Utah Tech closed the 2024 season in heartbreaking fashion, dropping a 37-34 double overtime thriller at in-state rival Southern Utah in the annual "Battle for the Axe" showdown on Saturday afternoon at Eccles Coliseum.
 
With the loss, the Trailblazers finished the season with a 1-10 overall record, 1-7 in United Athletic Conference play.

The loss marked the first time the program played in a game that went into double-overtime in its NCAA era, while it was Utah Tech's sixth overtime game (0-6) in its four-year era overall. 
 
In addition, Saturday's loss marked the first time the Trailblazers had played an overtime game in its brief time as a Division I FCS program. Of note, the last Utah Tech overtime game happened just over 10 years ago to the day in a home loss to South Dakota Mines (L, 40-41; 11/1/14) late in the 2014 season.
 
On a day that saw a steady 25-30 mile-per-hour south wind batter the stadium all afternoon, the Trailblazers took early control thanks to a pair of first quarter touchdown drives into the teeth of that wind.
 
Utah Tech opened the game with a methodical 13-play, 75-yard march down the field that culminated with 2-yard Reggie Graff-to-Eni Falayi touchdown pass at the 8:36 mark of the first quarter.
 
Graff completed six of his first eight passes for 63 yards, including a 27-yard toss to tight end Eric Olsen to the SUU 4-yard line, while the signal caller rushed for 16 more yards on the drive. 

The Trailblazer defense complemented the offense's strong start by forcing a three-and-out on the Thunderbirds' first possession. 
 
Graff and Falayi would strike again on Utah Tech's ensuing drive, when on 3^rd-and-11 at the Blazer 20, the redshirt freshman fired a pass over the middle to his tight end at the Utah Tech 37. Falayi caught the ball in stride sprinted the final 63 yards to the end zone to put the Blazers up 14-0 with 5:26 to go in the period.
 
Southern Utah (7-5/6-2 UAC) quickly countered one series later with a 2-yard Targhee Lambson touchdown run, which capped a six-play, 70-yard drive with 2:09 left in the opening frame.
 
That touchdown started a stretch that would see the T-Birds score 31 unanswered points as SUU turned a two-score deficit into a commanding 31-14 advantage after a Jayden Rogers 25-yard field goal with 5:16 to play in the third quarter.
 
Utah Tech, which was held to just 75 total yards over the next 30-plus minutes of play, finally got off the deck in its final possession of the third. 
 
Graff kick-started drive with a 62-yard, pitch-and-catch to running back Bretton Stone, which flipped the field from the Blazer 25 to 1^st-and-10 at the SUU 13.
 
SUU thought it had held the Trailblazers to a field goal try three plays later, but on 4^th-and-2 the T-Birds jumped offsides on the kick, which set Utah Tech up first and goal to go at the SUU 2.

Then after an incomplete pass on third down, Southern Utah was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, which gave Utah Tech another first down. Prior to that drive, the Thunderbirds had not had a penalty called against them.
 
Graff managed to cash in the T-Bird miscues two plays later when he powered his way into the end zone from 3-yards out to cut the deficit to 31-21.
 
As it did following the Blazers' first touchdown of the game, Utah Tech's defense forced an SUU three-and-out. 
 
And Graff reciprocated by again hooking up with Falayi for the duo's third touchdown connection of the game, this one an 11-yard pass over the middle that pulled Utah Tech to within a field goal at 31-28 with 9:03 remaining in regulation.
 
Graff led the Trailblazers on a 13-play 82-yard drive that took just over five minutes off the clock. The freshman signal caller threw for 66 of those yards, 55 of which came on two receptions apiece by Chernet Estes (27 yds) and Bryce Parker (28 yds). 
 
Earlier in the drive, Utah Tech looked as if it had to settle for a field goal. However SUU would again extend a Blazer drive with a fourth-down penalty, which led to the touchdown three plays later.
 
The Trailblazers had a chance to win the game regulation after they forced a T-Bird punt and took possession of the ball at their own 42-yard line with 1:49 to play.

Utah Tech picked up a pair of first down on the drive, which later stalled at the T-Bird 35. 
 
Sophomore kicker Ilya Uvaydov, who had made his two previous field goal tries that SUU was penalized on, came on and drilled a career-long, 53-yard blast through the uprights that tied the game at 31-31 with 1:04 left on the clock. Uvaydov's 53-yard boot also tied for the third-longest field goal in Utah Tech's four-year era. 
 
SUU started its next drive on its own 25 and drove into the wind down to the Utah Tech 34 yard line with five seconds to go. 
 
T-Bird kicker Danny King then came on to attempt a 51-yarder to win the game, but the kick was blocked by Blazer safety Brevin Hamblin, which sent the game to overtime.
 
After both teams traded field goals in the first overtime period, the Trailblazers went into their bag of tricks on the first play of the second OT when receiver Shamar Garrett was lateraled the ball, rolled left and completed a pass to Graff for a 19-yard gain to set the Blazers up first and goal at the SUU 6.
 
On 3^rd-and-goal at the 2, Graff threw a pass that was just out of reach of tight end Jay McEuen to bring up fourth down. Utah Tech elected to go for the win, but Graff's pass to Falayi in the end zone was deflected away. 

Rogers would end the game four plays later with a 36-yard field goal, which gave SUU the victory and ownership the coveted Battle Axe for another year.
 
Graff finished with a career-high 381 yards on 31-of-57 passing to go with his three touchdowns. His 31 completions and three touchdown passes were also career highs, while his four total touchdowns on the day tied a career high.

Meanwhile Falayi tied Utah Tech's single game record with his three receiving touchdowns as the redshirt junior hauled in six passes for a career-high, and Utah Tech team season-high 133 yards. 
 
In all, Graff completed at least one pass to a Utah Tech offense season-high 11 different receivers on the afternoon.
 
Defensively, Hamblin racked up a career-high 16 total tackles, including 2.0 tackles-for-loss, to go with a pass breakup and his field goal block at the end of regulation. Hamblin's 16 tackles also tied him for 10^th place on Utah Tech's single game tackles list. 
 
Jayden Sheridan, Malakai Fakahua and Spencer Rich each tallied seven tackles apiece, while linebacker Fisher Jackson recorded a sack in his third-straight game.

On special teams, senior punter Andy Day punted five times for 259 yards with four 50-plus yard kicks overall, including a career-long 77 yard boot in the fourth quarter, which was the third-longest punt in program history. Day averaged 51.8 yards per punt, which is the second-highest yard average in program history.
 
Utah Tech finished with 463 yards of total offense, including 77 yards on the ground, 51 of those yards from Graff to go with his career passing day.
 
Lambson, who came into Saturday's finale as the NCAA FCS Subdivision's season rushing leader, wound up with 164 yards on 32 carries and two touchdowns. 
 
SUU quarterback Jackson Berry threw for 194 yards on 14-of-23 passing and two touchdowns as the T-Birds tallied 473 yards of offense on the day.