The Thunderbirds have had some ups and downs, some setbacks and some responses, with a collection of broken and continued trends along the way.
The defending Big Sky Conference champions from Southern Utah had a slew of question marks entering the 2016 season, from finding replacements for three star defenders — defensive end James Cowser, safety Miles Killebrew and cornerback LeShaun Sims — to adjusting under first-year head coach Demario Warren after Ed Lamb left for BYU, his alma mater.
SUU brought in a dropdown quarterback in McCoy Hill who many thought would be the third straight 6-foot-5 gunslinger to transfer from BYU to Cedar City, Utah and earn a shot in the NFL. Brad Sorensen led the T-Birds into the Big Sky era when SUU joined the league in 2012 before becoming an NFL draft pick. Ammon Olsen threw 33 touchdowns last year as SUU posted a 7-1 league record for its first Big Sky title before having a cup of coffee with the Indianapolis Colts. Both previously played in Provo.
SUU quarterback Patrick Tyler/by Brooks Nuanez
But Hill did not adjust as well as Warren and offensive coordinator Justin Walterscheidt hoped in SUU’s run-pass option offense. Hill went down with a shoulder injury in the first half of Southern Utah’s season-opening 24-0 loss at Utah. Junior college transfer Patrick Tyler has stepped in and been stellar at times and solid throughout his seven starts.
SUU bounced back from the Utah loss with wins over Southeastern Louisiana and a 45-31 Big Sky win over Portland State to begin its Big Sky title defense. Southern Utah plays at BYU on November 12 to wrap up its non-conference schedule. The Thunderbirds rushed for 292 yards and averaged 9.1 yards per carry against Portland State only to get smothered the following week in a 43-20 loss at Montana.
Southern Utah has been on an up and down stretch ever since their trip to Missoula. The Thunderbirds rallied for a 24-3 win over UC Davis, Warren’s alma mater. SUU went blow for blow with first-place North Dakota for a half before Keaton Studrud helped the Fighting Hawks pull away for a 45-23 win.
Two weeks ago, the Thunderbirds suffered their biggest setback of the season. Raysean Pringle’s 36-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds left in the third quarter back Southern Utah a commanding 36-14 lead against in-state rival Weber State. The Wildcats scored 23 unanswered points in the final quarter alone to post a 37-36 win.
The loss dropped Southern Utah below .500 for the first time this season, both overall and against Big Sky competition. Again, the Thunderbirds responded with a win. Tyler threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns as SUU piled up 32 first downs and 610 yards of total offense in a 52-27 win at Idaho State.
The trends that have carried over from last year’s historic run are SUU’s swarming defense; the Thunderbirds have 60 tackles for loss, 18 sacks and 12 interceptions. Offensively, the T-Birds still take shots down the field as much as anybody in the league but they are doing it with a long-release, mobile quarterback rather than a traditional pocket passer.
Southern Utah will look to secure at least a .500 Big Sky record with Montana State coming to Cedar City for the first time since 2012 on Saturday. SUU has two league clashes left: at home against MSU and at Northern Arizona to finish its Big Sky slate.
QUICK HITS
Location: Cedar City, Utah
Nickname: Thunderbirds
Founded: 1897. The public university was founded by the citizens of Cedar City and is an extension of the Agriculture College of Utah.
Enrollment: The University has 8,066 students and an endowment of $14.7 million.
Stadium: Eccles Coliseum. The 8,500-seat venue opened in 1967. After averaging less than 5,000 fans per game each of the last two seasons, the T-Birds are averaging 8,484 fans in four home games this season.
THE TEAM (3-3 in the Big Sky, 4-4 overall)
Southern Utah head coach Demario Warren/ by Brooks Nuanez
The Coach: Demario Warren, first season at Southern Utah. Warren joined Ed Lamb’s staff in Lamb’s first of eight seasons at SUU in 2008. Warren coached defensive backs for six years before taking over as Southern Utah’s defensive coordinator in 2014. Warren is the league’s youngest coach at 31 years old and is the first black college head coach in the history of the state of Utah.
THE OFFENSE
Malik Brown, running back, 6-1, 205, senior — Brown, SUU’s leading rusher last season with 885 yards and eight touchdowns, is third in the league this season in rushing yards per game.
Brown’s 755 rushing yards are second to Cal Poly fullback Joe Protheroe for the best total in the league and his 94.4 yards per game trail just Protheroe and Northern Arizona breakout freshman Joe Logan (95.2 yards per game). Brown is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and his 126 carries are fourth in the league. He has scored four touchdowns this season.
Brown has four 100-yard rushing games this season: 146 yards against SLU; 173 yards and an 87-yard touchdown against Portland State; 114 yards against Montana; and 103 yards and two touchdowns against Idaho State last week.
Southern Utah senior Mike Sharp catches his first of three touchdowns against Montana/ by Jason Bacaj
Mike Sharp, wide receiver, 6-2, 205, senior — The converted quarterback has become one of the most prolific scoring machines in the offensive prolific Big Sky.
Sharp caught 13 touchdowns last season, including 11 during the second half alone. This season, he has nine touchdown grabs, including three against Montana. Against UND, Sharp had his biggest game in terms of catches and yards with 13 grabs for 148 touchdowns and a touchdown. He also had 11 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown last week against Idaho State.
This season, Sharp has 55 catches for 681 yards. His 6.9 catches per game rank second to Eastern Washington senior Cooper Kupp’s 9.6 catches per game for the league lead. Sharp’s 85.1 yards per game are fifth in the Big Sky this season. His touchdown catch total ranks behind just Kupp (11) and EWU senior Shaq Hill (10).
Patrick Tyler, quarterback, 6-4, 195, senior — Tyler had a hard time grasping the offense — he didn’t arrive in Cedar City until weeks before fall camp — early and McCoy Hill had an advantage after transferring in January. Since taking over as SUU’s starter, it’s fair to say Tyler has exceeded expectations.
The lanky athlete with a long release is in the top nine in the league in passing yards per game (7th, 205.1) and passer efficiency rating (9th, 129.1). Tyler is completing 59.7 percent of his passes for 1,641 yards and 14 touchdowns against six interceptions.
Steven Wroblewski, tight end, 6-7, 265, senior — Wroblewski is one of the top NFL prospects in the league because of his size and athleticism. He has moved in line and into the slot to create mismatches and has been Tyler’s top target aside from Sharp this season.
He caught 32 passes for 375 yards and two touchdowns last season. The preseason All-Big Sky selection has 20 catches for 304 yards but has not caught a touchdown yet this season.
THE DEFENSE
SUU junior Mike Needham/ by Jason Bacaj
Mike Needham, outside linebacker, 6-4, 210, junior — The athletic, rangy linebacker is one of the league’s most versatile players. He earned first-team All-Big Sky honors last season as a sophomore by scoring three defensive touchdowns, piling up 94 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss and snaring three total interceptions.
This season, Needham hasn’t missed a beat. He leads Southern Utah with 57 tackles, including 36 solos and eight tackles for loss. He has three sacks and three interceptions to go with six pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Robert Torgerson, defensive tackle, 6-4, 275, junior — Torgerson broke into the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2013 and held his own with 35 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He added a standout sophomore year with six sacks and 11 tackles for loss. But he didn’t play last season after suffering a season-ending injury before SUU’s first game.
He has returned to become one of SUU’s most disruptive defensive linemen. He has 27 tackles, including 18 solos. His nine tackles for loss lead SUU and his 4.5 sacks trails just Taylor Pili’s 4.5 for the team lead.
Taylor Pili, defensive end, 6-4, 240, junior — The next in a long line of successful LDS missionaries to return and thrive in Cedar City has been a standout since his redshirt freshman year in 2014 (he signed with SUU three years prior).
In 2014, Pili ranked fifth on the team with 76 tackles, including three tackles for loss. Last season, he played more spot duty but still managed five tackles for loss and three sacks.
This season, his 4.5 sacks lead the team and is tied for third in the league with Montana’s Josh Buss and Caleb Kidder. Pili’s eight tackles for loss are tied with Needham for 10th in the league.
Tyler Collet, safety, 6-2, 185, junior — Collet had two interceptions last season in spot duty filling in for Killebrew and Kyle Hannemann. With Hannemann missing the last month with an injury, Collet has taken a SUU’s primary role on the back end.
He has 50 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss. His four interceptions lead the league. He has also forced a fumble.
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