Game 7 Preview: Football Hosts Southern Utah

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POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State football team hosts Southern Utah on Saturday, October 18, in Holt Arena. Kickoff is at 2:35 p.m. Jerry Miller and Mark Liptak will call the action on Rock 102.5 and 930 CBS Sports Radio. Log onto isubengals.com to follow the game online with live stats, video and audio.

Southern Utah is 1-6 and 1-2 in Big Sky Conference play. The Thunderbird offense is averaging 22.1 points and 395.6 yards a game while the defense is allowing 37.6 points and 536.1 yards. Last week, SUU lost at home to No. 2 Eastern Washington, 42-30. Quarterback Ammon Olsen has thrown for 1,280 yards and 10 touchdowns. On defense, Chinedu Ahanonu has 92 tackles.

Idaho State leads the series 9-5-1. SUU beat the Bengals 19-9 last year in Cedar City, Utah.  Prior to the 2013 meeting, the last time ISU and SUU met on the football field was in 2005 when the Bengals won 38-13. The two teams played every year from 1997-2005. ISU went 6-3 against the T-Birds during that stretch.

Bengals in the NCAA Stats
Idaho State ranks second in the nation in passing at 351 yards a game and third in total offense at 553. The Bengal offense ranks seventh in the nation in first downs (169), 12th in scoring (39.3) and 30th in rushing yards a game (202). Individually, Justin Arias ranks first in completions per game (27.17), second in passing touchdowns (21) and third in passing yards (2020). Xavier Finney ranks 13th in the nation in rushing touchdowns with eight and his 746 rushing yards ranks 10th. His 124.3 yards per game is ranked 13th. KW Williams and Broc Malcom's six receiving touchdowns ranks 11th nationally. Madison Mangum ranks seventh in receiving yards per game at 107.2 and ninth in receptions at 7.2

Throwing for the Endzone
The Idaho State offense has 22 touchdown passes this year. Since 1949, only 12 Bengal teams have recorded more touchdown tosses. The school record for most touchdown passes is 35 by the 1981 National Championship team.
Here is a look at the Top 10 seasons for passing touchdowns.
1- 1981    35
2- 2003    21
3- 1969    30
4- 1999    29
5- 1987    25
6- 2012    25
7- 2013    24
8- 1991    24
9- 1985    24
10- 2004    23

Run Bengals Run
The Idaho State running attack is having one of its best seasons in recent memory. The Bengals have already racked up 1,212 yards, more than any ISU team in the last six seasons. This year's offense is close to catching the 2006 and 2007 teams in total rushing yards. The 2007 team ran for 1,451 yards and the 2006 team rushed for 1,358 yards. There have been 20 seasons where the Bengals have rushed for less than 1,212 yards.
Here is a look at the school record for most rushing yards in a season.
1- 1957    2,442; 2- 1964    2,228; 3- 1993    2,190; 4- 1959    2,180; 5- 1962    2,177
6- 1996    2,158; 7- 1952    1,982; 8- 1960    1,943; 9- 1953    1,937; 10- 1974    1,889

Touchdowns, Touchdowns and More Touchdowns
The Idaho State football team has tallied 32 touchdowns in six games. The school record for most touchdowns in a season is 52 by the 1981 National Championship team. The Bengals are five touchdowns away from cracking the Top 10 for most touchdowns scored in a season. Here is a look at the Top 10 marks.
1- 52    1981
2- 45    2003
3- 42    1985
4- 42    1999
5- 40    2000
6- 39    1983
7- 39    1996
8- 39    2002
9- 38    2001
10- 37    1984, 1991

Bengal Bites
- Xavier Finney has five 100-yard rushing games, the most in the Big Sky Conference.
- Xavier Finney ranks 13th in the NCAA in rushing yards per game at 124.3 and first in the Big Sky Conference.
- Mike Kramer has 86 wins and is in sole possession of third place on the Big Sky Conference all-time win list with a victory.
- The ISU offensive line has allowed just six sacks through the first six games.
- Justin Arias has thrown for 300 yards or more in 12 games.
- Xavier Finney has seven 100-yard rushing games in his career.
- Madison Mangum has three straight 100-yard receiving games.
- Justin Arias is the only quarterbacks in the conference who have thrown for multiple touchdowns in every game this season.
- Through six games the Bengal offense already has 19 plays of 30-yards or more. In 2013 ISU had 13 plays of 30-yards or more and in 2012 the Bengals had 10 and in 2011 the offense had 13.
- Xavier Finney has three games with two rushing touchdowns or more.
- Madison Mangum has two games with two receiving touchdowns.
- Xavier Finney's three rushing touchdowns against Sacramento State was the most by a Bengal since Matt Gutierrez did in 2006.