• Saturday's installment of the "Battle for the Axe" series vs. Southern Utah will be the sixth NCAA meeting on the gridiron overall between these two long-time JUCO rivals.

• Utah Tech is 1-4 all-time against Southern Utah during in its NCAA era, which includes a 1-2 mark in Division I FCS play. 

• The two sides renewed pleasantries in 2022 by splitting a pair of Homecoming games that season. The Thunderbirds first laid claim to the Axe with a 31-17 (9/24/22) win in Cedar City. Utah Tech then avenged that loss and took ownership of the Axe six weeks later thanks to a 48-36 victory (11/5/22) inside Greater Zion Stadium. 

• However Southern Utah reclaimed the Axe after a 24-16 road win in St. George (11/18/23) in last year's season finale. 

• The two sides also met twice during the Trailblazers' Division II era in 2009 and 2010, with both games resulting in lopsided SUU home victories (36-7, 9/3/09; 52-0, 11/6/10).    

• Utah Tech dropped to 4-5 all-time during its NCAA era coming off a bye after its 34-31 home loss to West Georgia last Saturday. The Trailblazers were 4-1 in games following a bye during their Division II era, but are now 0-4 as a Division I FCS member. 

            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. Zundel will be joined in the broadcast booth for this Saturday's game at Southern Utah by former Trailblazer running back Ronnie Walker Jr.   

        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 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).

LET'S PLAY 12: Saturday's game at SUU will be the 12th, and final, game on Utah Tech's 2024 football schedule. The 12 games played this season are a program NCAA-era high, which included an even six home games and six road dates, and a full eight-game United Athletic Conference (UAC) slate. Add in the team's bye week two weeks ago (11/9), and the 13-week regular season is 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.

            To this point of the season, the Trailblazers have faced six teams currently ranked in one, or both, of the current AFCA and Stats Perform FCS top-25 polls, three of which are in the top-12 in both polls. 

            In fact, eight of Utah Tech's first 11 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.

TRAILBLAZERS HAUL IN UAC AND NATIONAL HONORS: Thanks to its win over then No. 9/11-ranked Central Arkansas (11/2), Utah Tech football garnered three UAC player of the week awards, and one national player of the week award on Nov. 4.

            Redshirt freshman quarterback Reggie Graff was named Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week and UAC co-Offensive Player of the Week. 

            Meanwhile sophomore placekicker Ilya Uvaydov was chosen as the UAC Special Teams Player of the Week, and redshirt freshman safety Quincy Lejay was tabbed as UAC's Freshman of the Week.

            Graff became the first Trailblazer in program history, and the first FCS player this season, to throw for, catch, and run for a touchdown in the same game in the 34-21 upset victory. 

            In all, Graff accounted for all four Trailblazer touchdowns on the day. He threw for 211 yards on 26-of-35 passing and two scores, and ran for a team and career-high 90 yards on 24 carries to go with his rushing touchdown. He also caught a 3-yard TD pass on the back end of Utah Tech's version of "The Philly Special" just before halftime.

            Lejay racked up a team and career-high 12 tackles to go with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup to highlight a strong Trailblazer defensive effort. 

            Lejay's first quarter PBU led directly to the first of Utah Tech's two second quarter interceptions. In fact, that interception was the second of the Trailblazers' four picks overall, and one of a school-record tying six total turnovers the Utah Tech defense forced on the afternoon.  

            Uvaydov was a perfect 6-for-6 on his kicks, including four PATs and a pair of field goals. He connected on field goals of 30 and 24 yards, in supporting the Blazers' first victory of the season.

GRAFF JOINS ANOTHER ELITE LIST: Graff not only etched his name on a list of one with his touchdown trifecta vs. UCA (11/2), he is now one of five QBs in Utah Tech's NCAA era to rush and pass for a touchdown in the same game at least three times in one season. 

        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 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. 

GRAFF IS A PERFECT "15": Graff made even more history this past Saturday afternoon vs. West Georgia when he set a new school NCAA era record by completing his first 15 pass attempts. Graff wound up throwing for a career-high 272 yards on 22-of-37 passing and two touchdowns, and rushed for 58 more yards on 17 carries on the day.  

HIGHWAY TO THE RED ZONE: After going a combined 8-for-11 in the opponent's red zone through its first eight games, Utah Tech's offense has come away with points in 14 of the unit's last 15 trips to the red zone over its last three games, including 10 touchdowns and four field goals.

            The Trailblazers went 3-for-3 at EKU (10/26), which they chased with a 6-for-7 effort with four TDs in the Central Arkansas win (11/2), and a 5-for-5 clip last Saturday vs. West Georgia with four touchdowns and one field goal.

            The lone red zone visit the Trailblazers did not convert into points came in their final possession vs. UCA, during which the Blazers knelt out the clock inside the Bear 10-yard line to close out the victory.

YOUR LOSS IS OUR GAIN: Utah Tech's defense racked up a season-high 9.0 TFLs (-40 yards) in the Central Arkansas win back on Nov. 2. Two of the nine TFLs were sacks, including a Fisher Jackson strip sack late in the second quarter that resulted in a 28-yard loss, which set the Blazers' up at the UCA 5 and a touchdown three plays later.

            The 9.0 TFLs eclipsed the previous high of 8.0 set in the Blazers' non-conference finale at UC Davis (9/21), against which the defense posted a season-best 4.0 sacks.

            In addition, the 9.0 TFLs vs. UCA marked the 10th time the Trailblazers had recorded at least 8.0 TFLs 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. 

MORE ON THE TRAILBLAZER DEFENSE: Utah Tech's defense tied a school record with six forced turnovers in the Central Arkansas win (11/2). The six turnovers forced are the most in the program's relatively new NCAA FCS era, and the most in 12-plus seasons overall. 

            Four of the six UCA turnovers were interceptions, including two second-quarter picks by true freshman defensive back Brady Sorenson. Sophomore DB Scooter Jackson also picked off his first collegiate pass in the first quarter, while junior LB Jaxson Smith's four-quarter interception sealed the Blazers' win.

            The Trailblazers last forced six turnovers in a home win over Western Oregon (24-10; 9/8/12) during the 2012 season, and turned the trick against WOU three years prior to that in a home win (31-23; 10/10/09) in the 2009 campaign.

            In addition, the Blazers' four interceptions tied for the second-most in program history, and tied for the most in Utah Tech's FCS era (4 vs. Chadron State - 9/10/22).

MORE TOs FOR TDs: Utah Tech's defense looked as if it had picked up right where it left off in the early going vs. West Georgia last Saturday. The Trailblazer defense unit forced two Wolves turnovers in the game's six minutes, and the Blazer offense managed to turn both of those miscues into touchdowns.

EVEN MORE ON THE TRAILBLAZER DEFENSE: Utah Tech's defense held Austin Peay to 2024 opponent season lows in points (13) and total offense (311), and to only 93 passing yards this past Oct. 19.
            The 93 passing yards at the time were a season low, which was eclipsed at Eastern Kentucky (10/26), where the Trailblazers limited the Colonels to just 75 yards through the air. 

            In fact, EKU's 75 passing yards marked the 12th-time in the program's NCAA era, and the third time in its FCS era, that the Trailblazers had held a team under 100 passing yards. During the 2020 spring season, Utah Tech limited Fort Lewis (3/27/21) to 38 yards passing, which was the second-lowest opponent single game total in program history.
            Meanwhile, the 75 passing yards allowed at EKU were the eighth-lowest single game total in Utah Tech's four-year era. 

            Utah Tech currently leads the UAC in passing defense (2,139 yds; 194.5 ypg). 
LIGHT UP THE SCOREBOARD: Utah Tech scored a season-high 34 points in the UCA victory on Nov. 2 with four total touchdowns. The scoring bonanza halted a stretch that saw the Trailblazers reach the end zone only five times over its previous four games, two of which came at EKU (10/26) late last month. 

            The Trailblazers suffered their first FCS era shutout loss in a 42-0 road loss at current No. 12/13 Tarleton State back on Oct. 12, which broke the program's 109-game scoring streak. The shutout loss was also just the fourth in the program's NCAA era overall, and was the first since the 2013 season finale at home vs. Central Washington (44-0; 11/16/13).

DAY FOR 10K: Senior punter Andy Day eclipsed the 10,000-yard mark in career punt yards on his first punt of the day in the opening quarter vs. West Georgia last Saturday.

            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). The senior 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 (243) and punt yardage, and third in career yards/punt (41.76 ypp), punted nine times for 372 yards (41.3 ypp) vs. Austin Peay (10/19). That effort came after he punted nine times for 383 yards (42.6 ypp) a week earlier at Tarleton State (10/12). 

            The senior enters his final game as the NCAA Division I leader in both FCS and FBS subdivisions in total punts (82) and punt yardage (3,403), and is third in in the United Athletic Conference in punts I20 (19) and second in 50-plus yard punts (11).

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.

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 one 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 threw for a then-career high 231 yards on 13-of-22 passing with one touchdown, and he led the Blazers with 79 rush 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 then-career best 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. 

• Graff led the offense on its longest touchdown drive, in terms of yardage, of the season in the UCA win (11/2), a 12-play, 92-yard trek in the second quarter which culminated with a 6-yard pass to redshirt junior TE Eni Falayi.

• Falayi's TD catch vs. UCA, his second in as many games, highlighted his first career 100-yard receiving game, during which he hauled in a collegiate career-high 10 passes for 105 yards on the day. 

• In fact, Utah Tech's last 100-yard reception game came nearly one year to the day at Austin Peay (11/11/23), against which both former Trailblazer Rickie Johnson (14 rec./126 yds) and current Blazer WR Daniel Thomason (6 rec./100 yds./1 TD) reached the century mark in receiving yards. 

• Falayi led the Trailblazers with 63 yards on four catches last Saturday vs. West Georgia.

• Falayi returned to action last month vs. Austin Peay (10/19) and caught all four of his targets for 16 yards ... Falayi had not played since being injured in the season opener vs. Montana State (8/31), against which he caught four passes for 48 yards. 

• After missing the previous three games due to injury, junior RB Chris Street returned to action last Saturday vs. West Georgia, against which he ran for a game-high 62 yards on 10 carries, including a season-long 26-yard scamper in the Blazers' fourth quarter touchdown drive.

• Street also hauled in his second TD pass of the season on a 2-yard touchdown screen early in the second quarter vs. UWG ... Street recorded his first collegiate TD pass at UNLV (9/7), a 31-yard catch and run on 4th-and-4 late in the third quarter.  

• Street scored his first rushing touchdown of the year in the first quarter vs. ACU (9/28), against which he wound up with 44 yards on 15 carries, along with 37 more yards on two receptions en route to a season-best 81 all-purpose yards.  

• Speaking of all-purpose yards, redshirt senior RB/WR/KR Shamar Garrett tallied a season-high 153 all-purpose yards in the UCA win (11/2) ... Garrett collected 37 yards on five receptions, including his first TD as a Trailblazer - a 2-yard pass from Graff just before halftime.

• Garrett also recorded a team season-high 116 yards on four kickoff returns, including a 66-yard return after a UCA score that ultimately led to Graff's first collegiate TD catch. 

• Garrett then went on to score his second touchdown in as many games on a 9-yard end around with 6:47 to play in the fourth quarter vs. UWG last Saturday.

• Sophomore RB Kona Crowell recorded his first collegiate touchdown on a 1-yard dive to open the scoring vs UWG last Saturday.

• Crowell tied his career high with 34 yards on 12 carries in the UCA win (11/4) to go with 13 yards on four catches.

• RS-Junior RB Bretton Stone returned to action in the UCA win (11/2) and finished with three receptions for 14 yards and one carry for one yard.

• Prior to missing the EKU game (10/26) due to injury, Stone had made the most of his opportunities of late, including at Tarleton State (10/12), where he racked up a career-best 72 all-purpose yards, including career highs of five receptions for 51 yards, and he finished with 21 yards on the ground. 

• Stone has rushed for 125 total yards over his last five outings ... Stone carried the ball nine times for a career-high 44 yards and his second collegiate TD vs. Austin Peay (10/19). 

• 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).

• Freshman RB Asa Chatman made his collegiate debut vs. Austin Peay (10/19), against which he rushed two times for eight yards and caught both of his targets out of the backfield for 15 yards.

• Chapman saw an increased role at EKU (10/26), where he carried the ball four times for 28 yards and caught a pair of passes for three yards. 

• True freshman WR Josh Rillos made the most of time on the field at EKU (10/26), against which he led the Trailblazer receiving corps with seven receptions for 72 yards - all were career highs. 

• Even though he was held to only one catch for 12 yards in the UCA win (11/2), Parker played a big role in the upset victory as he completed his first collegiate pass to Graff on the back end of "The Philly Special" in the second quarter. 

• Parker hauled in his team-leading fourth TD pass of the season and finished with 44 yards on four receptions last Saturday vs. UWG.

• Parker just missed recording his first career 100-yard game as he finished with a career-best 98 yards on three receptions at North Alabama (10/5) ... Parker's day was highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown pass from QB Bronson Barben with just over nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter. 

• After going two full years without one pass completion to a tight end, the new look Trailblazer offense has recorded 58 of its 197 total season completions (on 96 combined targets), and five of Utah Tech's 14 total TD passes, to tight ends through 11 games this season.

• Olsen's TD grab just before halftime vs. ACU (9/28) was his first collegiate touchdown ... Olsen also tallied a career-high 67 receiving yards on two catches last Saturday vs. UWG, highlighted by a 53-yarder late in the first quarter that helped set up a second quarter Trailblazer field goal. 

• 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). 

• Two of Burton's three total receptions of the season overall have gone for touchdowns, including a 39-yard pass from Barben on 4th-and-1 early in the fourth quarter at UNA (10/5). 

• Sophomore safety Brevin Hamblin heads into Saturday's season finale eighth in the UAC in total tackles with a team-best 80 (7.3 tpg).

• Hamblin has posted a team-high five double-digit tackle games, the last coming at EKU (10/26) with a co-game high 11 tackles (9 solo). 

• That effort came on the heels of a career-high 12 tackle day a week earlier vs. Austin Peay (10/19) ... Hamblin, who has six career double-digit tackle outings to his credit in 22 career games overall, also registered 10 stops at Tarleton State (10/12), and 11 more at North Alabama (10/5), to go with 10 tackles and a forced fumble at UNLV (9/7).  

• Hamblin, who had three early tackles in the UCA win before he left the game early due to injury, returned to action in the UWG game and forced a first-quarter fumble that eventually led to the Blazers' second touchdown of the day. 

• Not to be outdone, RS-freshman safety Quincy Lejay recorded the first of his two-straight double digit tackle games with 11 stops at EKU (10/26), including a career-high 10 solo stops. 

• Lejay then chased his career day vs. UCA (12 tackles; 11/2) with eight more tackles vs. UWG last Saturday. 

• Lejay was pressed into duty in mid-September vs. NAU (9/14), and he responded with seven tackles, including a 0.5 TFL ... Lejay bettered that one week later with a then-career best nine tackles, and career highs in PBUs (2-team high) and TFLs (1.0) at UC Davis (9/21). 

• Freshman OLB Rick Mua'e vaulted into a tie second place on the UAC's season sack list (6.5) with a second-quarter strip sack vs. UWG last Saturday ... Mua'e wound up with 1.5 total TFLs and four tackles on the afternoon.

• Mua'e has recorded all of his sacks over his last nine games overall, including 1.5 sacks (for 18 yards) at UC Davis (9/21), and 1.0 sack as part of his career-high 2.5 total TFL effort in the UCA win (11/2).

• Mua'e enjoyed a breakout performance at UNLV (9/7), against which he collected eight total tackles with 1.5 TFLs, and his first collegiate sack late in the first half.

• Junior LB Jared Fotu racked up a career-high 1.5 TFLs vs. Austin Peay (10/19) and finished with eight total tackles on the day ... Fotu, who tallied five solo tackles at EKU (10/26), has registered at least 0.5 TFLs in five of his last seven games overall, including a season-high 11 tackles with 1.0 TFL vs. ACU (9/28). 

• Utah Tech collected 6.0 total TFLs vs. UWG last Saturday, highlighted by career highs of nine tackles and 2.0 TFLs with a sack from Fisher Jackson ... Jackson also recovered the first quarter fumble forced by Hamblin. 
• Senior DL John Sniffen registered his seventh TFL and fourth sack of the year in Saturday's loss to UWG ... Sniffen also accounted for Utah Tech's lone sack and two of the three total TFLs at EKU (10/26) ... Sniffen's 2.0 TFLs were a career high.
• The EKU game also marked a few more firsts for a pair of defensive players as freshmen DBs Jeremiah Jimoh (5 tackles) and Kyle Parker (3 tackles) made their first collegiate starts ... Parker then chased that with a career-best four tackles in the UCA win (11/2).

• Jimoh led the Trailblazer defense with a career-high 10 tackles (7 solo) vs. West Georgia last Saturday. 

• RS-junior safety Jagger Williams recorded his first interception of the season, and second of his career, on UWG's first pass attempt of the game last Saturday ... Williams also added four tackles and a PBU to his final stat line vs. the Wolves.

• Williams' only other interception came midway during the 2022 season at Northern Iowa (10/15/22).

• 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 DB Gabriel Valenzuela notched a career high with nine tackles, and picked off his second career interception, at Tarleton State (10/12) ... Valenzuela's nine stops eclipsed his previous high of eight set in the season opener vs. Montana State (8/31), while his interception was the Trailblazer defense's first of the year.

 • Valenzuela also recovered his first fumble of the year a tremendous touchdown-saving stop made by Hamblin and RS-junior DB Jayden Sheridan, who stripped the football away from APSU RB Corey Richardson near the goal line early in the fourth quarter.

• Sheridan racked up a season-high seven tying total tackles with 1.0 TFL last Saturday vs. UWG ... Sheridan also collected seven stops and a PBU two weeks earlier in the UCA win (11/2).

• Junior DL Dane Whalen enjoyed his finest outing to date in a Trailblazer uniform with season-highs of five tackles, two TFLs and a forced fumble in the UCA win (11/2) ... Whalen chased that with four tackles and a 0.5 TFL vs. UWG last Saturday.  

• RS-junior DL Laytan Tanuvasa notched the game's lone sack in the season opener vs. Montana State (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 junior DL Cody 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). 

#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 SOUTHERN UTAH "THUNDERBIRDS": SUU heads into Saturday's game with a 6-5 record and has won four of its last five overall since opening season 2-4.

            The Thunderbirds feature a potent running game, anchored by junior back Targhee Lambson (5-9, 200), who enters Saturday's finale as the FCS Subdivision's leader in both rushing yards (1,757; 159.7 ypg) and attempts (288) and is second in the FCS in rushing touchdowns with 21. In fact, Lambson is second behind only Boise State's Ashton Jeanty (1,893 yards) for the most rushing yards in the NCAA Division I ranks overall this season.  

            After opening the season with 44 yards on the ground in a loss at Utah (8/29), Lambson has rushed for at least 135 yards in 10-straight games, including a season-high 217 yards with two touchdowns vs. Tarleton State (10/5).      

            RS-junior quarterback Jackson Berry (6-0, 200) has thrown for 1,364 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore WR Gabe Nunez (6-0, 180) is the T-Birds top receiver with 565 yards on 38 catches and three touchdowns. 

        On defense, senior safety George Ramirez (5-10, 185) is tied for sixth in the UAC with 81 total tackles,, while RS-junior DE Lando Brown (5-11, 215) is fourth in the conference with 10.0 TFLs, which includes 4.0 sacks.