Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | TARLETON STATE - PDF
Utah Tech Football Media Central
Coach Anderson's Tuesday PC: TRAILBLAZER SPORTSVISION
Pre-Game/Post-Game Show: TRAILBLAZER SPORTSVISION
Live TV: ESPN+
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Live Audio: THE FAN SPORTS NETWORK
Live Stats: at TARLETON STATE
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FOR STARTERS: • Utah Tech, which is currently in a stretch that will see the team play three of its four October United Athletic Conference games on the road, begins the second half of the 2024 season this Saturday with a tough road test at No. 11/13 Tarleton State.
• The Trailblazers are 2-2 all-time against the Texans with book-end victories in the brief series, including a 34-28 home victory the last time these two teams met near the end of the 2022 season (11/12/22).
• In fact, the last three meetings between two sides have come in St. George, which is also where Tarleton State recorded both of its series wins (37-15, 3/13/21; 41-20, 10/16/21).
• Utah Tech claimed victory in its lone other trip to Stephenville, a 26-14 triumph over the then-No. 22 ranked Texans in the Trailblazers' NCAA D-I FCS debut game during the 2021 spring season (2/27/21).
• Utah Tech and Tarleton State both began their NCAA Division I transitions at the same time (2020-21), and both schools were granted full NCAA D-I status this past summer.
• Both Utah Tech and Tarleton State are also members of the Western Athletic Conference in all other sports.
• Utah Tech heads into Saturday's game 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, five of Utah Tech's first six opponents were either ranked at the time the Trailblazers played them, or at one time 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).

2024 JUST AS TOUGH: Utah Tech's 2024 schedule is currently ranked No. 7 (out of 129 FCS teams) in the latest WarrenNolan.com ELO strength of schedule ratings.
        Saturday's game at Tarleton State will mark the fourth time that the Trailblazers will have faced a top-25 FCS team through their first seven games this season. In fact, including this Saturday's game, six of Utah Tech's first seven 2024 opponents overall are either currently ranked, or have been ranked, in either or both the FCS, and FBS (UNLV), top-25 polls this year.
        Utah Tech has at least one more game against a currently ranked FCS team, that being a home date vs. current No. 13/12 Central Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 2.  

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, three of which will come in October, including this weekend's trip to Texas (2,162 miles), and last week's stop at North Alabama (3,818 miles round trip).
        The Trailblazers will also get back on the bird for their final out-of-state road game of the season 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 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 back in the Abilene Christian game back on Sept. 28, when 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. 

BARBEN STELLAR IN DEBUT: Freshman QB Bronson Barben made a little history in his own right in his collegiate debut last Saturday night at UNA when he threw for 137 yards on 5-of-8 passing and two second half touchdowns.
        Barben, who came on late in the third quarter at UNA, became the first true freshman in Utah Tech's brief FCS era, and the ninth true freshman in the program's NCAA era overall, to throw a touchdown pass in a game. He was the also the first to it since the 2016 season, when former Blazers signal caller Josh Thompson achieved that feat.
        In addition, Barben became just the fifth true freshman to throw multiple TD passes in the same game, and is only the second Trailblazer QB to throw a touchdown pass in his collegiate debut, joining former Blazer QB Cody Stevenson (2010) on that exclusive list. 

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS
• Utah Tech racked up a season-best 508 yards of total offense vs. ACU (9/28), 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 North Alabama (507; 10/21/23).
• Utah Tech had 10 different players record at least on reception vs. ACU (9/28), 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.
• 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. 
• Junior RB Chris Street recorded his first rushing touchdown of the year in the first quarter vs. ACU (9/28), 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 also hauled in his first collegiate TD pass at UNLV (9/7), a 31-yard catch and run on 4th-and-4 late in the third quarter. 
• Speaking of all-purpose yards, redshirt senior RB/KR Shamar Garrett tallied a season-high 121 all-purpose yards vs. ACU (9/28) ... 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 has made the most of his opportunities of late, having rushed for 59 total yards over his last two outings ... Stone carried the ball three times for a career-high 31 yards and his first collegiate TD two weeks ago vs. ACU (9/28), then followed that up with 28 yards on four carries last week at North Alabama. 
• 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).
• Parker just missed recording his first career (and Utah Tech's first of the year) 100-yard game as he finished with a career-best 98 yards on three receptions at North Alabama last Saturday ... Parker's day was highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown pass from Barben with just over nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter. 
• Parker's career day at UNA eclipsed his previous career-best of 65 yards last month at UC Davis (9/21), where he also hauled in his first collegiate TD. 
• Sophomore WR Chernet Estes enjoyed a break-out game vs. ACU (9/28), against which he caught three of his six targets for a career-high 44 yards ... Estes was targeted a team-high eight times at UNA last Saturday and finished with two catches for 23 yards. 
• After going two full years without one pass completion to a tight end, the new look Trailblazer offense has recorded 26 of its 90 total completions (on 43 combined targets) to tight ends through its first six games.
• Senior TE Jay McEuen recorded career highs of four receptions (team high) and 36 yards last week at UNA. 
• Olsen's TD grab just before halftime vs. ACU (9/28) was his first collegiate touchdown overall ... Olsen finished with a career-high 60 yards on three receptions vs. ACU. 
• Senior TE Alec 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 QB Deacon Hill found him all alone over the middle for a 61-yard scoring strike.
• That 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). 
• Burton has made two receptions this season overall - all of which have gone for touchdowns, including a 39-yard pass from Barben on 4th-and-1 early in the fourth quarter at UNA last Saturday.  
• 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 (9/28) ... Mua'e has recorded all of his sacks over his last five games overall, 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 last month 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 10th in the UAC in total tackles (43), 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 (9/28) ... 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 vs. ACU (9/28), 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 tied a career high with 11 total tackles at North Alabama last Saturday ... Hamblin also tallied 11 total tackles last season at, coincidentally, UNA (10/21/23).
• 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 (9/14).  
• 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 at UC Davis (9/21). 
• 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 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.
• Day, who is Utah Tech's career leader in total punts (209) and punt yardage (8,806), punted nine times for 344 yards (38.2 ypp) at UNA last Saturday night ... Day is also third on Utah Tech's career yards/punt list (42.13 ypp).  

#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 TARLETON STATE "TEXANS": Tarleton State enters its Homecoming game on Saturday riding the UAC's longest active win streak, which reach four-straight overall after the Texans escaped with a thrilling 38-37 overtime win at Southern Utah last Saturday night in Cedar City. The Texans led 28-7 at the half, only to see the Thunderbirds outscore them 24-3 in the second half to force OT.   
        Former Utah Tech QB Victor Gabalis (6-3; 210) threw for a season-high 285 yards and a touchdown in that Texan win last Saturday. Gabalis, who played for the Blazers in 2022, has passed for 678 yards and five total touchdowns in four games this season. 
        The Texans boasts the FCS subdivision's 11th-best rushing offense (214.7 ypg), headlined by senior RB Kayvon Britten (5-7; 195), who leads the FCS and is second in Division I overall (including FBS) with 1,025 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns (T-5th in FCS). Britten has run for 150-plus yards in five of his six games played, including a 273-yard effort with four TDs vs. UNA (9/21). 
        Meanwhile, senior WR Darius Cooper (6-0; 190) leads the Texans' receiving corps with 405 yards on 29 catches and three touchdowns. 
        On defense, senior DB Donta Stuart (5-10; 175) is Tarleton's leading tackler (44), while senior LB Caimyn Layne (6-0; 235) leads the Texan defense with 5.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks.

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech returns home for a UAC matinee against Austin Peay next Saturday afternoon, Oct. 19. Kickoff inside Greater Zion Stadium is set for 2 p.m. (MT).