2025 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team

The 2025 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team represented Southern Utah University as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Thunderbirds were led by fourth-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald and played their home games at the Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah.

ConferenceUnited Athletic Conference

Record7–5 (6–2 UAC)

Headcoach

DeLane Fitzgerald (4th season)

DefensivecoordinatorJohn Kelling (4th season)

Quick facts Southern Utah Thunderbirds football, Conference ...

2025 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football

Conference	United Athletic Conference
Record	7–5 (6–2 UAC)
Head coach	DeLane Fitzgerald (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	John Kelling (4th season)
Home stadium	Eccles Coliseum
Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

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More information Conf., Overall ...

2025 United Athletic Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 12 Abilene Christian +^	7	–	1	9	–	5
No. 6 Tarleton State +^	7	–	1	12	–	2
Southern Utah	6	–	2	7	–	5
West Georgia*	5	–	3	8	–	3
Austin Peay	4	–	4	7	–	5
Eastern Kentucky	3	–	5	5	–	7
Central Arkansas	2	–	6	3	–	9
Utah Tech	1	–	7	2	–	10
North Alabama	1	–	7	2	–	10

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll

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Schedule

More information Date, Time ...

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:30 p.m.	Idaho State*		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	W 46–24	5,137
September 6	7:00 p.m.	at San Diego*	No. 24	Torero Stadium San Diego, CA	ESPN+	L 27–30	2,564
September 13	6:30 p.m.	No. 18 Northern Arizona*		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT (Grand Canyon Rivalry)	ESPN+	L 49–52	3,084
September 20	8:00 p.m.	at No. 9 UC Davis*		UC Davis Health Stadium Davis, CA	ESPN+	L 34–50	17,217
September 27	6:30 p.m.	No. 18 West Georgia		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	L 24–27	5,769
October 4	5:00 p.m.	at No. 3 Tarleton State		Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX	ESPN+	L 42–52	16,412
October 18	6:30 p.m.	No. 13 Abilene Christian		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	W 31–24	2,030
October 25	6:00 p.m.	at Utah Tech		Greater Zion Stadium St. George, UT	ESPN+	W 28–7	6,814
November 1	6:30 p.m.	No. 22 Austin Peay		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	W 33–17	2,808
November 8	1:00 p.m.	at Eastern Kentucky		Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY	ESPN+	W 27–17	4,093
November 15	6:30 p.m.	Central Arkansas		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	W 28–21	3,257
November 22	12:00 p.m.	at North Alabama		Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	ESPN+	W 36–34 ^2OT	7,632
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

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Game summaries

vs Idaho State

Idaho State Bengals (0-1) at Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	14	7	3	24
Thunderbirds	15	10	14	7	46

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at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, Utah

Date: August 30
Game time: 6:30 p.m. MDT
Game attendance: 5,137
Referee: Zachary Erdman
TV: ESPN+

More information Game information ...

Game information
First Quarter SUU – Gabe Nunez 22-yard pass from Bronson Barron (Bronson Barron–Gabe Nunez pass), 10:32. Thunderbirds 8–0. Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 2:26. SUU – Mark Bails 13-yard pass from Bronson Barron (Jayden Rogers kick), 3:06. Thunderbirds 15–0. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:02. Second Quarter SUU – Joshua Dye 32-yard run (Jayden Rogers kick), 13:19. Thunderbirds 22–0. Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 1:27. IDST – Damien Morgan 19-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Trajan Sinatra kick), 10:35. Thunderbirds 22–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:44. IDST – Mason Young 15-yard fumble return (Trajan Sinatra kick), 10:20. Thunderbirds 22–14. SUU – Jayden Rogers 20-yard field goal, 4:45. Thunderbirds 25–14. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 5:35. Third Quarter SUU – Niko Alailefaleula 4-yard pass from Bronson Barron (Jayden Rogers kick), 9:45. Thunderbirds 32–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:15. SUU – Will Burns 72-yard run (Jayden Rogers kick), 7:01. Thunderbirds 39–14. Drive: 4 plays, 91 yards, 2:13. IDST – Brett Spencer 1-yard run (Trajan Sinatra kick), 2:59. Thunderbirds 39–21. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:02. Fourth Quarter IDST – Trajan Sinatra 40-yard field goal, 14:45. Thunderbirds 39–24. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 1:48. SUU – Joshua Dye 19-yard run (Jayden Rogers kick), 4:04. Thunderbirds 46–24. Drive: 11 plays, 98 yards, 6:14.

Game information

First Quarter

SUU – Gabe Nunez 22-yard pass from Bronson Barron (Bronson Barron–Gabe Nunez pass), 10:32. Thunderbirds 8–0. Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 2:26.
SUU – Mark Bails 13-yard pass from Bronson Barron (Jayden Rogers kick), 3:06. Thunderbirds 15–0. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:02.

Second Quarter

SUU – Joshua Dye 32-yard run (Jayden Rogers kick), 13:19. Thunderbirds 22–0. Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 1:27.
IDST – Damien Morgan 19-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Trajan Sinatra kick), 10:35. Thunderbirds 22–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:44.
IDST – Mason Young 15-yard fumble return (Trajan Sinatra kick), 10:20. Thunderbirds 22–14.
SUU – Jayden Rogers 20-yard field goal, 4:45. Thunderbirds 25–14. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 5:35.

Third Quarter

SUU – Niko Alailefaleula 4-yard pass from Bronson Barron (Jayden Rogers kick), 9:45. Thunderbirds 32–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:15.
SUU – Will Burns 72-yard run (Jayden Rogers kick), 7:01. Thunderbirds 39–14. Drive: 4 plays, 91 yards, 2:13.
IDST – Brett Spencer 1-yard run (Trajan Sinatra kick), 2:59. Thunderbirds 39–21. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:02.

Fourth Quarter

IDST – Trajan Sinatra 40-yard field goal, 14:45. Thunderbirds 39–24. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 1:48.
SUU – Joshua Dye 19-yard run (Jayden Rogers kick), 4:04. Thunderbirds 46–24. Drive: 11 plays, 98 yards, 6:14.

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More information Statistics, IDST ...

Statistics	IDST	SUU
First downs	19	28
Total yards	361	563
Rushing yards	23	323
Passing yards	338	240
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24–50–1	19–25–0
Time of possession	22:47	37:13

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Idaho State	Passing	Jordan Cooke	23/45, 334 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tytan Mason	3 rushes, 15 yards
	Receiving	Michael Shulikov	7 receptions, 115 yards
Southern Utah	Passing	Bronson Barron	19/25, 240 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Joshua Dye	28 rushes, 180 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Shane Carr	6 receptions, 77 yards

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at San Diego

No. 24 Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-0) at San Diego Toreros (0-1) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0
Toreros	-	-	-	-	0

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at Torero Stadium • San Diego, CA

Date: September 6
Game time: 6:00 PM PDT
TV: ESPN+

More information Statistics, SUU ...

Statistics	SUU	USD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
San Diego	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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No. 18 Northern Arizona (Grand Canyon Rivalry)

No. 18 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1-1) at Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-1) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Lumberjacks	-	-	-	-	0
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0

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at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

Date: September 13
Game time: 6:30 p.m. MDT
TV announcers (ESPN+): Spencer McLaughlin (play-by-play), Dallin Richards (analyst) and Kendall McGuire (sideline)

More information Statistics, NAU ...

Statistics	NAU	SUU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Arizona	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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at No. 9 UC Davis

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-2) vs. No. 9 UC Davis Aggies (1-1) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	7	13	7	7	34
No. 9 Aggies	14	8	21	7	50

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at UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA

Date: September 20
Game time: 8:00 p.m. MDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C)
Game attendance: 17,217
Referee: Jeff Rink
TV announcers (ESPN+): Scott Marsh (play-by-play) and Scott Gordon (analyst)

More information Game information ...

Game information
First Quarter (10:53) UCD – Zach Jones 11-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 2:36; UC Davis 7–0) (7:39) UCD – Winston Williams 10-yard pass from Caden Pinnick, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 1:25; UC Davis 14–0) (2:02) SUU – Gabe Nunez 28-yard pass from Bronson Barron, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 2 plays, 52 yards, 0:46; UC Davis 14–7) Second Quarter (7:01) SUU – Braedon Wissler 15-yard pass from Bronson Barron, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 8:02; Tied 14–14) (5:57) UCD – Jordan Fisher 6-yard run, Dylan Mauro rush (Drive: 2 plays, 63 yards, 0:55; UC Davis 22–14) (1:15) SUU – Joshua Dye 8-yard run (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:34; UC Davis 22–20) Third Quarter (14:48) UCD – Jordan Fisher 75-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12; UC Davis 29–20) (11:10) SUU – Will Burns 1-yard run, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 3:31; UC Davis 29–27) (7:55) UCD – Mitchell Dixon 8-yard pass from Caden Pinnick, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:08; UC Davis 36–27) (0:55) UCD – Carter Vargas 23-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 3:33; UC Davis 43–27) Fourth Quarter (9:29) UCD – Carter Vargas 47-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 3:46; UC Davis 50–27) (1:15) SUU – Braedon Wissler 1-yard run, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 14 plays, 93 yards, 3:32; UC Davis 50–34)

Game information

First Quarter

(10:53) UCD – Zach Jones 11-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 2:36; UC Davis 7–0)
(7:39) UCD – Winston Williams 10-yard pass from Caden Pinnick, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 1:25; UC Davis 14–0)
(2:02) SUU – Gabe Nunez 28-yard pass from Bronson Barron, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 2 plays, 52 yards, 0:46; UC Davis 14–7)

Second Quarter

(7:01) SUU – Braedon Wissler 15-yard pass from Bronson Barron, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 8:02; Tied 14–14)
(5:57) UCD – Jordan Fisher 6-yard run, Dylan Mauro rush (Drive: 2 plays, 63 yards, 0:55; UC Davis 22–14)
(1:15) SUU – Joshua Dye 8-yard run (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:34; UC Davis 22–20)

Third Quarter

(14:48) UCD – Jordan Fisher 75-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12; UC Davis 29–20)
(11:10) SUU – Will Burns 1-yard run, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 3:31; UC Davis 29–27)
(7:55) UCD – Mitchell Dixon 8-yard pass from Caden Pinnick, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:08; UC Davis 36–27)
(0:55) UCD – Carter Vargas 23-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 3:33; UC Davis 43–27)

Fourth Quarter

(9:29) UCD – Carter Vargas 47-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 3:46; UC Davis 50–27)
(1:15) SUU – Braedon Wissler 1-yard run, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 14 plays, 93 yards, 3:32; UC Davis 50–34)

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More information Statistics, SUU ...

Statistics	SUU	UCD
First downs	28	18
Total yards	549	519
Rushing yards	233	357
Passing yards	316	162
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23–43–1	13–21–0
Time of possession	36:59	23:01

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing	Bronson Barron	23/43, 316 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Joshua Dye	20 carries, 155 yards, TD
	Receiving	Gabe Nunez	8 receptions, 106 yards, TD
UC Davis	Passing	Caden Pinnick	13/21, 162 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jordan Fisher	12 carries, 170 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Samuel Gbatu Jr.	3 receptions, 45 yards

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No. 18 West Georgia

No. 18 West Georgia Wolves (4-0) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-3) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Wolves	3	14	7	3	27
Thunderbirds	3	0	14	7	24

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at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

Date: September 27
Game time: 6:30 p.m. MDT
TV announcers (ESPN+): Spencer McLaughlin (play-by-play) and Dallin Richards (analyst)

More information Statistics, UWG ...

Statistics	UWG	SUU
First downs	23	18
Total yards	348	295
Rushing yards	206	89
Passing yards	142	206
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	14–26–0	17–28–1
Time of possession	31:48	28:12

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Georgia	Passing	Davin Wydner	14/26, 142 yards, TD
	Rushing	Latrelle Murrell	21 carries, 80 yards
	Receiving	Jordan Dees	5 receptions, 69 yards
Southern Utah	Passing	Bronson Barron	15/26, 186 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Joshua Dye	16 carries, 56 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Mark Bails	4 receptions, 93 yards, TD

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at No. 3 Tarleton State

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-4) vs. No. 3 Tarleton State Texans (5-0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	14	21	7	0	42
No. 3 Texans	14	14	17	7	52

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at Memorial Stadium • Stephenville, TX

Date: October 4
Game time: 5:00 p.m. MDT
TV announcers (ESPN+): Kyle Youmans (play-by-play), Hek'ma Harrison (analyst) and Kendra Sheehan (sideline)

More information Statistics, SUU ...

Statistics	SUU	TAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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No. 13 Abilene Christian

No. 13 Abilene Christian Wildcats (4-3) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-5) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Wildcats	-	-	-	-	0
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0

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at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

Date: October 18

More information Statistics, ACU ...

Statistics	ACU	SUU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Abilene Christian	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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at Utah Tech

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (2-5) vs. Utah Tech Trailblazers (1-5) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0
Trailblazers	-	-	-	-	0

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at Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT

Date: October 25

More information Statistics, SUU ...

Statistics	SUU	UTU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Utah Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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No. 22 Austin Peay

No. 22 Austin Peay Governors (5-3) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (3-5) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Governors	-	-	-	-	0
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0

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at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

Date: November 1

More information Statistics, APSU ...

Statistics	APSU	SUU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Austin Peay	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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at Eastern Kentucky

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (4-5) vs. Eastern Kentucky Colonels (4-5) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0
Colonels	-	-	-	-	0

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at Roy Kidd Stadium • Richmond, KY

Date: November 8

More information Statistics, SUU ...

Statistics	SUU	EKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas Bears (0-0) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	-	-	-	-	0
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0

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at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

Date: November 15

More information Statistics, CARK ...

Statistics	CARK	SUU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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at North Alabama

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-0) vs. North Alabama Lions (0-0) – Game summary

More information Quarter, Total ...

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0
Lions	-	-	-	-	0

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at Braly Municipal Stadium • Florence, AL

Date: November 22

More information Statistics, SUU ...

Statistics	SUU	UNA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

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More information Team, Category ...

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

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Ranking movements

More information Week, Poll ...

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
STATS FCS	RV	24	RV	—	—	—
Coaches	RV	RV	—	—	—	—

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2025 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team

Schedule

Game summaries

vs Idaho State

at San Diego

No. 18 Northern Arizona (Grand Canyon Rivalry)

at No. 9 UC Davis

No. 18 West Georgia

at No. 3 Tarleton State

No. 13 Abilene Christian

at Utah Tech

No. 22 Austin Peay

at Eastern Kentucky

Central Arkansas

at North Alabama

Ranking movements

References

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