POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State Football continues its season-opening road stretch this week with a Saturday night contest at Southern Utah. Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM MT on August 30 at Eccles Coliseum. Fans can watch the game live on ESPN+ or listen via KISU 91.1 FM, with Scott Gross and Ryan Sargent on the call.
This marks the second of three straight road games to open the 2025 campaign for the Bengals, who are coming off a competitive 38-31 road loss at UNLV. Southern Utah will make its season debut in its home opener.
How to Follow
Location: Eccles Coliseum, Cedar City, Utah
Date: Saturday, August 30, 2025
Kickoff Time: 6:30 PM MT
Watch: ESPN+ plus.espn.com
Listen: KISU.org (91.1 FM)
Live Stats: Link
ISU vs SUU Overview
Saturday's contest marks the 21st all-time meeting between Idaho State and Southern Utah, with the Bengals holding a 12–7–1 series advantage. Idaho State has won the last two meetings, including a 38–28 win in Pocatello in 2024 and a 26–24 victory in Cedar City during the spring 2021 season. That spring 2021 matchup was also Idaho State's most recent visit to Eccles Coliseum.
Southern Utah departed the Big Sky Conference following the 2021 fall season and now competes in the United Athletic Conference (UAC). The Thunderbirds are led by head coach DeLane Fitzgerald, who enters his fourth season at the helm with an 18–16 record at SUU and an 0–2 mark against Big Sky opponents, with both losses coming to UC Davis. Southern Utah is set to rejoin the Big Sky in the 2026 season.
Series History
All-Time Series: Idaho State leads, 12–7–1
Recent Results:
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2024 (H): W, 38–28 (Homecoming)
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2021 (S): W, 26–24 (Spring season)
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2019 (A): L, 59–34
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2016 (H): L, 52–27
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2014 (H): W, 56–28
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2013 (A): L, 19–9
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2005 (H): W, 38–13
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2004 (A): L, 45–31
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2003 (H): W, 36–17
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2002 (A): W, 42–17
Series Trends:
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The Bengals are 7–2–1 all-time at home against SUU
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Idaho State is 2–4–1 in road games played at Southern Utah
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Idaho State won the inaugural 1989 matchup 37-34 in Pocatello
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The 1991 game in Cedar City ended in a 35-35 tie, the only tie in the series
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Southern Utah's largest win came in 2000, a 62-24 victory in Pocatello
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Idaho State's highest scoring output came in 2014, a 56-28 win at Holt Arena
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The Bengals have won the last two meetings (2021 in Cedar City, 2024 in Pocatello)
Bengal Bites
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Idaho State rolled up 555 total yards in the season opener at UNLV, the program's highest output in a season opener since 2015 (710 vs Black Hills State) and the 20th most total yards in a single game since 2000. Since the 2014 season, this is the 5th season opener since with 500+ yards of total offense. The 555 by the Bengals is the only mark against an FBS opponent.
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Dason Brooks rushed for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns, the most by a Bengal in a season opener since 2019 when Ty Flanagan had 100 yards rushing against Western Colorado
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Quarterback Jordan Cooke threw for 380 yards and completed 30 passes, marking the second-highest passing yardage total of his collegiate career.
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Ian Duarte tallied a career-long 64-yard touchdown catch as part of a 6-catch, 105-yard performance.
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Michael Shulikov completed a 15-yard trick-play pass to Cooke for his first career touchdown pass.
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Robert Freeman IV broke off a 35-yard kick return and a 30-yard rush in his Bengal debut.
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Trajan Sinatra converted a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter, the first of his DI collegiate career.
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Mason Young forced the third fumble of his career, which was recovered in the end zone for a touchback by Noa Calaycay and Gabe Tahir.
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The Bengal defense recorded three sacks: one each by Noa Calaycay, Cam'ron Willis, and Bronson Childs. The most in a season opener since 2022 when the Bengal defense had 5 sacks agains the UNLV Rebels on 08/07/2022
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Teilor Tuioti led the team with 13 tackles, followed by Rylan Leathers with 12.
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Brooks, Leathers and Sinatra all received weekly Big Sky honors, the first time the Bengals have swept all three weekly awards since the addition of a special teams category in the 90s.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
Southern Utah opens the 2025 season with veteran leadership across the lineup. At quarterback, Weber State transfer Bronson Barron takes the reins for SUU. He inherits an offense that averaged 398.5 yards per game last fall, with one of the more balanced attacks in the UAC, 205.6 rushing yards per game (4.8 yards per carry) and 192.9 through the air. Barron will be protected by an experienced offensive line anchored by Loimata Mauga and Ed Riley on the interior. The skill positions feature a mix of size and speed with receivers Shane Carr, Mark Bails, and Gabe Nunez, while senior running back Braeden Wissler, who scored seven rushing touchdowns a year ago, provides a proven option out of the backfield. Tight end Hayden Erickson adds another veteran presence to the offense.
Defensively, the Thunderbirds leaned on playmakers at all three levels in 2024, holding opponents to 28.9 points per game while allowing just 141.8 rushing yards per contest. Up front, Lando Brown and Joe Tongamoa anchor a line that produced 20 sacks, while linebackers Mason Stromstad and Sebastian Adamski bring experience in the middle. Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner lines up at nickel, complementing a young secondary led by Jakobi Spence and Baron Taylor. That unit picked off 12 passes last season, returning them for 274 yards. On special teams, senior Daniel King handles both kicking and punting duties after a consistent 2024 campaign, connecting on 11 of 16 field goals with a long of 47 yards. Wissler and Nunez also contribute in the return game, where SUU averaged 19.1 yards per kickoff return and 10.5 per punt return.
From a matchup standpoint, SUU's veteran defensive front will test Idaho State's improved offensive line, which allowed just 10 sacks last year compared to 31 in 2023. The Bengals' deep receiving corps will challenge a Thunderbird secondary that features underclassmen in key roles, while SUU's ability to establish the run with Wissler and control the tempo, they averaged nearly 32 minutes of possession per game in 2024, could play a major factor against an Idaho State defense that showed strides late last season.
The Thunderbirds finished 2024 with a 5–6 record, going 4–2 at home, and closed the year with a rivalry win over Utah Tech.
Tale of the Tape
Statistically, Idaho State enters Week Two with the more explosive offensive profile, having totaled 555 yards in its opener at UNLV. The Bengals are averaging 31.0 points per game, bolstered by 395.0 passing yards and 160.0 rushing yards per contest. Southern Utah, based on 2024 stats, averaged 29.08 points per game with a run-first offense that produced 205.6 rushing yards per outing and 192.92 through the air. ISU has already recorded two passing touchdowns and two rushing scores, while SUU accounted for 18 and 24, respectively, last fall.
Defensively, the Bengals allowed 532.0 total yards in their opener, while SUU surrendered an average of 426.7 yards per game in 2024. Idaho State's defense generated three sacks in Week One but did not record a takeaway. Southern Utah's 2024 defense produced 19 sacks and 12 interceptions over the season. In special teams, ISU's Trajan Sinatra opened the year with a 26-yard field goal, while SUU made 11 of 16 attempts last year. Penalties were nearly even: Idaho State averaged 80.0 yards per game last week; SUU was flagged for 73.67 yards per game last fall.
Possession-wise, Southern Utah held a 2024 average of 31:47 per game compared to Idaho State's 28:48 in Week One. In the red zone, Idaho State converted three of four trips at UNLV, while SUU was successful on 40 of 47 attempts in 2024. ISU also allowed just one sack for 11 yards, a strong contrast to the 28 sacks for 201 yards SUU gave up over 11 games last season.
Coaches Corner
Head Coach Cody Hawkins emphasized both the importance of Saturday's matchup and the challenge that Southern Utah presents.
"They've really kind of been the standard at FCS football in the region for the last couple years," Hawkins said. "Coach Fitzgerald has done an unbelievable job. They're a physical football team, it shows up on game day, and they create a lot of problems."
The Bengals know the stakes of a non-conference FCS showdown. "The ultimate goal at this level is always trying to get a shot to go to the FCS playoffs. If you want to go, you've got to make sure you beat the FCS teams in your non-conference schedule," Hawkins said. "We've taken this game about as seriously as the Super Bowl."
Idaho State is also navigating a quarterback change with Jackson Sharman stepping in for an injured Jordan Cooke. "Jackson is a little bit more of a runner, but he can throw it as good as anybody I've been around," Hawkins said. "He's a little more conventional than JC, but he has a ton of potential and we trust him."
After pushing UNLV in Week 0, Hawkins noted the importance of turning the page. "Both mentalities—pouting about mistakes or patting yourself on the back—are wrong. All the positives happened because of the process, and we've got to keep focusing on that. The beauty in football is making sure you're always on the journey of self-improvement."
Hawkins also pointed to operational growth as the next step. "The biggest improvement from week one to week two isn't necessarily that a guy makes more plays—it's the operation. Substitution groups, communication, the overall smoothness of everything. That's what we need to see improve."
Next Up
Idaho State wraps up its three-game road swing with a trip to Albuquerque to face the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday, September 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM MT from University Stadium.
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