Cal Poly 20, SUU 10
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Southern Utah played one of its best games of the year, but Cal Poly scored 20 unanswered points in the second and third period and went on to take a 20-10 win Saturday in Great West Football Conference action.
SUU quarterback Wes Marshall threw for a career-high 242 yards and a touchdown but he was also picked off twice, with Tim Chicoine's interception at the 2-yard line with three minutes to play basically sealing the Thunderbirds' fate. SUU was driving to perhaps pull within a field goal when Chicoine stepped in front of the pass.
"Wes really did a good job tonight," SUU Coach Wes Meier said. "He stayed in there and took his hits but he was able to generate some offense. It was the kind of a game we knew he is capable of and we feel good about that. He was accurate tonight, he completed over half his passes and should have had a few more completions, but there were a few drops and neither of those interceptions was his fault. The first one was tipped and on the second the receiver ran an out instead of an in."
"Of course we didn't come out of here with a win and that's what you are always striving for, but the guys played hard the whole game. The defense played very well once again and we were able to get the offense going.
"We got off to that good start and I felt like we had it going, but Cal Poly is a good team and they were able to take advantage of a few of our mistakes. They made some adjustments and we made some adjustments and outside of a play here and there no one really go t it going in the second half."
Southern Utah drew first blood, taking a 7-0 lead at the 3:20 mark of the first period after tight end Brett Johansen made a diving catch in the end zone to pull in a 17-yard Wes Marshall pass. The catch capped a six-play, 80-yard drive.
The Thunderbirds pushed the advantage to 10-0 early in the second quarter when Brandon Perkins hit a 42-yard field goal.
Cal Poly came back later in the second period, however, getting within seven on a 32-yard Nick Coromelas field goal, then tying it at 10-10 when QB Matt Brennan dove one yard over the pile with 3:52 to play in the half.
The Mustangs took the lead just three plays later after Mark Restelli picked off a tipped SUU pass at the 24 and returned it to the 15-yard line. On Cal Poly's ensuing play Brennan found Ramses Barden in the right corner of the end zone for a 17-10 Mustang lead.
SUU had a chance to pull within four at the end of the half but Perkins' 60-yard field goal attempt came up just short. Had it been good the attempt would have tied the longest field goal in SUU history.
Coromelas staked the Mustangs to a 20-10 third period lead with a career-long 49-yard field goal but that would prove to be the last scoring of the game.
Joey Hew Len finished the game with five receptions for 96 yards for the Thunderbirds while Jerome Eason had five for 46 yards. Marshall would have been Southern Utah's leading rusher, with 19 carries for 66 yards, but he was sacked nine times for 64 yards, leaving him with a total of two. Jamar Lee carried four times for 16 yards to lead the Thunderbirds. Josh Raban had 11 tackles to lead SUU.