A big fourth quarter comeback by Southern Utah University went for naught Saturday as Santa Clara quarterback John St. Jacques hit tight end Randy Starks with a 19-yard scoring toss with just 15 seconds remaining to hand the T-Birds a 28-25 defeat.
SUU quarterback Rick Robins, benched in the first half, came back to lead the T-Birds to a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, the second one being a 10-yard scoring toss to Ryan Moynier with just 1:31 remaining in the game that gave SUU a 25-21 margin.St. Jacques, who set a school career mark for passing yards earlier in the game, completed 5-of-5 passes in the final drive as the Broncos went 74 yards in seven plays.
The final drive negated a strong SUU effort that started with Mike Key returning a punt 68 yards midway through the final quarter with Santa Clara leading 21-10.
Key's spark turned into a flame as Robins faked a pitch and turned upfield for a 28-yard scoring run to close to within 21-18, as the T-Birds converted on the two-point attempt.
Getting the ball back with 3:48 left on the clock, Robins led the T-Birds on an 8-play, 77-yard drive, with the big play being a 33-yard completion to Mike Key, who ended up with nine receptions for 138 yards.
SUU falls to 2-4 with the loss, while the Broncos raise their record to 4-2 with a third straight victory.