From The Salt Lake Tribune:

Turnovers big obstacle for SUU

By Maggie Thach
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 10/12/2006 01:56:02 AM MDT

SUU coach Wes Meier is not worried about how his team is playing. He likes that they don't give up and have been competitive in each of their six games.

What Meier is worried about, however, is turnovers. The Thunderbirds' past two games - both losses - were decided by late turnovers.

SUU led Cal Poly 14-3 before letting the game slip away on a fumble and interception. The T-birds committed five turnovers against McNeese State, the most crucial being a fumble by Wes Marshall on McNeese's 8-yard line late in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys' Bryan Smith recovered the fumble to preserve a 30-27 win.

"The last two games have just come down to misfortunes but we still feel confident and feel like we have the ability to play," Meier said.

SUU had a short week to prepare for Division I-A Florida Atlantic and, although Meier would have liked more time for his players to recover, he said Florida Atlantic's scheme is similar to that of McNeese State.

The T-birds will have to deal with Owls linebacker Frantz Joseph, who had an interception, two pass breakups and a team-leading five solo tackles in a 21-19 victory against Louisiana Monroe.

On the offensive side, the Owls will rely on running backs Charles Pierre, who had 85 yards and a touchdown last week, and Aaron Sanchez, who also scored against Monroe and averaged six yards a carry.

"[The turnovers are] still in the back of everyone's mind," Meier said. "We need to turn it around. Maybe a little Florida sunshine will give us good luck. I think morale is good, though, and we just want to play the toughest games we can."

SUU at Florida Atlantic

* At Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
* Kickoff: 5 p.m.
* Radio: 590 AM, 91.1 FM
* Records: SUU 3-3; FAU 1-4
* Series: First meeting

About the T-birds: Have lost two in a row on the road. . . . Past two losses overall by a combined seven points. . . . Led in the fourth quarter against Cal Poly and McNeese State but committed turnovers to let games slip away . . . Will play without Brian Kofoed, one of the team's leading DBs, because of a knee injury he sustained Saturday.

About the Owls: Will be Florida Atlantic's first home game of the season. . . . Won its first game of the year two weeks ago over Louisiana Monroe. . . . Was outscored 152-40 in its first four games. . . . RB Charles Pierre averages 41.8 yards per game.

From The Spectrum in St. George, Utah:

Article published Oct 12, 2006

Beatable Division I foe? Thunderbirds think so

T-Birds aim to end two-game skid against I-A Florida Atlantic

By BEAU EASTES
[email protected]

BOCA RATON, Fla. - You can't buy exposure like this.

Southern Utah plays Division I-A Florida Atlantic tonight at Lockhart Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla. Participating in one of only four I-A games scheduled for today, the Thunderbirds (3-3) have the chance to put themselves on the I-AA map with a win against the Howard Schnellenberger-led Owls.

"The competition we've played has prepared us for (Florida Atlantic)," said SUU quarterback Wes Marshall, who has faced three teams this season that were ranked in the I-AA polls at some point in 2006. "We can compete and we can win if we play like we're suppose to."

The Owls (1-4) have struggled this season, in part because of a brutal nonconference schedule that included four BCS teams. Florida Atlantic dropped road contests to Clemson, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and South Carolina before defeating Sun Belt rival Louisiana-Monroe two weeks ago.

"We know it's a challenge," said T-Bird offensive coordinator Jared Martin. "The kids know it's a I-A school, they've seen who they've played against."

Junior Sean Clayton leads the Owls at quarterback after splitting time with freshman Rusty Smith earlier in the season. Clayton, who has thrown for 480 yards and two touchdowns on 41-of-83 passing, led Florida Atlantic to their first win of the season in Monroe, La., completing 12 of 18 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown in the Owls' 21-19 victory.

"They're similar to McNeese in the things that they run, but they're bigger, faster and stronger," said SUU coach Wes Meier. "We're taking another step up in competition this week."

Defensively, Florida Atlantic has given up 196 yards per game on the ground, but held ULM to 122 yards rushing during their first conference game. Linebacker Cergile Sincere has totaled 31 tackles in addition to a team-high two sacks.

"We just need to go on the road and focus on winning," said T-Bird defensive coordinator Cole Wilson, whose squad hasn't won away from Cedar City since October 2004. "A victory gets us back in the win column, gets us a road win and gets us a win against a I-A program nobody is giving us a chance against."

EXTRA POINTS: SUU cornerback Brian Kofoed is a game-time decision after injuring his knee against McNeese State on Saturday. … The Owls will be at home for the first time all season after playing five road games to start the year. … Florida Atlantic had a bye last Saturday, giving the Owls 11 days to prepare for the T-Birds. SUU, on the other hand, has had just four days to plan after losing to McNeese State 30-27 on Saturday.

From the SUU Journal, the student newspaper at Southern Utah:

'Birds play tonight
Football team faces Division-I Florida Atlantic

Micah Iverson
Posted: 10/12/06

The Southern Utah football team will face off against its first Division-I opponent since 2003 when it travels to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to take on Florida Atlantic tonight at 5 p.m. MST.

The game will mark the first meeting between the schools and the second time in school history the T-Birds have played a Thursday-night game. The last time SUU played a Division-I opponent was a 24-23 loss to the University of Nevada-Reno of the Western Athletic Conference in 2003.

The T-Birds are coming off a tough 30-27 loss at McNeese State on Saturday after letting a 27-24 lead slip away in the fourth quarter.

SUU committed five turnovers, three of which came inside the McNeese State 10-yard line. Despite putting up the second-highest total for yards this season, 457 yards, the T-Birds could not overcome turnovers and 12 penalties for 76 yards.

SUU coach Wes Meier said he told his players to keep going forward.

"I told them as difficult as the game was to swallow, good teams learn how to focus on the positive," he said. "Champions look at it as learning and move forward."

Wes Marshall threw for 177 yards on 19 of 28 passing, connecting twice with receiver Joey Hew Len for touchdowns. Hew Len caught three passes for 26 yards. He now has seven touchdowns on the season, two short of SUU's single-season touchdown reception record. Bob Stookey has the record, with nine, which he set in 1990.

Florida Atlantic is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and is coached by legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger. Schnellenberger coached the NFL's Baltimore Colts in 1973-74 and was an assistant for the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins.

Schnellenberger won a national championship in 1983 as head coach of the University of Miami-Florida. He coached at the University of Louisville from 1985-94, the University of Oklahoma in 1995 and was an assistant at Kentucky and Alabama from 1959-1965.

Meier said he is not dwelling on the record of FAU, and knows the team is well-coached.

"You know it is coming together well for them," he said. "Their record, by any means, isn't an indicator on the caliber of team they are."

The Owls are 1-4 on the season, winning their last game versus Louisiana-Monroe 21-19. They started the season 0-4 with losses against Clemson, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and South Carolina.

FAU is led by sophomore running back Charles Pierre, who has rushed for 209 yards on 67 carries and a touchdown. Junior quarterback Sean Clayton has thrown for 480 yards on 41 of 83 passing with two touchdowns. The Owls have only scored 41 points in their five games (8.2 ppg).

The T-Birds are 3-3 on the season, losing two straight games to Cal Poly and McNeese State after their Homecoming victory over Texas State.

T-Bird running back Johnny Sanchez was named the Great West Football Conference's Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against McNeese State. Sanchez ran for 161 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. This is the fifth time in six weeks an SUU has been awarded the honor.

Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. MST and can be heard live on Power 91.

SUU will wrap up its season-long four game road trip Oct. 21 when it faces off against GWFC foe UC Davis in Davis, Calif.

grayowl said

From The Spectrum in St. George, Utah:

Article published Oct 12, 2006

Beatable Division I foe? Thunderbirds think so

Sounds familiar… we're used to reading those articles from our own perspective as the underdog.

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

SUU: Early scores bury Thunderbirds
Florida Atlantic 32, Southern Utah 7

By Chuck King
Special to The Tribune

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A slow Southern Utah start combined with a speedy Florida Atlantic offense washed out the Thunderbirds' trip to the Sunshine State, as the Owls defeated SUU 32-7.

Division I-AA Southern Utah was overmatched against Division I-A FAU from the start. The Owls scored on five of their six first-half possessions and limited the Thunderbirds to 76 yards in the opening half.

An FAU offense that was averaging a little more than 250 yards per game racked up 301 yards in the first half alone.

"I just think we came out a little timid tonight," SUU quarterback Wes Marshall said. "We weren't up for the game. We should have known they were going to come out fired up because they had a couple of extra days to prepare for us."

A couple of big defensive plays shook the Thunderbirds to life early in the second half, but they couldn't take advantage of the field position.

The outcome of the game had long been decided by the time Marshall connected with Brett Johansen on a 3-yard touchdown pass with 4:12 remaining.

Scoring "was important to me," Meier said. "I can't stand a shutout. You have to get something out of the effort. The last thing I wanted to do was go home and have the papers talk about us being shut out."

From The Associated Press, via the Deseret Morning News of Salt Lake City:

T-Birds are clobbered in Florida

Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ? Sean Clayton threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns, leading Florida Atlantic past Southern Utah 32-7 on Thursday night.

Florida Atlantic (2-4) won its home opener for the first time in the program's six-year history. The Owls were the last team in Division I-A to open their home schedule this season; Division I-AA Grambling plays its home opener Oct. 21.

Charles Pierre rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown for the Owls. Clayton completed 14 of 24 passes and Rusty Smith also threw a touchdown pass for Florida Atlantic, which has won two straight overall.

Wes Marshall was 17-of-32 for 173 yards for I-AA's Southern Utah (3-4), which has dropped three straight. Marshall threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Brett Johansen in the fourth quarter, ensuring the Thunderbirds would avoid the shutout.

Florida Atlantic scored on its first two possessions, on the way to opening up a 25-0 halftime lead.

Pierre's 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter made it 9-0, Clayton threw an 11-yard scoring pass to tight end Jason Harmon for the Owls' second touchdown and Smith found Chad Wilkes with a 1-yard TD throw with 25 seconds left before halftime.

Avery Holley caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Clayton in the fourth quarter for FAU, which hadn't played on its home Lockhart Stadium field in nearly a full year ? since Oct. 15, 2005.

From The Spectrum in St. George, Utah:

Article published Oct 13, 2006

Doomed from the start
By BEAU EASTES
[email protected]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Playing its first NCAA Division I-A opponent since Nevada in 2003, Southern Utah was thoroughly overmatched Thursday night by Florida Atlantic.

Five days after suffering a gut-wrenching loss at McNeese State, the Thunderbirds fell 32-7 against the Owls in just the second Thursday game in program history.

Florida Atlantic (2-4) scored 15 points in the game's first 16 minutes, deflating SUU's spirit and putting the game out of reach.

"We started slow all over," said SUU linebacker Robert Takeno. "That was a terrible, terrible first half."

The Thunderbirds' offense was anemic early in the game, totaling just three first downs in the first two quarters. SUU failed to convert on any of its five third-down attempts and gained only 76 yards on 20 plays in the first half.

"We didn't come out fired up like we had been," said T-Birds quarterback Wes Marshall, who finished with 173 yards on 17-of-32 passing. "I wasn't making very good reads at the first of the game and it kind of snowballed."

SUU (3-5) never got into an offensive rhythm against the Owls, converting just two of 11 third- down chances in the game.

"They're a I-A football team," said T-Birds center Matt Roan. "They're bigger, faster, stronger. Even their big guys can move."

Tailback Charles Pierre led FAU, carrying 20 times for 106 yards and one touchdown.

Quarterback Sean Clayton added 208 yards and two scores through the air in the Owls' second straight victory following four losses to open the season.

"They made some big plays," said SUU coach Wes Meier. "They made things happen."

After running for 280 yards against McNeese State in Lake Charles, La., SUU failed to establish its ground game against FAU. Marshall gained 55 yards on eight carries to lead the T-Birds, who managed just 118 rushing yards.

"We should've come out harder than we did," said Marshall, who completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Brett Johansen in the fourth quarter for SUU's lone score. "We figured we played with some great competition, but this was a step up. We needed to step it up more."

The Owls, on the other hand, had no problem moving the football. Despite having scored just 45 point in its first five games, FAU entered halftime with a 25-0 lead.

"It took a couple series to get used to their speed," Dakeno said. "They played aggressive and quick."