NCAAF

Idaho State Bengals at Southern Utah Thunderbirds

· NCAA - Football
0-2, 0-2 Away
Final
24 - 46

Bronson Barron, Joshua Dye propel Southern Utah over Idaho State 46-24 in season opener

Barron completed 19 of 25 passes for 240 yards for the Thunderbirds.

Barron tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Nunez and a 13-yarder to Mark Bails Jr. to put Southern Utah up 15-0 after one quarter. Dye scored on a 32-yard run 1:41 into the second quarter for a 22-0 advantage.

Jordan Cooke connected with Damien Morgan for a 19-yard touchdown on the ensuing possession for Idaho State and safety Mason Young picked up a fumble and ran 15 yards for a score to get the Bengals within eight.

Jayden Rogers' 20-yard field goal put the Thunderbirds up 25-14 at halftime.

Barron had a 4-yard scoring toss to Niko Alailefaleula and Will Burns ran 72 yards for a touchdown to push Southern Utah's advantage to 39-14 midway through the third. Dye capped the scoring on a 19-yard run with 4:04 left. Burns finished with 107 yards on five carries.

Cooke completed 23 of 45 passes for 334 yards for the Bengals, who managed only 23 yards on 16 rushes. Michael Shulikov had seven receptions for 115 yards while Morgan caught five for 98.

——

How To Watch

How can I watch Idaho State Bengals vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds?
  • TV Channel: Bengals at Thunderbirds 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

SUU TD 1st Period 10:32 Gabe Nunez 22 Yd pass from Bronson Barron (Bronson Barron Pass to Gabe Nunez for Two-Point Conversion)
SUU TD 1st Period 3:06 Mark Bails 13 Yd pass from Bronson Barron (Jayden Rogers Kick)
SUU TD 2nd Period 13:19 Joshua Dye 32 Yd Run (Jayden Rogers Kick)
IDST TD 2nd Period 10:35 Damien Morgan 19 Yd pass from Jordan Cooke (Trajan Sinatra Kick)
IDST TD 2nd Period 10:20 Mason Young 15 Yd Fumble Return (Trajan Sinatra Kick)
SUU FG 2nd Period 4:45 Jayden Rogers 20 Yd Field Goal
SUU TD 3rd Period 9:45 Niko Alailefaleula 4 Yd pass from Bronson Barron (Jayden Rogers Kick)
SUU TD 3rd Period 7:01 Will Burns 72 Yd Run (Jayden Rogers Kick)
IDST TD 3rd Period 2:59 Brett Spencer 1 Yd Run (Trajan Sinatra Kick)
IDST FG 4th Period 14:45 Trajan Sinatra 40 Yd Field Goal
SUU TD 4th Period 4:04 Joshua Dye 19 Yd Run (Jayden Rogers Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/304.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originIDST https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/253.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originSUU
19 1st Downs 28
4-14 3rd down efficiency 8-14
1-3 4th down efficiency 1-1
361 Total Yards 563
338 Passing 240
24/50 Comp/Att 19/25
6.8 Yards per pass 9.6
23 Rushing 323
16 Rushing Attempts 50
1.4 Yards per rush 6.5
3-30 Penalties 6-40
1 Turnovers 1
0 Fumbles lost 1
1 Interceptions thrown 0
22:47 Possession 37:13

Game Information

Venue: Eccles Coliseum

Location: Cedar City, UT
Attendance: 5,137 · Capacity:
Full Standings

College Football News

2025 college football SP+ rankings for all 136 FBS teams

2025 college football SP+ rankings for all 136 FBS teams

The latest SP+ rankings, plus strength of schedule and résumé SP+, following this weekend's results.

Finebaum: Miami always finds a way to lose in November

Finebaum: Miami always finds a way to lose in November

Paul Finebaum explains why he wasn't surprised that Miami lost to SMU.

What have been the longest championship games across sports?

What have been the longest championship games across sports?

Game 3 of the 2025 World Series gave fans a marathon matchup for the ages. Check out which other championship games across sports went more than the distance.

Chavez-Soto runs for 3 TDs, Eget throws for 458 yards as San Jose State beats Hawaii 45-38

Chavez-Soto runs for 3 TDs, Eget throws for 458 yards as San Jose State beats Hawaii 45-38

— Walker Eget threw two touchdown passes to Danny Scudero, Steve Chavez-Soto added three rushing TDs, and San Jose State beat Hawaii 45-35 on Saturday night.