• Saturday's game will mark the first time the Trailblazers will have started UAC play with consecutive road games. 
• Saturday's game will be the second meeting between the Trailblazers and Bears on the gridiron. 
• Utah Tech claimed the first-ever game between the two programs last season, a 34-21 home triumph at Greater Zion Stadium (11/2/24). 
• Utah Tech fell to 5-37 (4-36 overall vs. AFCA) all-time record vs. ranked opponents (FCS and D-II) following its 42-10 road loss at current No. 21/22 Austin Peay last Saturday afternoon in Clarksville, Tenn. 
• The loss also dropped Utah Tech to 1-2 in UAC conference openers. The Blazers lone conference opening win came in their UAC debut, a 37-31 home triumph over former UAC member Stephen F. Austin (10/7/23).   
• The Trailblazers' overall record vs. ranked opponents includes a 1-4 record last season, and a 3-20 mark in its brief FCS era.
• The Trailblazers' last victory over a ranked team came last season at home against then-No. 9/11 Central Arkansas.
• To date, seven of Utah Tech's 12 2025 opponents are ranked in both of this week's AFCA and Stats Perform top-25 polls. 
• Utah Tech's 2025 schedule is currently predicted as the 16th-hardest (out of 129 FCS teams) in the latest WarrenNolan.com ELO strength of schedule ratings.

 
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, and will be on the call this Saturday from Conway, Ark., 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 (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).

A TRAILBLAZER WIN ON SATURDAY WOULD...: Snap Utah Tech's 14-game road losing streak. A win would also be the program's fourth road victory overall in its current Division I FCS era, and would be the Trailblazers' second conference road win - and their first in UAC play.  

"UNITED" FOR ONE MORE SEASON: The 2025 campaign will mark an end of an (brief) era as Utah Tech will compete as a member of the United Athletic Conference for the third, and final, season. 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 27 top-25 teams (3-24) and 18 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 CENTRAL ARKANSAS "BEARS": Like Utah Tech, Central Arkansas enters play on Saturday with a 1-4 record and in search of its first UAC victory.

            The Bears have split their first two home games to this point of the season, highlighted by a convincing 41-17 triumph against in-state for Arkansas-Pine Bluff (9/6). 

            Since that win, UCA dropped its next three against teams either currently ranked, or formerly ranked, in the FCS top-25 polls, which includes a 56-10 home loss to current No. 3/3 Tarleton State in its UAC conference opener on Sept. 13. 

            Junior QB Luther Richesson (6-3, 225) has thrown for 726 yards on 61-for-98 passing and six touchdowns through five games this season. Four of Richesson's six TD tosses have come at home, including three touchdowns as part of a 18-for-25 for 283 yard effort in the UAPB win. 

            Richesson's favorite target is sophomore WR Malachi Henry (6-1, 190), who leads the team with receptions (28), yards (325) and touchdowns (3). Henry is coming of a stellar effort in last Saturday's Bear loss at Lamar, where he caught nine balls for 113 yards and two scores. 

            Meanwhile, sophomore RB Landen Chambers (5-11, 215) has already posted three 100-yard games, including a 136 yards on 31 careers with a touchdown last Saturday at Lamar. Chambers is currently ranked fourth in the UAC with 451 rush yards (4.9 ypc) and has three TDs to his credit through five games overall. 

            Defensively, junior DB Dillon Williams (6-0, 190) leads the Bears with 32 total tackles, while sophomore DL Trevion Traylor (6-0, 275) has racked up a team-high 5.0 TFLs with one sack. 

YOU GOT TO HAVE AN ASA IN THE HOLE: Redshirt freshman RB Asa Chatman was named UAC Freshman of the Week back on Sept. 22, for his efforts in the Trailblazers' 20-9 home victory over Northern Iowa (9/20).  

            Chatman posted career highs of 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.

            The freshman's touchdown was his second rushing score of the young season, and was his longest collegiate run from scrimmage. The freshman enters this week second on the team with 217 rush yards on 45 carries (4.8 ypc).  

            Chatman has received the starting nod in each of Utah Tech's first five games this season. The freshman tallied a then-career high 63 yards on 11 carries and his first collegiate TD at Northern Arizona (9/6). 

RG5: Redshirt junior QB Reggie Graff threw for a season-high 143 yards on 16-for-27 passing, and led Utah Tech with 43 yards rushing in last Saturday's loss at Austin Peay.

            In fact, Graff has led the Trailblazers in rushing in four of the team's first five games, which includes a feat that had been done in nearly three full seasons - run for at least 100 yards in a game.

            Graff rushed for 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, former Blazer RB Quali 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, 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, 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 239 yards rushing in the Northern Iowa win, 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).

            While both Chatman and Graff were doing their thing, redshirt senior RB Bretton Stone rattled off a career-best 41 yards on 12 carries against the Panther defense.

PLAYING KEEP AWAY: After recording only six total scoring drives longer than five minutes last season, Utah Tech already has six five-plus minute scoring drives through five games in 2025.

            Two of those instances came in the Northern Iowa 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. 

SECOND HALF STARTERS: Utah Tech has come away with points in four of its five second half opening possessions to this point of the season. However the team's four-game, second-half scoring streak was halted last Saturday at Austin Peay, where the Trailblazers went three-and-out on their first third quarter possession.

            The Blazers have scored touchdowns on three of those four drives, two via the run and another through the air.   

DIALING LONG DISTANCE: Redshirt junior PK Ilya 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 is currently tied for the UAC lead and is t-seventh in the FCS rankings in made field goals this season (7-for-9), 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).

            Uvaydov (3) joined former kicker Connor Brooksby (5; 2021-23) as the only two Blazer kickers to have multiple 50-plus yard field goals in their careers. In fact, Brooksby nailed a pair of 55-yard field goals in consecutive seasons at home vs. SUU (11/522) and Eastern Kentucky (10/28/23). 

            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). 

SACK GEORGE CITY: Utah Tech's defense enters Saturday's game at Central Arkansas tied for SIXTH in the FCS ranks with 14.0 total sacks over the first five games, including six sacks vs. UC Davis (8/30), and four more in the Northern Iowa win (9/20).

            Redshirt freshman OLB Dallin Havea has accounted for three of those 14 sacks, including two vs. UCD and another at NAU (9/6), which is good for t-second in the UAC through five full weeks of action. 

            Four different Trailblazers recorded sacks in the UNI 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 Lovecollected his second collegiate sack and provided the exclamation point for the Blazer defense on the Panthers' final offensive play late in the fourth quarter.

            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.

STAYING UPRIGHT: While the Blazer defense is doing its thing, the Utah Tech offensive line has surrendered only FOUR official sack in 20 quarters this season, which co-leads the UAC and is tied for NINTH 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 two weeks later. 

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.

NOTHING BUT LOVE: Freshman ILB Daylen Love continued his solid start to his collegiate career with a team-high eight total tackles (6 solo) and his third solo TFL at Austin Peay last Saturday.

            Love has led Utah Tech in total tackles in two of his first five starts, including 10 stops with a sack in his collegiate debut vs. UC Davis (8/30). The freshman also racked up nine tackles at Idaho (9/13), and helped salt away the Northern Iowa win with his second sack late in the fourth quarter. 

OPPOSING OFFENSES, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM: RS-senior safety Justin Houston returned to action at APSU last Saturday and tallied five tackles in his fourth start of the year.

            Houston 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.

TRAILBLAZER QUICK HITS

• Utah Tech had split quarterback duties between Graff and RS-freshman Bronson Barben in the first three games to open the 2025 season, though Graff played the entire game vs. UNI, and took all but one offensive snap at APSU last Saturday. 

• Barben, who may return to action this week at Central Arkansas, received the starting nod and the bulk of the playing time in the opener vs. UC Davis (8/30) ... Barben threw for 222 yards 24-of-39 passing, and rushed for a team-high 28 yards on nine carries ... Barben recorded 61 yards passing at NAU (9/6), including a first quarter 9-yard touchdown connection with RS-senior WR Daniel Thomason.

• Thomason snagged his second TD pass of the young season, and fourth of his career, on a 5-yard toss from Graff just before halftime in the Northern Iowa win (9/23), which was his first TD grab at home.

• Thomason's touchdown grab at NAU was his first since the 2023 season at Austin Peay (11/11/23) ... in fact, Thomason's first three touchdowns catches had come on the road, including his first collegiate TD at Stephen F. Austin (10/29/22) during the 2022 season. 

• RS-junior TE Eric Olsen heads into this Saturday's game at Central Arkansas second among FCS tight ends and t-79th overall in the FCS Subdivision in total receptions with 20 for 171 yards and one touchdown ... Olsen recorded a team-high 46 yards on three catches at APSU last Saturday, highlighted by a season-long 35-yarder in the first quarter. 

• Olsen was targeted a team-high 11 times and caught six of those passes for 46 yards in the opener vs. UC Davis (8/30), including a 1-yard TD catch, and a 31-yard reception on Utah Tech's last possession late in the fourth quarter ... Olsen was also targeted a team-high seven times at NAU (9/6) and hauled in three of those throws for 23 yards.  

• True freshman Dominic Oliver enjoyed a solid collegiate debut vs. UC Davis (8/30), during which he hauled in five passes for 50 yards. 

• RS-junior 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 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, including a 48-yard pass from Barben on the Blazers' opening drive.  

• For just the 10th time in their brief FCS era, the Trailblazers scored points in all four quarters 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 6-4 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 29-for-73 (.397) in third down conversions through five games this season ... the Trailblazers were just 5-for-15 last Saturday at APSU, this after they went 7-for-15 on third down last 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 17-for-26 (.654) on third downs of four yards or fewer, including a 15-for-18 (.833) clip from 1-to-3 yards, through five games this season.   

• Utah Tech is 11-for-12 in red zone conversions with seven touchdowns (4 R/3 P) through five 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 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 30-straight games overall after notching five more tackles along with his sack vs. UNI (9/23). 

• Ashby announced his return to "The Palouse" with authority by racking up a game and career-high 10 tackles at Idaho (9/13) ... Ashby started his collegiate career across the border at nearby Washington State before transferring to Utah Tech.

• Redshirt sophomore OLB Will Alovao begins the week third in the UAC and is tied for 21st-nationally in TFLs with 6.0, including 2.5 TFLs at Idaho three weeks ago, and another one in the Northern Iowa win on Sept. 20.

• Alovao was one of seven Trailblazer defenders who accounted for the six total TFLs Utah Tech racked up in the UNI win. 

• Redshirt junior DL Fasitootai Sagapolu made his long-awaited return to action vs. UC Davis (8/30) and wound up tying a career high with five tackles, along with his second-career sack, and a pass break-up ... "Marley," who racked up three total tackles at APSU last Saturday, missed the entire 2024 season due to injury, this after he recorded 30 total tackles and 2.0 TFLs in 2023.

• RS-senior DL Cody Carlson posted 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 on the 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 collected a Utah Tech career high seven tackles at Idaho (9/13), and posted a six-tackle effort at APSU last Saturday. 

• Junior punter Ryan Marks is second in the UAC and is 12th in the FCS ranks in punt average at 44.9 yards per kick ... Marks punted a season-high six times for 247 yards (41.1 ypc) at APSU last Saturday, highlighted by a season-long 55-yard boot in the first quarter.

#AB3FOREVER: Redshirt senior running back Chris Street has 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."

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech begins the second half of the 2025 season with a three-game homestand, which starts next Saturday, Oct. 11, with a showdown against UAC favorite No. 3/3 Tarleton State. 

            Kickoff inside Greater Zion Stadium is set for 6 p.m. (MT).