Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | EASTERN KENTUCKY
Utah Tech Football Media Central
Lance Anderson Coaches Show: TRAILBLAZER SPORTSVISION
Pre-Game/Post-Game Show: TRAILBLAZER SPORTSVISION
Live TV: ESPN+
Live Streaming Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: THE FAN SPORTS NETWORK
Live Stats: vs. EASTERN KENTUCKY
Twitter: @UtahTech_Sports | @UtahTech_Fball | #UtahTechBlazers | #UACFootball

TRAILBLAZER TALES 
• Utah Tech will put a bow on the 2025 season, and play its final game as a member of the United Athletic Conference, next Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers welcome Eastern Kentucky to Greater Zion Stadium for "Senior Day."
• Utah Tech enters Saturday's finale looking for its first victory vs. EKU. The Trailblazers are 0-2 all-time vs. the Colonels, which includes a 34-30 home loss the last time the two sides met in St. George two years ago (10/28/24). 
• Utah Tech then made its first ever trip to "The Bluegrass State" last season, but EKU managed to defend its home turf with a 28-17 victory (10/26/24). 
• Saturday's game will serve as "Senior Day" as 16 Trailblazer seniors will suit up for the final time at Greater Zion Stadium.
• Utah Tech fell to 0-7 this season, and 5-40 (4-39 overall vs. AFCA) all-time vs. ranked opponents (FCS and D-II) during its NCAA era following its 23-0 road loss at current No. 23 West Georgia last Saturday in Carrollton.
• The Trailblazers' record vs. ranked opponents includes a 1-4 record last season, and a 3-22 mark in its brief time as a D-I FCS program.
• To date, seven of Utah Tech's 12 2025 opponents are ranked, or are receiving votes, in both of this week's AFCA and Stats Perform top-25 polls. 
• Utah Tech's 2025 schedule is currently rated as the fifth-toughest (out of 129 FCS teams), according to the Massey ratings. 
• Meanwhile, Utah Tech's 2025 schedule is currently ranked as the 23rd-hardest in the latest WarrenNolan.com ELO strength of schedule ratings.
  
LIVE STATS/AUDIO/STREAM INFO: Live stats and audio/video streaming information and links for this Saturday afternoon's game vs. Eastern Kentucky can be found online at utahtechtrailblazers.com.
 
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 home games will be streamed live online on ESPN+.
        The "Voice of the Trailblazers" Rod Zundel is in his fourth season calling the play-by-play action on ESPN+, and he will be joined this Saturday afternoon by former Utah Tech defensive lineman Max Christensen III. In addition, Devin Dixon (PBP) and Paul Ratliff (color) will have the call 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 Fan Sports Network and streamed live on YouTube on Trailblazer SportsVision (www.youtube.com/TrailblazerAthletics).
        Along with complete Game Day coverage, Zundel hosts "The Lance Anderson Coaches Show" every Tuesday night on The Fan Sports Network and streamed on Trailblazer SportsVision at 6 p.m. (MT).
 
"UNITED" FOR ONE MORE SEASON: Saturday's finale vs. Eastern Kentucky will mark an end of an (brief) era as Utah Tech will wrap up its three-year membership in the United Athletic Conference. The Trailblazers were one of the original charter members of the UAC, which was established in 2023, after they competed in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in football in 2022.
 
GOING "BIG" IN 2026: This past June 25, Utah Tech announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference beginning on July 1, 2026. 
      Starting in the 2026-27 season, 13 of the Trailblazers' 16 sports, including football, will compete in the premiere FCS conference in Division I.  
 
TAKING ON ALL COMERS: Since transitioning to NCAA Division I FCS status, Utah Tech has faced 30 top-25 teams (3-27) and 20 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 ranked teams and seven 2021 FCS Fall playoff teams, including the 2021 spring national champion (Sam Houston) and runner-up (South Dakota State).
      Utah Tech has also squared off against four FBS programs over that span - New Mexico State (2021 spring in El Paso, Texas), BYU (2022), Colorado State (2023) and UNLV (2024).
 
ABOUT THE EASTERN KENTUCKY "COLONELS": Like Utah Tech, EKU enters this Saturday's finale looking to halt a two-game slide of its own and end the 2025 season with a victory.
      The Colonels split their first six ball games of the campaign, but have since lost four of their last five, with three of those losses coming at home, including a hard-fought 17-10 setback against UAC co-leader No. 18/17 Abilene Christian last Saturday in Richmond.
      Redshirt junior QB Myles Burkett (6-0, 213) has thrown for 1,343 yards and six touchdowns on 127-236-9 passing, highlighted by a 209-yard day with three touchdowns in a road win at Central Arkansas (11/1). Burkett has also rushed for 250 yards on 109 carries and a co-team high four rushing TDs.
      Burkett's favorite target is sophomore WR Marcus Calwise Jr. (5-10, 190) who has hauled in 28 balls for 375 yards and five touchdowns in 11 outings. 
      EKU has scored 11 of its 18 total offensive touchdowns via the run game. The Colonels feature a two-back threat led by junior RB Brayden Latham (5-11, 220), who leads the offense with 554 rush yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, sophomore RB Brady Hensley (5-11, 211) has run for 487 yards on 79 carries with four touchdowns. Hensley also owns EKU's lone 100-yard rush game of the season, a 148-yard day with a score in a home win over Nicholls State (9/27).  
      Defensively, redshirt senior DB Jaheim Ward (6-0, 230) leads the Colonels with 79 total tackles, along with 2.0 TFLs in 11 games, while redshirt junior DL Brad Gurley Jr. (6-3, 293) is EKU's team leader in both TFLs (10.5) and sacks (5.5). 
 
YOU GOT TO HAVE AN ASA IN THE HOLE: Redshirt freshman RB Asa Chatman registered his team-leading fifth rushing touchdown and racked up a team-high 82 all-purpose yards at Abilene Christian (11/8). The freshman rushed for 49 yards on 13 carries and hauled in four passes for 33 more yards. 
      Chatman, who led Utah Tech with 35 rush yards last week at West Georgia, earned his second UAC Freshman of the Year award one week earlier after his career day in the Blazers' home win over North Alabama (11/1).
      Chatman posted his first-collegiate 100-yard game, finishing with 101 yards on 18 carries and a career-high two touchdowns. Both of his touchdowns came late in the fourth quarter and in overtime.
      The freshman, who finished with a career-best 118 all-purpose yards, gained 29 of those yards on a game-tying touchdown scamper with 4:06 to play in regulation. Then in overtime, the freshman tied the game with a 4-yard scoring run, and the Blazers clinched the win on place kicker Ilya Uvaydov's PAT try. 
      Chatman's day eclipsed his previous career-high of 104 all-purpose yards he collected in the Southern Utah (10/25) loss two weeks ago. The freshman caught all nine of his targets out of the backfield for 63 yards, all of which were also career highs. 
      Chatman earned his first UAC Freshman of the Week honor back on Sept. 22, for his efforts in the Trailblazers' 20-9 home victory over Northern Iowa (9/20). Chatman racked up 97 yards on 12 carries (8.1 ypc), highlighted by a 66-yard touchdown run on Utah Tech's first possession of the second half. 
      Through 11 games this season, Chatman leads the team in rush yards (536; 4.4 ypc), all-purpose yards (713; 64.8 ypg), and is second on the club in receptions (39 - 177 yds).  
 
I'LL TAKE DT FOR 100: Senior WR Daniel Thomason also hit the century mark in the North Alabama win (11/1), finishing with a career-high 104 yards on just three catches, 66 of which came on his team-leading fourth receiving touchdown of the season with six minutes left in first quarter.
      Thomason, who only had two touchdown grabs over his first three seasons as a Blazer, has hauled in his four TDs over the last 10 games, including three scores at home.
      Meanwhile, Thomason's first 100-yard receiving game came nearly two years to the day in a road game at Austin Peay (11/11/23), where he caught six passes for an even 100 yards and one touchdown. 
 
100x2: Thanks to the duo of Chatman and Thomason, Utah Tech broke a 31-game stretch since the last time the Trailblazers had both a 100-yard rusher and receiver in the same game.
      Prior to the North Alabama win, Utah Tech turned the trick nearly three years ago to the day when former RB Quali Conley (215 rush yards) and former WR Joey Hobert (140 rec yards) both had a day in a Blazers home win over Tarleton State (11/12/22). 
 
RG5: Redshirt junior QB Reggie Graff rushed for a team-high 50 yards on 11 carries and his third rushing touchdown of the season vs. Tarleton State (10/11). It marked the second game this season, and the eighth game of his career with at least one rushing touchdown.
      Graff, who threw for a season-high 143 yards on 16-for-27 passing, and led Utah Tech with 43 yards rushing at Austin Peay (9/27), lined up as a slot receiver and recorded on pass attempt at ACU (11/8). 
      Graff has led the Trailblazers in rushing in five of the team's first 10 games overall, highlighted by a feat that had been done in nearly three full seasons - run for at least 100 yards in a game.
      Graff was the first Blazer to reach the century mark with a career-high 103 yards on a career-high tying 24 carries in Utah Tech's win vs. Northern Iowa (9/20), and in the process, snapped the program's 28-game drought between individual 100-yard rush games.
      Prior to Graff's career night, Conley was the last Blazer ball carrier to eclipse the century mark when he went for 155 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown in a 2022 home win over Southern Utah (11/5/22).
      Graff, who also threw for 110 yards and a touchdown vs. UNI (9/20), saw his streak of multiple TD passes halted at four games in loss at Northern Arizona (9/6).
      However, Graff DID run for two second-half touchdowns at NAU, highlighted a career long 31-yard scoring scamper with just under six minutes to play in the third quarter. The southpaw signal caller then scrambled for an 8-yard touchdown with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
      Graff combined for 149 yards of total offense at NAU, including a team-high 74 rush yards to go with 75 yards on 12-for-24 passing. 
      Graff tossed a pair of touchdown passes and went 4-for-5 for 50 yards in the opener vs. UC Davis (8/30). He also became in the 14th different quarterback in Utah Tech's NCAA era to throw at least one touchdown pass in four-straight games, and was the fourth signal caller to throw for multiple touchdowns in at least four-straight games. 
      Former Trailblazer QB Griff Robles recorded at least one TD pass in a school record 18-straight games spread over two seasons with five-straight, multi-TD games in 2012-13, while Kobe Tracy was the first FCS-era signal caller to achieve the feat, doing so in nine-straight games in 2021-22, and had a six-game streak in 2023 with four-straight multi-TD games. 
      Graff joined Tracy, and current Tarleton State QB Victor Gabalis (at Utah Tech in 2022 - five-straight games with four multi-TD outings), as the only three quarterbacks in the program's FCS era to post streaks of at least four games with at least one TD pass. 
 
RUNNING THE BALL: Utah Tech racked up a UAC season-high 219 net rush yards in the North Alabama win (11/1). The Blazers had three ball carriers run for at least 30 yards, with senior RB Bretton Stone gaining a career-best 42 yards on five carries (8.4 ypc), highlighted by a career-long 35-yard touchdown run for Utah Tech's first score of the game. 
      In fact, the Trailblazers have rushed for 200-plus yards on both of their wins this season, including a season-high 239 yards in the Northern Iowa win (9/20), its most yards against an FCS opponent and the second most in the program's Division-I era (257 vs. Fort Lewis; 11/13/21).
 
BARBEN BOUNCES BACK: After missing the last two games due to injury, redshirt freshman QB Bronson Barben returned to action early in the second quarter at Central Arkansas on Oct. 4. 
      Barben completed 15 of his 28 pass attempts for 199 yards, highlighted by three completions of 35 yards or more. Two of those three completions went to redshirt junior TE Eric Olsen, including a season-long 49-yard connection and a 39-yard touchdown catch-and-run, both of which came in the second quarter.
      Barben also tossed a 46-yard touchdown pass to sophomore WR Josh Rillos just 91 seconds into the second half. Barben's two touchdowns at UCA tied his career high, which was set twice last season, coincidentally also on the road, at both North Alabama (10/5) and Eastern Kentucky (10/26).
      Barben threw for a then-career high 233 yards on 27-for-41 passing vs. Southern Utah (10/25) in a game where he recorded his first rushing TD, then followed that up with a career-best 272 yards and a touchdown vs. North Alabama. Barben completed 19 of his 30 pass attempts and ran for a season-high 35 yards on five carries.
 
OLSEN TOPS AMONG TIGHT ENDS: Olsen heads into this Saturday's finale vs. Eastern Kentucky as the FCS leader among tight ends in receptions (50 - t-59th overall) and is second in yards (572 - t-101st overall), to go with his two touchdowns to this point of the season.
      Olsen enjoyed a banner day at Central Arkansas (10/4), against which he caught five passes for a career high 107 yards. He also made a career high-tying six grabs on 12 targets for 59 yards vs. Southern Utah (10/25), and hauled in four balls on 11 targets for 47 yards in the UNA win (11/1).
      Last Saturday at UWG, Olsen caught six of his eight targets for a game-high 83 yards, including a 43-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter.
 
SECOND HALF STARTERS: Utah Tech has come away with points in seven of its 11 second half opening possessions to this point of the season. After seeing their four-game scoring streak halted at Austin Peay (9/30), the Trailblazers needed only 91 seconds to reach the end zone to begin the second half at Central Arkansas (10/4).
      The Blazers have scored touchdowns on four of those seven scoring drives, two via the run and two more through the air. Utah Tech has also kicked three field goals, including a Uvaydov 51-yarder on its first second half possession at ACU (11/8). 
 
PLAYING KEEP AWAY: After recording only six total scoring drives longer than five minutes last season, Utah Tech already has eight five-plus minute scoring drives through 11 games in 2025.
      Two of those instances came in the Northern Iowa (9/20) victory, during which the Trailblazers put together scoring drives of 5:58 and 8:30 in the second half, both of which ended with field goals.
      Utah Tech's 8:30 fourth quarter scoring drive is the Trailblazers' longest in the program D-I era, and was 59 seconds longer than the previous long - a 7:31 second quarter touchdown drive at Colorado State (9/30/23) during the 2023 season. 
 
DIALING LONG DISTANCE: Uvaydov had a day in the road loss at Idaho (9/13) as he became the first Trailblazer kicker on the program's NCAA era to make not one, but two 50-plus yard field goals in a single game.
      Uvaydov, who leads in the UAC and is t-10th in the FCS rankings in made field goals this season (14-for-20), got the Utah Tech on the scoreboard as time expired in the first half with a school record tying 55-yard boot that just snuck over the crossbar. The junior struck again on the Blazers' first possession of the second half, blasting a 53-yarder, which matched his previous career high he set in last year's finale at Southern Utah (11/23/24).
      The junior also recorded his fourth 50-plus yard field goal of the season with a 51-yard blast midway through the third quarter at ACU (11/8).
      With that kick at ACU, Uvaydov joined former kicker Connor Brooksby (2021-23) as the only two Blazer kickers in the program's four-year era to have made five 50-plus yard field goals in their careers. 
      In all, four Utah Tech kickers have made field goals of at least 50 yards or more, including Jameson Schulz (1 - 50-yd FG vs. Colorado Mesa, 9/10/11) and James Baird (1 - 50-yd FG vs. Fort Lewis, 3/27/21). 
 
MORE ON UVAYDOV: The RS-junior booted a career-high three field goals in the Tarleton State loss (10/11), which propelled into second place on Utah Tech's career FG (22-for-33) list. Uvaydov also vaulted into a tie for second place on the single season list at ACU, and enters Saturday's game vs. EKU needing only three more field goals to break the season record set by Baird (16-for-24) in 2019. 
      In addition, he stands in t-fourth place on Utah Tech's career PAT list (47-for-48; .979). 
 
STAYING UPRIGHT: The Utah Tech offensive line has surrendered only 14 official sacks in 44 quarters and one overtime period, which leads the UAC and is t-16th in the FCS ranks to this point of the season.
      The Trailblazers' O-Line did not allow a sack in the opener vs. UC Davis (8/30), which marked the eighth time in Utah Tech's NCAA era that the Trailblazers did not allow a defensive sack. Utah Tech's line then repeated the feat at Idaho (9/13) two weeks later. 
 
SACK GEORGE CITY: After spending the first half of the 2025 season ranked in the top-20 in the FCS ranks in sacks, Utah Tech's defense saw its three-game sackless drought end last at ACU (11/8) when redshirt freshman OLB Dallin Havea got home for his team-leading fifth sack in the third quarter.
      The Trailblazers picked up another sack at UWG last Saturday when senior DL Cody Carlson registered his first sack of the year in the fourth quarter.
Havea, who tallied two sacks of the Blazers' six total sacks in the season opener vs. UC Davis (8/30), is t-eighth in the UAC in sacks through 11 full weeks of action. 
      Four different Trailblazers recorded sacks in the Northern Iowa (9/23) win. Three of the sacks were notched by seniors, including DB Devyn Perkins, who picked up his first sack since the 2021 fall season, while OLB Moon Ashby (strip sack) and DL Laytan Tanuvasa also got into the act. Not to be outdone, freshman ILB Daylen Love collected his second collegiate sack and provided the exclamation point for the Blazer defense on the Panthers' final offensive play late in the fourth quarter.
      Love also picked up his third sack at Central Arkansas (10/4), while RS-sophomore DB RJ Jones II notched his first collegiate sack in the first quarter of that game. 
      Meanwhile, the six sacks vs. UCD were the third-highest team total in the FCS in Week #1, the most in a season-opening game in the Trailblazers' NCAA era, and tied for the fifth-most in a single game in the program's four-year history.
 
DEFENSE (CLAP CLAP) DEFENSE: Utah Tech's defense enjoyed arguably the unit's most dominant performance in the program's brief FCS era in its win over Northern Iowa on Sept. 20. 
      The Trailblazers limited UNI to just 47 yards on the ground, and 207 total yards on the night. The 47 rush yards allowed was lowest single game total by a Blazer opponent in the program's FCS era, and the lowest total in nearly 10 full seasons overall (48 – vs. Simon Fraser; 10/10/15).
      Meanwhile, the 207 total yards of offense surrendered was the lowest total by an FCS opponent against the Blazers since the program transitioned to Division I status in 2020-21.
 
OPPOSING OFFENSES, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM: RS-senior safety Justin Houston returned to action at APSU (9/27) and tallied five tackles in his fourth start of the year. He then followed that up with eight total tackles vs. Tarleton State (10/11), and a game-high nine total stops at West Georgia last Saturday.
      Houston, who is t-14th in the UAC in total tackles (69), got off to hot start this season with a career-high tying 11 tackles and his second-career interception at NAU (9/6), which led to a Utah Tech first quarter touchdown.
      Houston's 11 stops at NAU tied a career high he set as a true freshman in 2020 while at Fresno State in a game against New Mexico (12/12/20). He then followed that up with eight tackles and a career-high two PBUs at Idaho two weeks ago. 
      Meanwhile, Houston's interception came nearly one-year-to-the-day of his first pick, which he recorded last season in the Bulldogs' win over New Mexico State (9/14/24).
      Houston's interception at NAU marked the second-straight week the senior had forced a turnover that resulted in Trailblazer points. In the UC Davis opener (8/30), Houston notched a first quarter strip sack, which was recovered by the defense and led to a Blazer field goal to open the scoring.
 
BLOCK THAT KICK: The Trailblazers' special teams unit blocked its third kick of the season, and recorded its first blocked punt of the year, last Saturday at UWG when RS-sophomore Ben Pupplo got his hand on a Wolves' punt early in the third quarter.
      Pupplo's blocked punt was Utah Tech's first since midway through the 2022 season, a span of 36 games, when former Blazer Jaxson Smith blocked a punt in a road win at Stephen F. Austin (10/29/22). 
      Utah Tech blocked its second field goal attempt of the season when redshirt junior DL Fasitootai Sagapolu got his paw on a Southern Utah kick (10/25). The Trailblazers also blocked a field goal in the season opener vs. UC Davis (8/30), with redshirt freshman DL Brandon Jackson turned away a second-quarter Aggie attempt.
      Utah Tech is t-22nd in the FCS in blocked kicks, and is one of 35 teams in the FCS ranks with at least two blocked kicks this season.  
 
TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS
• Rillos' 46-yard touchdown grab at Central Arkansas (10/4) was the first of his collegiate career ... the sophomore recorded a career-high 89 yards on a season-best six receptions in the North Alabama win (11/1) ... Rillos' day was highlighted by a second quarter 61-yard catch-and-run on a 3rd-and-12 slant that flipped the field from the Blazer 3 to the UNA 36 to set up a Uvaydov field goal.  
• RS-junior WR Tru Tanner collected three passes for 57 yards in the opener vs. UC Davis (8/30), 45 of which came on touchdown strike from Graff just 54 seconds into the second half.
• Sophomore TE Kaden Eggett also shined in his Trailblazer debut vs. UC Davis (8/30) ... Eggett tallied a team-high 58 yards on three receptions, highlighted by a 27-yarder from Barben in the first quarter ... Eggett followed that up with three catches for 59 yards at NAU (9/6), including a 48-yard pass from Barben on the Blazers' opening drive.  
• For the second time this season, and just the 11th time in their brief FCS era, the Trailblazers scored points in all four quarters in the Tarleton State loss (10/11). 
• Utah Tech also turned the trick in week two at NAU (9/6) ... that feat broke a 16-game streak that saw Utah Tech not scoring points in all four quarters of a game.
• Utah Tech is 6-5 when it scores in all four quarters, with the last win coming, coincidentally, at NAU two years ago in Flagstaff (50-36; 9/16/23).
• Utah Tech is 60-for-163 (.368) in third down conversions through 11 games this season ... the Trailblazers went 8-for-17 (.470) on third down in the Tarleton loss (10/11), and 7-for-17 (.411) vs. SUU, this after they were just 8-for-28 (.286) combined at both Austin Peay (9/27) and Central Arkansas (10/4).  
• Utah Tech went 7-for-15 on third down in the Northern Iowa win (9/20), and 7-for-16 vs. UC Davis (8/30), including a perfect 6-for-6 with four yards or fewer to go.
• In fact, Utah Tech is 32-for-44 (.727) on third downs of three yards or fewer through 11 games this season.   
• Utah Tech is 20-for-26 in red zone conversions with 11 touchdowns (8 R/3 P) through 11 games this season.
• However, for just the third time in since transitioning to FCS status, Utah Tech did not record a red zone chance at Idaho (9/13) ... that instance also happened twice last season (vs. Montana State - 8/31/24; at North Alabama - 10/5/24).  
• Perkins picked off his second pass of the season, and his fifth career interception overall, on Tarleton State's (10/11) first offensive play from scrimmage, which led to Utah Tech's first touchdown of the night.
• Perkins, who made three solo tackles in the Tarleton loss, tallied five tackles and notched a late fourth-quarter interception one week earlier at Central Arkansas (10/4) ... that pick was the senior CB's first in nearly two full seasons (at Austin Peay - 11/11/23). 
• Perkins enjoyed his return to Trailblazer Nation as he tied a career high with seven total tackles in his first start of the year vs. UCD (8/30) ... Perkins, who played four games at Southern Utah last year after spending his first four collegiate seasons at Utah Tech, extended his personal streak of recording at least one tackle to 37-straight games after notching five more tackles at UWG last week.
• Freshman ILB Adrian Dahlene had himself a day in the UNA win (11/1), during which he racked up a career-high nine tackles, including his first TFL, and he recorded his first collegiate interception in the second quarter. 
• In fact, Utah Tech got some strong linebacker play across the board, with RS-freshman Moe Passi collecting eight tackles, while junior Motulalo Tafisi made his Blazer debut a memorable one with six total tackles and one TFL, and freshman Nui Tovey made six stops with a QB hurry. 
• RS-Freshman CB Jeremiah Jimoh also tallied a season-high nine tackles with a TFL and had a PBU in the North Alabama win.
• Love continued his solid start to his collegiate career with a game and career-high 12 total tackles vs. Tarleton State (10/11).
• Love led Utah Tech in total tackles in three of his first eight games this season before missing games nine and 10 due to injury, including 10 stops with a sack in his collegiate debut vs. UC Davis (8/30) ... Love returned to action last Saturday at West Georgia and collected four tackles (3 solo).
• Jones II tied Love with eight total tackles in his Trailblazer debut at Austin Peay (9/27), and followed that up with six stops to go with his first collegiate sack at UCA (10/4), and six more vs. Tarleton (10/11).
• True freshman CB DeJuan Robinson made the most of his extended playing time vs. Tarleton State (10/11) with career highs of five tackles, two PBUs, and his first collegiate forced fumble and recovery.
• Sagapolu made his long-awaited return to action vs. UC Davis (8/30) and wound up tying a then-career high with five tackles, along with his second-career sack, and a pass break-up ... "Marley" missed the entire 2024 season due to injury, this after he recorded 30 total tackles and 2.0 TFLs in 2023.
• Sagapolu, who also tallied five stops vs. both Tarleton State (10/11) and North Alabama, co-led the Blazer defense with a career-high seven tackles last week at ACU (11/8).
• Carlson collected his third-career fumble recovery as a Trailblazer and tallied five tackles vs. UC Davis (8/30) ... Carlson came up with the loose ball following the Houston strip sack, which set up Utah Tech's first points of the night. 
• In fact, Utah Tech scored 10 points on two Aggie turnovers that night ... junior safety Brevin Czosnyka picked off an Aggie pass at the UCD 45-yard line, which set up the Graff-to-Tanner TD one play later. 
• Czosnyka tied a career high with seven total tackles and notched a TFL in the SUU loss (10/25) ... Czosnyka also collected five solo tackles at UWG last Saturday.
• Junior punter Ryan Marks is second in the UAC and SIXTH in the FCS ranks in punt average at 45.94 yards per kick, which currently ranks No. 1 on Utah Tech's single season list.
• Marks punted a career high seven times for 310 yards (44.3 ypp) at ACU (11/8), highlighted by  a road season-long 62 yarder in the third quarter ... he also got off a 60-yarder last Saturday at UWG, against which he punted six times for 298 yards (49.7 ypp). 
• Marks connected for a season and career-long 67-yard boot in the first quarter vs. Tarleton State (10/11), which was the 10th-longest punt in Utah Tech's four-year era.
• Marks has already posted three of the top-five single game punt yard average games (min. 3 punts) in program history ... he averaged 53.3 yards (#2 all-time at Utah Tech) on three punts vs. Northern Iowa (9/20).
 
#AB3FOREVER: Redshirt senior running back Chris Street was once again been awarded the No. 3 jersey for the 2025 season. The senior is the fourth Trailblazer player to wear the coveted number since the 2021 spring season. 
      The awarding of the No. 3 jersey 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 last season that he 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."