
Missed PAT the Difference, Tarlton St 38 – SUU 37 in OT
CEDAR CITY, Utah—Southern Utah continued conference play with an excruciating overtime loss to #14 Tarleton State. The T-Birds fell to the Texans 38-37 in a tight battle. The loss drops the Thunderbirds to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while Tarleton State improves to 5-1 on the year with a 2-0 mark in the United Athletic Conference.
1st Quarter:
Tarleton State started strong with a 75-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Kayvon Britten. After a short possession and a booming punt by Alyas Vigil for the T-Birds, the Texans got the ball back on their 22-yard line. Tarleton put together a seven-play 77-yardinished once again by Britten to take a 14-0 lead. Southern Utah's offense was again slow to move the ball and punted it back to the Texans. The T-Bird Defense held, though, getting the ball back before the end of the first.
2nd Quarter:
Southern Utah drove down the field, but an interception turned the ball back over to the Texans. Tarleton State once again moved the ball efficiently, scoring on a five-yard run by Victor Gabalis. The Thunderbirds finally got on the board with 5:12 left in the second when Bronson Barron found Shane Carr for a 27-yard touchdown. The Texans answered quickly with another long drive to score 28-7. The Thunderbirds drove down the field, but a last-second field goal flew wide left to keep the lead at 21 points heading into the half.
3rd Quarter:
After trading punts coming out of the half, the Thunderbirds broke through for an eight-play 78-yard drive that culminated in a 24-yard field goal to make the score 28-10. After a forced fumble by Geroge Ramirez, the T-Birds took advantage of the short field, scoring on a seven-yard passing touchdown from Barron to tight end Chase Merrell.
4th Quarter:
The Thunderbirds made it a tight game when Targhee Labmson rushed for 10 yards to the endzone, scoring 28-23. Southern Utah made another impressive stop and then drove 73 yards in 13 plays, capping the drive with an eight-yard touchdown by Lambson. Lambson added a two-point conversion, which made the score 31-28 SUU, but Tarleton would tie up the score at 31 with a 32-yard field goal. On the next drive, a tipped ball interception gave the Texans a short field, but the Thunderbird defense held, and Texan kicker Adrian Guzman pushed his field goal wide left, sending the game to overtime.
Overtime:
The Texans got the ball to start overtime and scored when Britten punched it in from one yard out. The Thunderbirds appeared to answer back with a passing touchdown to Josh Acord, but the extra point sailed wide left to give Tarleton State the 38-37 victory.
Offensive Leaders
The offense for Southern Utah was led by quarterback Bronson Barron, who threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns on 19 of 36 passing, despite two interceptions. Barron's longest connection of the day was a 64-yard strike to Gabe Nunez, who finished as the leading receiver with 106 yards on five catches. Shane Carr also made an impact with 84 yards on three receptions, including a 37-yard touchdown. On the ground, Targhee Lambson dominated the rushing attack, racking up 217 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Lambson's performance was critical in driving the offense forward.
Defensive Leaders
George Ramirez led the defensive effort with a standout performance, recording a game-high 13 tackles, including nine solo stops and three tackles for loss. Kohner Cullimore was another key contributor, adding nine tackles of his own, while Barron Taylor chipped in with eight tackles. The Thunderbird defense also saw LaCarea Pleasant-Johnson and Jayden Robertson each break-up passes, with Pleasant-Johnson adding four solo tackles. Ramirez's forced fumble was a critical moment in the game and helped the T-Birds to surge late in the game.
Next Up
The Thunderbirds will celebrate Homecoming week with another home game at Eccles Coliseum. On Saturday, October 12th, they will take on Eastern Kentucky. The Game will kick off at 2:00 p.m. MT and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
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