Utah Tech was done in by four costly turnovers as the Trailblazers dropped their penultimate United Athletic Conference road game by a 31-10 count at No. 20/18 Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium. 
 
The two sides were locked in a defensive slugfest through the opening 17-plus minutes of the first half, and it was the ACU defense that put the first points on the scoreboard.
 
On 2^nd and 4 on the Trailblazer 16, Wildcat linebacker Zion Fonua first deflected a pass from Utah Tech quarterback Bronson Barben straight into air at the line of scrimmage. Fonua ultimately hauled in the deflection and rambled into the end zone for the pick-six with 12:48 left in the second quarter.
 
Utah Tech (2-8/1-5 UAC) quickly answered on its ensuing possession with the first offensive scoring drive of the game by either side. The Trailblazers marched 75 yards on 10 plays, highlighted by a 22-yard Barben keeper on 3^rd and 8 that set up Utah Tech at the ACU 15.
 
The Blazers punched their way into the end zone two plays later when Asa Chatman sprinted his way to pay dirt for his team-leading fifth rushing touchdown of the season to tie the score at 7-7.
 
Utah Tech forced another Wildcat punt on ACU's next possession, only to see the 'Cats' defense collect its second pick-six of the half when safety Dorian Plumley intercepted Barben at the Blazer 10 and coasted in for the score to put ACU back on top at 14-7 with 3:43 to go until halftime. 

The Trailblazers drew first blood after the intermission with a 51-yard Ilya Uvaydov midway through the third quarter to trim the deficit to 14-10. For Uvaydov, it was his fourth 50-plus made field goal this season, and the fifth of his collegiate career.

However from there it was all ACU (6-4/5-1 UAC), as the Wildcats clapped with 17-unanswered points over the final quarter and a half to salt away the win on their Senior Day.
 
Utah Tech was limited to 252 yards of total offense in the loss, with Barben throwing for 139 of those yards on 18-for-33 passing. Chatman finished with 49 yards on 13 carries to pace the Blazers' running game. 
 
On defense, defensive lineman Fasitootai Sagapolu racked up a career-high seven tackles along with a quarterback pressure, while linebacker Dallin Havea registered his team-leading fifth sack of the season and finished with three total tackles. 
 
ACU wound up with 392 yards of offense, including 202 yards on the ground. 
 
Utah Tech will play its final United Athletic Conference road game next Saturday, Nov. 15, when the Trailblazers travel to "The Peach State" to face West Georgia. Kick-off at University Stadium in Carrollton is slated for 12 noon (MT).