Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Southern Utah
Weber State drops Big Sky opener 31-28 at SUU
9/28/2014 4:05:00 AM | Football
CEDAR CITY – Weber State dropped its Big Sky opener 31-28 to Southern Utah Saturday night at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City. The Wildcats had their chances down but threw an interception in the closing seconds to seal the win for Southern Utah.
Once again turnovers proved a problem for the Wildcats who turned the ball over four times and did not force any turnovers by the Thunderbirds.
Again the Wildcats got off to a slow start as they fell down 10-0 in the first quarter. WSU has been outscored 61-7 in the first quarter in the five games this season.
But on the first play of the second quarter Billy Green found Shaydon Kehano for a 59-yard touchdown to put the 'Cats on the board. Just a few minutes later Green hit Drew Batchelor for a 24-yard touchdown and WSU led 14-0 early in the second quarter. Josh Kealamakia tacked on a 37-yard field goal late in the quarter to give WSU a 17-10 lead at halftime.
After a Wildcat fumble, SUU opened the second half with a 27-yard touchdown completion to tie the game at 17. Josh Kealamakia added a 34-yard field goal to give WSU the lead again but the Thunderbirds came right back with a 26-yard touchdown pass.
On the next series Green hit Batchelor once again for a 64-yard touchdown pass and the 'Cats added a two-point conversion when Tyler Parson found Grant Garry to give WSU a 28-24 lead after three quarters.
SUU opened the fourth quarter with an eight-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead. The Wildcats had more chances in the fourth quarter and made a stop in the final minute but Green threw an interception in the end zone in the final seconds to seal the win for the Thunderbirds.
“This game came down to one thing, we turned the ball over four times and they didn't have any turnovers,” said WSU head coach Jay Hill. “We have had so many turnovers in the last few games and you can't win a game that way. We had a chance late and that shows the type of team we have but we have to get our mistakes fixed.”
Weber State finished the night with 492 yards of total offense, compared to 360 yards by Southern Utah. WSU was also just 3-of-12 on third down conversions. WSU's defense also had six sacks on the night.
Green finished the night 23-of-36 passing for 341 yards and three touchdowns but also had two interceptions. Zach Smith had 126 yards rushing and Kehano had six catches for 118 yards and one touchdowns. Batchelor had four catches for 92 yards and his first two touchdowns of his career.
Freshman Emmett Tela had a career night with 16 tackles, inclduing three sacks.
The loss drops Weber State to 0-5 on the season and 0-1 in Big Sky play. SUU picks up its first win of the season and improves to 1-4.
WSU will have a bye week next week before returning home to host Cal Poly Oct. 11 in the WSU Homecoming game. After playing four of the first five games on the road, the Wildcats will play four of the next six games at home.
Players Mentioned
