Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | SOUTHERN UTAH - PDF
Utah Tech Football Media Central
Lance Anderson Coaches Show: TRAILBLAZER SPORTSVISION
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TRAILBLAZER TALES 
• Utah Tech returns to Greater Zion Stadium this Saturday night for the annual "Battle For The Ax" showdown against in-state rival Southern Utah.
• Saturday's installment of the "Battle for the Ax" series vs. Southern Utah will be the eighth NCAA-era meeting on the gridiron overall between these two long-time JUCO rivals.
• Utah Tech is 1-6 all-time against Southern Utah during in its four-year era, which includes a 1-4 mark in Division I FCS play, and a 1-2 record inside Greater Zion Stadium.
• The Trailblazers have lost three-straight to their neighbors to the north, including a 28-7 home loss last season (10/25/25), and a 37-34 double-overtime heart breaker in the 2024 season finale in Cedar City (11/23/24). 
• After an 11-year hiatus, the two sides renewed pleasantries in 2022 by splitting a pair of Homecoming games that season. The Thunderbirds first laid claim to the Ax with a 31-17 (9/24/22) win in Cedar City. 
• Utah Tech then avenged that loss and took ownership of the Ax six weeks later thanks to a 48-36 home victory (11/5/22). To date, that win is the Blazers' lone triumph in the four-year era version of the rivalry series. 
• 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 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 fifth season calling the play-by-play action on ESPN+, and he will be joined this Saturday night 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 (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...: Give the Trailblazers possession of the "Battle Ax" trophy, and end Utah Tech's current eight-game losing skid, which dates back to the final three games of the 2025 season. A win would also be Utah Tech's second against a Big Sky foe, and would be Lance Anderson's first victory in the in-state series. 
 
LOOKING TO CLOSE THE GAP: Utah Tech enters Saturday's game vs. SUU looking for its second-ever win against a Big Sky Conference opponent.
Prior to joining the conference on July 1, the Trailblazers had faced eight current football playing members of the Big Sky and are a combined 1-24 lifetime against the league, 0-6 as a D-II and 1-18 in their short time as a D-I FCS program. Utah Tech's lone win against the Big Sky came during the 2023 season, a 50-36 road triumph at Northern Arizona (9/16/23). 
 
MORE ABOUT YEAR ONE IN THE BIG SKY: Utah Tech will play 11 Big Sky opponents this season, including first-ever match-ups against Northern Colorado (last Saturday), Portland State (10/10), Cal Poly (10/24), and Eastern Washington (11/14).
However only nine of those 11 games will count in the conference standings as the Trailblazers' games against both Montana (9/12) and NAU (9/19) were non-conference affairs. Those two contests were already on Utah Tech's 2026 schedule prior to the program accepting the invitation to join the league one year ago.
The only Big Sky team Utah Tech will not play this season is Idaho, which the Blazers faced last season in Moscow. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech remained winless on the 2026 campaign after dropping a 37-13 Big Sky road decision at Northern Colorado last Saturday night in Greeley. 
 
SO ABOUT THE 2026 SCHEDULE: Utah Tech's 2026 schedule is ranked as the second-hardest in the current Massey Ratings, and is currently rated as the sixth-hardest in the WarrenNolan.com ELO FCS strength of schedule ratings (out of 128 FCS teams).
The Trailblazers' schedule currently features five of their Big Sky opponents ranked in this week's FCS top-25 polls. Meanwhile week No. 2 opponent, BYU, is ranked ninth and 10th, respectively in both the current USA Today/AFCA Coaches' and Associated Press Top-25 polls. 
 
TAKING ON ALL COMERS: Since transitioning to NCAA Division I FCS status in 2020-21, Utah Tech has faced 33 top-25 teams (3-30) and 27 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 and 2026), Colorado State (2023) and UNLV (2024).
 
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN UTAH "THUNDERBIRDS": Southern Utah makes the short drive down to St. George with a 1-4 overall record in tow, with its lone victory coming in a non-conference home win over Weber State (47-42) back on Sept. 5. 
That said, three of the Thunderbirds' four losses have been by eight points or less, including a hard-fought 28-24 Big Sky home loss to current No. 12/14 Idaho State last Saturday night.   
SUU's potent option offense averages north of 200 yards in both rushing (Big Sky leading 245.0 ypg) and passing (210.4 ypg) through five games this season. 
Junior QB Will Burns has thrown for 1,049 yards on 86-for-135 passing and six touchdowns in five starts this season. Burns is also a major threat in the run game, having rushed for 371 yards on 60 carries and five more TDs.
Meanwhile, senior RB Floyd Chalk is the Big Sky's leading rusher with 708 yards on the ground and is second in the conference with seven rushing touchdowns. Chalk has run for at least 100 yards in all five of his starts in the early going, highlighted by a season high 183 yards with three touchdowns in that home win over Weber State.
Senior Mark Bails is the T-Birds' top receiving threat, having hauled in 16 passes for 349 yards and one touchdown. Bails' has a pair of 100-yard receiving games to his credit so far, including a 138-yard night on four receptions at Colorado State (9/12). 
Defensively, freshman safety Parker Vance leads the Big Sky with four interceptions and is SUU's top tackler with 36 total stops. 
 
#AB3FOREVER: Fifth year defensive lineman Fasitootai Sagapolu was voted by his teammates to receive the honorary No. 3 jersey for the 2026 season. The senior defensive stalwart is the fifth Trailblazer player to earn the coveted privilege 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 when he arrived on the Utah Tech campus 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."
 
EVERYBODY EATS: Utah Tech junior quarterback Bronson Barben tied a school single game record at Montana back on Sept. 12, when he completed at least one pass to 11 different receivers. 
That feat marked the SEVENTH time in the program's brief FCS era, and the 18th-time overall in the four-year era, that the Trailblazer offense reached double-digits in pass catchers in a single game.
The last time Utah Tech reached double figures in pass receivers in a game came in last season's finale vs. Eastern Kentucky (10; 11/22/25). 
Meanwhile, the 11-receiver plateau has been reached 10 different times, with the last instance coming in the 2024 season finale on the road at Southern Utah (11/23/24). 
  
2026 TRAILBLAZER FOOTBALL POSITION-BY-POSITION NOTES
QUARTERBACK
• Barben connected on 20 of his 35 pass attempts for 227 yards and rushed for 26 yards on five carries (5.2 ypc) at Northern Colorado last Saturday night.
• Barben threw for 143 yards on 16-for-32 passing with a touchdown vs. NAU (9/19). 
• Barben posted his first collegiate 300-yard game in the loss at Montana (9/12) ... he went 21-for-35 for 301 yards, highlighted by completions of 51 and 60 yards, with the latter going for a late fourth quarter touchdown scored by senior WR Mike Williams. 
• Barben also recorded his second career rushing touchdown on a 1-yard keeper earlier in that fourth quarter. 
• Barben came on in the second quarter at BYU (9/5) and threw for 115 yards on 12-22-1 passing ... he also led the Trailblazers on their lone scoring drive of the game, a 7:45 drive that went 75 yards in 15 plays in the third quarter.
• Barben got the opening night start against Montana State (8/29) and went 9-for-21 passing for 78 yards and two interceptions ... Barben also led Utah Tech in rushing with 21 yards on six carries. 
• Junior CJ Tiller started at BYU and went 3-for-9 for 20 yards and two first quarter interceptions. 
• Tiller played in the final two series vs. Montana State (8/29) and completed 10 of his 12 pass attempts for 91 yards.
• Fifth-year Deacon Hill made his season debut in the fourth quarter at UNCO last Saturday night ... Hill, who missed the entire 2025 season due to injury, went 5-for-8 passing for 50 yards in his first action in nearly two full years (vs. Abilene Christian - 9/28/24).  
  
RUNNING BACK
• Junior Ace Chatman led Utah Tech with 45 rush yards on 12 carries at UNCO last Saturday night ... Chatman also scored his third rushing touchdown of the season, and his third total touchdown in the last two games overall, on a 2-yard dive early in the second quarter ... that touchdown was the junior's eighth career rushing TD.  
• Chatman ran for a career high 110 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown vs. NAU (9/19) ... Chatman wound up with a career best 149 all-purpose yards on the night, catching four passes for team-high 39 yards, 22 of which came on a fourth quarter catch-and-run touchdown that made it a one-possession game with 7:06 remaining.
• Chatman's two total touchdowns tied a career high he set last season in a home win over North Alabama (11/1/25).
• Chatman's career night came on the heels of a then-season high 95 yards on a career-high 21 carries (4.5 ypc) at Montana (9/12).
• Chatman also became the third different Trailblazer to record multiple 100-yard rush games during the program's brief time at the D-I FCS level ... former Blazer tailback Quali Conley ran for 100 or more yards six times during the 2022 season, while Drew Kannely-Robles reached the century mark in rush yards twice during the 2021 campaign. 
• Chatman tallied a team-high 38 yards on 12 carries and scored Utah Tech's lone touchdown at BYU (9/5).
• Chatman started in 10 of the 11 games he appeared in last season and rushed for 536 yards on 121 carries (4.4 ypc) with a team-high five touchdowns ... he also led the offense with 713 all-purpose yards (64.8 ypg).
• Senior Kona Crowell tied a career high with four receptions out of the backfield for 27 yards at UNCO last Saturday night ... he also recorded a career-long 27-yard reception vs. NAU (9/19). 
• Sophomore Daron Tyson rushed for a career-high 17 yards on four caries vs. NAU (9/19) ... Tyson recorded his first two collegiate rush attempts for nine total yards in the fourth quarter two weeks earlier at Montana (9/12).
• Freshman Cavalli Nealy made is 2026 debut at Northern Colorado last Saturday night ... Nealy gained five yards on two carries, and caught three passes for 23 yards.  
 
WIDE RECEIVER
• Williams wound up with a collegiate career-best 80 yards receiving on three catches, including his first collegiate touchdown (60 yarder), at Montana (9/12).
• Williams caught four of his five targets for 42 yards in his Trailblazer debut vs. Montana State (8/29) ... his four catches vs. MSU matched his career total over three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana.
• Junior Darnell O'Quinn posted collegiate career highs of five catches for 84 yards at Northern Colorado last Saturday night ... O'Quinn also finished with career best 101 all-purpose yards as he rushed for 17 yards on two carries. 
• O'Quinn caught four of his five targets for 29 yards vs. NAU (9/19) ... O'Quinn tied a then-season high with 41 receiving yards at Montana (9/12) ... he also led all Utah Tech receivers with 41 yards on three catches at BYU (9/5).
• Junior Prince Zombo Jr. hauled in a season-high four passes for 37 yards at UNCO last Saturday night ... Zombo Jr. caught three passes for 33 yards at Montana (9/12) ... Zombo Jr. made three receptions for 29 yards in his Utah Tech debut vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Senior Ja'Kheo Mitchell brought in three of his four targets at Montana (9/12) for a season high 38 yards ... Mitchell recorded 21 yards on three catches, and had an 18-yard kick-off return at UNCO last Saturday night. 
• Sophomore Will Greene caught his lone target at Montana (9/12), which went for 51 yards in the second quarter. 
• Greene was targeted a team-high eight times at BYU (9/5), and he hauled in three of those targets for 35 yards, including a 23-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter. 
• Sophomore Isaac McMullin caught both of his targets for 30 yards in his Trailblazer debut vs. Montana State (8/29), including a 26-yard hook-up with Tiller for a first down on 3rd and 13 in the fourth quarter.  
• Fifth-year DaJon Harrison collected 19 yards on one reception last Saturday night at UNCO. 
• Freshman Zay Morris posted season highs of three catches for 43 yards at UNCO last Saturday night. 
 
TIGHT END
• Sophomore Brayden Hampsten hauled in three passes for 29 yards in his season debut vs. Montana State (8/29). 
 
DEFENSE LINE 
• Fifth year Fasitootai Sagapolu was credited with his first career solo sack, and his third career sack overall, at Montana (9/12) ... Sagapolu tied a season high with four total tackles and was credited with a PBU vs. NAU (9/19).
• Senior Brandon Jackson recorded his first collegiate sack and tallied four total tackles against Montana State (8/29) ... Jackson, who missed the last two games, returned to action at UNCO last Saturday night and collected three total tackles.  
• Jackson also blocked a kick for the second time in as many season openers, swatting away a Bobcat PAT attempt late in the second quarter ... Jackson blocked a field goal in last year's season opener vs. UC Davis (8/30/25).
• Junior Zayden Cook racked up a career high six tackles in his first collegiate start vs. Montana State (8/29) ... Cook collected three tackles and was credited with two QB hurries at UNCO last Saturday night. 
 
LINEBACKERS 
• After opening the year with one sack and four total tackles vs. Montana State (8/29), senior Will Alovao duplicated that feat one week later at BYU (9/5).
• Alovao tallied a career high seven total tackles, including his team-high third TFL, vs. NAU (9/19), and made three stops at UNCO last Saturday night.
• Alovao has registered one sack in three of his last six starts dating back to last season, and he has racked up at least one TFL in 10 of his last 14 games overall with four total sacks over that stretch. 
• Junior Moe Passi posted a six tackle night and was credited with the Blazers' lone TFL at Northern Colorado last Saturday night.
• Passi tallied seven tackles (2 solo) along with his second collegiate PBU at BYU (9/5) ... Passi's seven tackles were one off of his career high of eight set in last season's home win over North Alabama (11/1/25). 
• Passi opened the year with six total tackles vs. Montana State (8/29), and made five total stops vs. NAU (9/19). 
• Sophomore Daylen Love returned to the lineup at UNCO last Saturday night and responded with four total tackles. 
• Love registered five total tackles and one TFL in his season debut vs. Montana State (8/29). 
• Senior RJ Jones II was credited with six tackles in his first start of the year at BYU (9/5) ... Jones II opened the year with five tackles off the bench vs. Montana State (8/29), and was credited with four stops at Montana (9/12). 
• Fifth year Helaman Ofahengaue racked up a career high 1.5 TFLs and was credited with four total tackles (3 solo) vs. NAU (9/19). 
• Ofahengaue tallied a career-best six tackles with a TFL at Montana (9/12) ... he was also credited with four total tackles vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Junior Hawai'i transfer Aiden McComber made his Trailblazer debut at Montana (9/12) and picked up two total tackles and one TFL. 
• Freshman Luke Hansen enjoyed a breakout game with five tackles at Montana (9/12), and followed that up with four more stops vs. NAU (9/19).
 
DEFENSIVE BACKS 
• Freshman safety Shaun Niu Jr. enjoyed a banner night vs. NAU (9/19), against which he racked up a career high nine total tackles (7 solo) with one PBU and his first collegiate forced fumble, which directly to a fourth quarter Blazer touchdown. 
• Niu Jr.'s career night eclipsed his previous career high of four tackles set at BYU (9/5) ... the freshman also tallied four tackles at UNCO last Saturday night.
• Freshman CB Ryan Tillman tied a career high with six total tackles, and made the recovery on the Niu Jr. forced fumble vs. NAU (9/19) ... Tillman kept the vibe going with five tackles and one PBU at Northern Colorado last Saturday night. 
• Tillman made the most of his collegiate debut with four tackles and one TFL vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Tillman followed that up with a career high six tackles and his first collegiate PBU at Montana (9/12).
• Junior reserve safety Brady Sorenson recorded Utah Tech's first defensive TD of the season on a 35-yard interception return early in the third quarter vs. NAU (9/19). 
• Sorenson's first collegiate pick-six was Utah Tech's first interception return for a touchdown in three years ... the Trailblazers' last interception return for a TD came, coincidentally, in a road win at NAU in 2023 (Sam Kanongata'a – 53 yards; 9/16/23).
• Sorenson now has three career interceptions in his three seasons at Utah Tech, two of which came in a home win over Central Arkansas during the 2024 campaign (11/2/24).  
 • Junior CB Jeremiah Jimoh led the Blazer defense with seven total tackles, along with one TFL and a career-high two PBUs (seventh and eighth career overall) at Montana (9/12). 
• Jimoh was credited with six tackles and one PBU in his season debut vs. Montana State (8/29), and collected six more tackles at BYU (9/5).  
• Senior safety Quincy Lejay forced a first quarter fumble on his second career TFL at Montana (9/12) ... Lejay wound up with four total tackles and one PBU on the afternoon.
• Lejay co-led the Trailblazer defense with seven total tackles at BYU (9/5), and racked up a game-high 11 tackles (6 solo) and one QB hurry in the opener vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Lejay's 11 stops were two off of his career high of 13 set in Utah Tech's 2024 home win over Central Arkansas (11/2/24), and was his third double-digit tackle game overall. 
• Fifth year safety Brevin Czosnyka picked up right where he left off from a season ago with a Utah Tech career high nine total tackles (5 solo) vs. Montana State (8/29).
• Czosnyka followed that up with seven stops at BYU (9/5), and made five stops (2 solo) at UNCO last Saturday night. 
• Junior safety Braden Cervello tied a career high with seven total tackles and was credited with one pass break-up at Northern Colorado last Saturday night ... Cervello also tallied seven tackles last season at Abilene Christian (11/8/25). 
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Senior punter Ryan Marks punted eight times for 375 yards (46.9 ypp) vs. NAU (9/19), highlighted by a career long 70-yard punt in the first quarter. 
• Three of Marks' eight punts went for at least 53 yards, while two of his punts were downed inside the 20 yard line. 
• Marks punted a season-high seven times for 345 yards (49.3 ypp) at Montana (9/12), five which sailed at least 50 yards, including three 55-yarders. 
• In all, Ryan has recorded nine punts of 50 or more yards through his first four games of the season ... he now has 29 punts of 50-plus yards in 16 games as a Trailblazer
• Marks currently leads the Big Sky Conference in punt yardage (1,162) and is rated FIFTH in the current FCS rankings in yards/punt (46.5 ypp) and TENTH in punt yardage (1,156). 
• Marks was Utah Tech's lone representative on the preseason all-Big Sky team. 
• Marks also started the year on the 2026 FCS Punter of the Year Preseason Watch List, and was named a Stats Perform FCS Preseason Third Team All-American. 
• Sophomore kicker Dax Iverson recorded he first collegiate point with a third-quarter PAT at BYU (9/5), and connected on both PAT attempts at Montana (9/12) ... Iverson hit on all both of his PAT attempts, and drilled his first collegiate field goal (45 yards) in the NAU (9/19).
• Iverson also nailed field goals of 45 and 34 yards at UNCO last Saturday night.  
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech starts the second half of the 2026 by playing three of its next four games away from home, starting with a road date at Portland State next weekend. Kick-off at Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Ore., is set for 2 p.m. (MT).