior LB Jared Fotu posted his fourth double-digit tackle game of his career with 11 stops last Saturday night vs. ACU, which included his first TFL of the year.
• Sophomore safety Brevin Hamblin picked up right where he left off following his strong freshman campaign as he racked up nine tackles and a 0.5 TFL in the opener vs. MSU (8/31) ... Hamblin followed that up with 10 more stops and a forced fumble at UNLV (9/7), and had six total tackles at UC Davis (9/21).
• After missing the MSU opener, redshirt junior safety Micah Gardner has been solid in the defensive backfield ... Gardner racked up a career-high seven tackles with a 0.5 TFL at UNLV (9/7), and followed that with six more stops vs. NAU.  
• Senior ILB Malakai Fakahua registered a career-best seven tackles at UNLV (9/7) and forced a fumble early in the second half for the Blazers' first takeaway of the season ... Fakahua collected six more tackles last Saturday at UC Davis. 
• Freshman DB Foster Slaughter pounced on the loose ball on the Fakahua forced fumble at UNLV to record his first collegiate fumble recovery, which was part of a two-tackle day.
• RS-junior safety Jagger Williams led the Trailblazer defensive effort with 10 total tackles (four solo), along with a 0.5 TFL and one PBU vs. Montana State (8/31) ... Williams' 10 tackles were one off of his career high of 11 he set last year vs. Eastern Kentucky (10/28/23).
• RS-junior DL Laytan Tanuvasa notched the game's lone sack in the second opener vs. MSU (8/31), which came in the second quarter as he bolted into the Bobcat backfield virtually untouched and dropped MSU QB Tommy Mellott for a nine-yard loss on 1st and 10 on the Blazer 11 yard line.
• Tanuvasa's sack served as a precursor for arguably the play of the night for the Trailblazers as the Utah Tech defense forced MSU to settle for a 26-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked by Scooter Jackson.
• Jackson got a great jump on the snap and flew around the left side to make the diving rejection, which was recovered by Carlson at the Blazer 26 yard line.
• Jackson's field goal block was Utah Tech's first since former DL Max Christensen III blocked a field goal try nearly one year-to-the-day on the road at another "MSU" opponent in Missouri State (9/23/23). 
• Senior punter Andy Day punted seven times for 317 yards (45.3 ypp) vs. ACU last Saturday night, including three punts of 50-plus yards, and two kicks downed inside the ACU 20 ... Day, who is Utah Tech's career leader in total punts, drilled a 55-yarder in the third quarter, which turned out to be his 200th career punt overall (8,430 career punt yards – 42.15 ypp).
• Day punted seven times for 297 yards (42.4 ypp) at UC Davis (9/21), highlighted by a 66-yard kick late in the first quarter ... Day's 66-yarder was the second-longest of his career (76 at Weber State; 2021), and tied for the ninth-longest punt in Utah Tech's NCAA era. 
• Day was named UAC Football Specialist of the Week (9/2) after he tied his own school record with 10 punts in the opener vs. Montana State (8/31) ... Day punted for 468 yards (46.8 ypp), including two kicks downed inside the 20 yard line, while his 468 yards were the second-most in the program's NCAA era.

#AB3FOREVER: Just prior to the start of the 2024 campaign Utah Tech announced that junior running back Chris Street was awarded the No. 3 jersey for the upcoming season.
        The awarding of the No. 3 jersey is the fifth 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. 
        Head coach Lance Anderson noted that he recently took some time to get familiar with the story of Reinhardt, both as a student-athlete and as a young man. He quickly realized the importance and the impact this tradition has on the Trailblazer football program, a tradition he is very eager to continue.   
        "Once I heard the story about Abe Reinhardt, the kind of person he was, the kind of football player he was, and his tragic passing, I was very touched and felt like this is something we need to continue," said Coach Anderson. "I felt it was very important that our team understands who he was and what this jersey truly represents.
        "I have been impressed by Chris since I got here," Coach Anderson added. "His outgoing personality, his positive outlook, and I really feel like he also represents all the other traits that we talked about what this jersey represents. Toughness, hard work, accountability, trust, leadership – Chris demonstrates all those qualities, and I think he'll do a great job wearing that jersey and representing Abe."

ABOUT THE NORTH ALABAMA "LIONS": Like Utah Tech, North Alabama has found the sledding tough to open the 2024 season, though the Lions managed to break through with a 25-16 road win at UAC newcomer West Georgia last Saturday.  
        In that game, graduate PK Scott Payne (5-11; 180) made three field goals (24/27/30) and converted on both PAT chances on his way to UAC Specialist of the Week honors. 
        Redshirt senior quarterback TJ Smith (6-2; 200) got the start against UWG last Saturday and threw for 184 yards on 18-of-29 passing with two touchdowns. Redshirt junior Jayvian Allen (5-9; 195) is the Lions' top rusher, having carried the ball 70 times for 229 yards and three touchdowns, including a season-high 100 yards and a score in UNA's opener vs. current No. 13 Southeast Missouri State (8/24).
        Meanwhile, graduate WR Takairee Kenebrew (6-2; 190) leads the Lions' receiving corps with 352 yards on 23 catches and three touchdowns, highlighted by a season-best 173 yards on five receptions and two touchdowns at UT Martin (9/14). Kenebrew also caught three balls for 13 yards and a score at UWG last Saturday, while RS-senior WR Dakota Warfield (6-1; 197) hauled in five passes for a team-high 53 yards and a TD at UWG.
        On defense, redshirt senior DB Gregory Reddick (5-11; 195) is the UAC's second-leading tackler (44), while RS-senior LB Jackson Bratton (6-3; 230) leads the Lions' defense with 4.5 TFLs, including 1.5 sacks.
        Brent Deamon (Bethel, 2008) is in his second season at UNA, where he is 4-13 overall, and 14-13 through two-plus seasons as a head coach. 

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech continues its road swing next Saturday when the Trailblazers head to "The Lone Star State" to square off with nationally-ranked Tarleton State on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kick-off at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville is set for 5 p.m. (MT).