T-Birds Upset UTEP

EL PASO, Texas - Southern Utah battled to its first victory over an FBS program since 2013, beating the University of Texas at El Paso 27-24 on Saturday evening. The T-Birds were impressive in the second half, moving the ball at will. The Thunderbird offense totaled 383 yards, including 268 yards on the ground.

1st Quarter: Back and Forth Start

The game began with a long drive by the Miners, who went 75 yards in just over four minutes. The Thunderbirds would answer back with a sustained drive of their own, scoring on a 40-yard pass from Bronson Barron to Zach Mitchell. However, the T-birds would fail the two-point attempt, making the score 7-6 in favor of UTEP. The Miners answered with another touchdown drive, finishing with a five-yard touchdown rush by the quarterback to make the score 14-6.

2nd Quarter: The Battle Continues

Southern Utah had a drive moving before penalties derailed the offense, forcing the team to give the ball back to UTEP. The Thunderbird defense came up with their first stop of the game on the back of a huge sack by senior defensive end Walker Harris. Southern Utah couldn't capitalize on the momentum, punting the ball back to the Miners on the three and out. UTEP added to the lead with a 44-yard field goal to make the score 17-6 with just over three minutes to play. The Thunderbirds failed to make much progress and gave the Miners a short field with two minutes on the clock. UTEP was unable to come away with points, turning the ball back over to Southern Utah before going into the half.

3rd Quarter: Burning Clock

Coming out of the locker room, the Thunderbirds received the ball and, after marching down the field, missed a field goal opportunity from 30 yards out. The defense held once again, though, giving the T-Birds the ball back at midfield. Southern Utah used a strong rushing attack to move down to the red zone. Targhee Lambson capped off the drive with a 20-yard touchdown run. Mark Bails added to the score with a two-point conversion to bring the T-Birds within three points.

4th Quarter: To the last second

The battle continued with an explosive start to the final quarter when Lambson went in for his second touchdown of the game on a 46-yard rush, putting the Thunderbirds on top 21-17. The Miners bounced back almost immediately with a long drive of the field. They failed to score as the field goal they were forced into sailed wide left. Southern Utah was able to once again drive the field, which culminated in a 38-yard field goal by Daniel King. The Miners got the offense going, scoring the equalizer on a 4-yard reverse pass to Locklear as the clock expired.

Overtime:

The Thunderbirds got the ball first in overtime, but penalties drove them backward, forcing them to kick a field goal from 38 yards. King put the kick through the uprights to give the T-Birds a slight advantage at 27-24. The Miners had a chance to tie it up with a field goal not once but twice, failing on both attempts.

Offensive Leaders

Southern Utah was led on offense by a standout performance from senior running back Targhee Lambson, who rushed for 183 yards on 20 carries, scoring two touchdowns. Lambson delivered a resounding 46-yard run to put the T-Birds in front in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jackson Berry threw for 75 yards on 10/17 passing. Berry added to the offense with his legs as well, picking up 53 yards on 13 carries. Sophomore Zach Mitchell grabbed three catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, while Shane Carr added two for 32 yards through the air.

Defensive Leaders

The Thunderbirds defense came up big when it counted. Kameron Rocha led the team in total tackles with nine, including seven solo takedowns. Not far behind him was junior linebacker Kohner Cullimore, who tallied eight total tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss. Senior defensive end Walker Harris led the team with 1.5 sacks in the game, grabbing four total tackles.

Next Up

The Thunderbirds will open their home slate next Saturday, September 14, at Eccles Coliseum. Southern Utah will take on a very good team from UC Davis in the third non-conference matchup of the season. The game will kick off at 6:00 p.m. MT and will be available to stream on ESPN+ with the radio broadcast beginning at 5:30 p.m. on KSUB