2025 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team

2025 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football
Conference	United Athletic Conference
Record	4–5 (3–2 UAC)
Head coach	DeLane Fitzgerald (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	John Kelling (4th season)
Home stadium	Eccles Coliseum
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 United Athletic Conference standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 Tarleton State		5	–	1					9	–	1
No. 24 Abilene Christian		4	–	1					5	–	4
Southern Utah		3	–	2					4	–	5
West Georgia*		3	–	3					6	–	3
No. 22 Austin Peay		3	–	3					5	–	4
Eastern Kentucky		2	–	3					4	–	5
Central Arkansas		2	–	3					3	–	6
North Alabama		1	–	4					2	–	7
Utah Tech		1	–	4					2	–	7
* – Ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of November 2, 2025 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team represent Southern Utah University as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Thunderbirds are led by fourth-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald and play their home games at the Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:30 p.m.	Idaho State *		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	W 46–24	5,137
September 6	7:00 p.m.	at San Diego *	No. 24	Torero Stadium San Diego, CA	ESPN+	L 27–30	2,564
September 13	6:30 p.m.	No. 18 Northern Arizona *		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT (Grand Canyon Rivalry)	ESPN+	L 49–52	3,084
September 20	8:00 p.m.	at No. 9 UC Davis *		UC Davis Health Stadium Davis, CA	ESPN+	L 34–50	17,217
September 27	6:30 p.m.	No. 18 West Georgia		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	L 24–27	5,769
October 4	5:00 p.m.	at No. 3 Tarleton State		Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX	ESPN+	L 42–52	16,412
October 18	6:30 p.m.	No. 13 Abilene Christian		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	W 31–24	2,030
October 25	6:00 p.m.	at Utah Tech		Greater Zion Stadium St. George, UT	ESPN+	W 28–7	6,814
November 1	6:30 p.m.	No. 22 Austin Peay		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	W 33–17	2,808
November 8	1:00 p.m.	at Eastern Kentucky		Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY	ESPN+
November 15	6:30 p.m.	Central Arkansas		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	ESPN+
November 22	12:00 p.m.	at North Alabama		Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	ESPN+
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

^{[1] [2]}

Game summaries

vs Idaho State

See also: 2025 Idaho State Bengals football team

Idaho State Bengals (0-1) at Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	14	7	3	24
Thunderbirds	15	10	14	7	46

at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, Utah

• Date: August 30
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. MDT
• Game attendance: 5,137
• Referee: Zachary Erdman
• TV: ESPN+

Game information

First Quarter SUU – Gabe Nunez 22-yard pass from Bronson Barron (Bronson Barron–Gabe Nunez pass), 10:32. Thunderbirds 8–0. Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 2:26. SUU – Mark Bails 13-yard pass from Bronson Barron (Jayden Rogers kick), 3:06. Thunderbirds 15–0. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:02. Second Quarter SUU – Joshua Dye 32-yard run (Jayden Rogers kick), 13:19. Thunderbirds 22–0. Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 1:27. IDST – Damien Morgan 19-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Trajan Sinatra kick), 10:35. Thunderbirds 22–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:44. IDST – Mason Young 15-yard fumble return (Trajan Sinatra kick), 10:20. Thunderbirds 22–14. SUU – Jayden Rogers 20-yard field goal, 4:45. Thunderbirds 25–14. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 5:35. Third Quarter SUU – Niko Alailefaleula 4-yard pass from Bronson Barron (Jayden Rogers kick), 9:45. Thunderbirds 32–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:15. SUU – Will Burns 72-yard run (Jayden Rogers kick), 7:01. Thunderbirds 39–14. Drive: 4 plays, 91 yards, 2:13. IDST – Brett Spencer 1-yard run (Trajan Sinatra kick), 2:59. Thunderbirds 39–21. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:02. Fourth Quarter IDST – Trajan Sinatra 40-yard field goal, 14:45. Thunderbirds 39–24. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 1:48. SUU – Joshua Dye 19-yard run (Jayden Rogers kick), 4:04. Thunderbirds 46–24. Drive: 11 plays, 98 yards, 6:14.

Statistics	IDST	SUU
First downs	19	28
Total yards	361	563
Rushing yards	23	323
Passing yards	338	240
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24–50–1	19–25–0
Time of possession	22:47	37:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Idaho State	Passing	Jordan Cooke	23/45, 334 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tytan Mason	3 rushes, 15 yards
	Receiving	Michael Shulikov	7 receptions, 115 yards
Southern Utah	Passing	Bronson Barron	19/25, 240 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Joshua Dye	28 rushes, 180 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Shane Carr	6 receptions, 77 yards

at San Diego

See also: 2025 San Diego Toreros football team

No. 24 Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-0) at San Diego Toreros (0-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0
Toreros	-	-	-	-	0

at Torero Stadium • San Diego, CA

• Date: September 6
• Game time: 6:00 PM PDT
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	SUU	USD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
San Diego	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 18 Northern Arizona (Grand Canyon Rivalry)

See also: 2025 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team and Grand Canyon Trophy Game

No. 18 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1-1) at Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Lumberjacks	-	-	-	-	0
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0

at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

• Date: September 13
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. MDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Spencer McLaughlin (play-by-play), Dallin Richards (analyst) and Kendall McGuire (sideline)

Statistics	NAU	SUU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Arizona	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 9 UC Davis

See also: 2025 UC Davis Aggies football team

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-2) vs. No. 9 UC Davis Aggies (1-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	7	13	7	7	34
No. 9 Aggies	14	8	21	7	50

at UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA

• Date: September 20
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. MDT
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C)
• Game attendance: 17,217
• Referee: Jeff Rink
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Scott Marsh (play-by-play) and Scott Gordon (analyst)

Game information

First Quarter (10:53) UCD – Zach Jones 11-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 2:36; UC Davis 7–0) (7:39) UCD – Winston Williams 10-yard pass from Caden Pinnick, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 1:25; UC Davis 14–0) (2:02) SUU – Gabe Nunez 28-yard pass from Bronson Barron, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 2 plays, 52 yards, 0:46; UC Davis 14–7) Second Quarter (7:01) SUU – Braedon Wissler 15-yard pass from Bronson Barron, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 8:02; Tied 14–14) (5:57) UCD – Jordan Fisher 6-yard run, Dylan Mauro rush (Drive: 2 plays, 63 yards, 0:55; UC Davis 22–14) (1:15) SUU – Joshua Dye 8-yard run (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:34; UC Davis 22–20) Third Quarter (14:48) UCD – Jordan Fisher 75-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12; UC Davis 29–20) (11:10) SUU – Will Burns 1-yard run, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 3:31; UC Davis 29–27) (7:55) UCD – Mitchell Dixon 8-yard pass from Caden Pinnick, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:08; UC Davis 36–27) (0:55) UCD – Carter Vargas 23-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 3:33; UC Davis 43–27) Fourth Quarter (9:29) UCD – Carter Vargas 47-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 3:46; UC Davis 50–27) (1:15) SUU – Braedon Wissler 1-yard run, Jayden Rogers kick (Drive: 14 plays, 93 yards, 3:32; UC Davis 50–34)

Statistics	SUU	UCD
First downs	28	18
Total yards	549	519
Rushing yards	233	357
Passing yards	316	162
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23–43–1	13–21–0
Time of possession	36:59	23:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing	Bronson Barron	23/43, 316 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Joshua Dye	20 carries, 155 yards, TD
	Receiving	Gabe Nunez	8 receptions, 106 yards, TD
UC Davis	Passing	Caden Pinnick	13/21, 162 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jordan Fisher	12 carries, 170 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Samuel Gbatu Jr.	3 receptions, 45 yards

No. 18 West Georgia

See also: 2025 West Georgia Wolves football team

No. 18 West Georgia Wolves (4-0) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Wolves	3	14	7	3	27
Thunderbirds	3	0	14	7	24

at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

• Date: September 27
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. MDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Spencer McLaughlin (play-by-play) and Dallin Richards (analyst)

Statistics	UWG	SUU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Georgia	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 3 Tarleton State

See also: 2025 Tarleton State Texans football team

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-4) vs. No. 3 Tarleton State Texans (5-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	14	21	7	0	42
No. 3 Texans	14	14	17	7	52

at Memorial Stadium • Stephenville, TX

• Date: October 4
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. MDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Kyle Youmans (play-by-play), Hek'ma Harrison (analyst) and Kendra Sheehan (sideline)

Statistics	SUU	TAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 13 Abilene Christian

See also: 2025 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team

No. 13 Abilene Christian Wildcats (4-3) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Wildcats	-	-	-	-	0
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0

at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

• Date: October 18

Statistics	ACU	SUU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Abilene Christian	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Utah Tech

See also: 2025 Utah Tech Trailblazers football team

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (2-5) vs. Utah Tech Trailblazers (1-5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0
Trailblazers	-	-	-	-	0

at Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT

• Date: October 25

Statistics	SUU	UTU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Utah Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 22 Austin Peay

See also: 2025 Austin Peay Governors football team

No. 22 Austin Peay Governors (5-3) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (3-5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Governors	-	-	-	-	0
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0

at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

• Date: November 1

Statistics	APSU	SUU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Austin Peay	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Eastern Kentucky

See also: 2025 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-0) vs. Eastern Kentucky Colonels (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0
Colonels	-	-	-	-	0

at Roy Kidd Stadium • Richmond, KY

• Date: November 8

Statistics	SUU	EKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Central Arkansas

See also: 2025 Central Arkansas Bears football team

Central Arkansas Bears (0-0) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	-	-	-	-	0
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0

at Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT

• Date: November 15

Statistics	CARK	SUU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at North Alabama

See also: 2025 North Alabama Lions football team

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-0) vs. North Alabama Lions (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0
Lions	-	-	-	-	0

at Braly Municipal Stadium • Florence, AL

• Date: November 22

Statistics	SUU	UNA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
STATS FCS	RV	24	RV	—	—	—
Coaches	RV	RV	—	—	—	—

References

1. Kelley, Kevin (December 23, 2024). "Southern Utah announces 2025 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
2. "Southern Utah Football Unveils Action-Packed 2025 Schedule". Southern Utah University, Department of Athletics. December 23, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2025.