Nov. 19, 2005

CEDAR CITY -- Southern Utah closed out the 2005 regular season on a disappointing note as Weber State scored two touchdowns in the game's final three minutes of play to styme a late T-Bird rally and down the Thunderbirds, 27-10, at Eccles Coliseum. The loss dropped SUU's final season record to 1-9, while the Wildcats wrapped the year at 6-5.

Weber State jumped out to a 10-0 lead, scoring on a Joe Johnson first-quarter field goal from 42 yards out and on an Adrian Conway 3-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the second stanza, which capped a 13-play, 95-yard drive.

The Thunderbird special teams set up SUU's first score of the game as Brian Kofoed blocked a Wyatt Kennah punt, which set SUU up at the Wildcat 23 yardline. T-Bird placekicker Brandon Perkins then drilled a 47-yard field goal three plays later to cut the deficit to 10-3 with 3:28 to go until intermission.

The two teams battled to a stalemate through the rest of the first half and most of the third quarter, with a Johnson 32-yard field goal with 1:15 on the clock accounting for the only scoring of the frame as Weber State took a 13-3 lead into the final period.

Southern Utah answered with its first touchdown of the game on its next possession as reserve quarterback Zac Connors engineered a 12-play, 88-yard drive, culminated with a 15-yard pass play to Jerome Eason to pull the Thunderbirds within three points at 13-10 with 9:16 to go.

Weber State got the ball back and took nearly five minutes off the clock, gaining 44 yards on eight plays, including a 16-yard scamper by Wildcat quarterback Ian Pizarro on a third down and five play. However, the ninth play of the drive proved costly for Weber as T-Bird DB Brian Majors stepped in front of a Pizarro pass at the SUU 29 and returned it 16 yards to set up the Thunderbirds for a potential game-winning drive with 4:32 to play.

Weber State's defense then stepped up, forcing an SUU punt after holding the T-Birds to minus-14 yards in three plays. On the ensuing play, Wildcat defender John Collins hit Perkins before he could get the punt away and jarred the ball loose, recovering it at the T-Bird 31-yard line to set up Weber State in excellent field position.

The Wildcats needed only 46 seconds to make it a two-possession game again as Conway tallied his second rushing touchdown of the day from nine-yards out to extend the lead to 20-10 with just under three minutes to play.

SUU got the ball back at its own 20-yard line, but Weber's defense struck again as Shane Barkdull sacked Connors for a 14-yard loss on a 2nd-and-10 play. Connors then misfired on his final two passes to turn the ball over to the Wildcats on downs at the SUU 6-yard line. Weber State would go on to ice the game with a Sione Havili 1-yard dive with 45 ticks on the clock.

SUU lost despite outgaining WSU, 287-243, though the Wildcats put up 184 yards rushing to SUU's 136, including a 118 yards on 23 carries for Conway. Kyle Coop led the Thunderbirds with 49 yards on the ground on seven carries, while starting QB Wes Marshall carried the ball 10 times for 29 yards.

Connors went 7-for-23 for 109 yards off the bench in the second half for SUU with his one TD pass, while Pizarro netted 91 yards on 9-for-23 passing with the one interception. Eason caught five balls for 95 yards and one score to lead all receivers.