CEDAR CITY, Utah – Chedon James scored twice, including a 43-yard go-ahead touchdown catch with 7:19 remaining, and the Idaho State defense forced a fumble at its own 3-yard line and ended the game with a fourth-down sack as the Bengals held off Southern Utah 28-24 in the Big Sky Conference opener Saturday night at Eccles Coliseum.
Idaho State (4-0, 1-0 Big Sky) extended its winning streak to eight games. The Bengals won despite losing the turnover battle 4-3 in a game with seven combined takeaways, and they got no points off turnovers while the Thunderbirds (1-4, 0-2) scored 14.
Southern Utah led 10-0 early. On ISU's first possession, a Robert Freeman IV fumble was returned 25 yards to the ISU 15, and Will Burns scored on a 3-yard run five plays later. Jackson Irwin ended the next Thunderbird threat with an interception at the ISU 4, but Jayden Rogers hit a 54-yard field goal with 5:26 left in the half to make it 10-0.
The Bengals answered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive. Tytan Mason ran for 21 and 14 yards, Jordan Cooke hit Owen Tomich for 21, and Cooke found Kai Wheeler for a 2-yard touchdown on third-and-goal with 1:55 left. Southern Utah drove to the ISU 9 on the final possession of the half but ran out of time, and the Thunderbirds led 10-7 at the break.
Idaho State took control in the third quarter. The Bengals opened the half with an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by Cooke's 19-yard touchdown run on third-and-2, giving them a 14-10 lead. Later in the quarter, Cooke hit James on a 56-yard catch-and-run to the SUU 12, and James finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run with 1:03 left. That made it 21-10 and gave ISU 21 unanswered points.
Southern Utah answered with 14 straight points in the fourth quarter. Floyd Chalk's 62-yard run set up Burns' 23-yard touchdown run at 14:17. After Rogers missed a 39-yard field goal, the Thunderbirds intercepted Cooke at the SUU 32. Burns ran for 23 yards and Chalk scored on a 45-yard run, giving Southern Utah a 24-21 lead with 9:32 remaining.
The Bengals needed only four plays to go back in front. A pass interference penalty and a 20-yard catch by Julian Mason moved the ball to the SUU 43, and Cooke threw deep to James for a 43-yard touchdown at 7:19 to make it 28-24.
The final minutes decided the game. Southern Utah recovered a Cooke fumble at the ISU 43 with 3:54 left and drove to the ISU 11. With exactly two minutes left, Chalk broke loose to the 5, but Jackson Daniels punched the ball out and Nathan Reynolds recovered at the ISU 3. It was Reynolds' second fumble recovery of the night. Davis Harsin then ripped off a 52-yard run as the Bengals drove to the SUU 14, but Mason Lindberg's 32-yard field goal attempt missed with 29 seconds left.
That gave Southern Utah one more chance. The Thunderbirds reached their own 45 on a 25-yard completion. Daniels broke up a deep shot, and on fourth-and-10, Nathan Abbott sacked Burns for a 7-yard loss to turn the ball over on downs and seal the win.
Idaho State outgained Southern Utah 447-395 and averaged 7.0 yards per play. The Bengals ran for 244 yards, led by Tytan Mason (10-94) and Harsin (5-72). Cooke completed 15 of 25 passes for 203 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and he added a rushing score. James finished with seven catches for 134 yards and 138 all-purpose yards.
Titan Saxton and Irwin led the defense with nine tackles each. Irwin also had 3.0 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and a QB hurry. Abbott had a sack, 2.0 TFL and a forced fumble, and Daniels added five tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Chalk led Southern Utah with 159 rushing yards on 20 carries. The Thunderbirds were flagged 11 times for 110 yards.
With the win, Idaho State now leads the all-time series with Southern Utah 13-8-1 and is 3-5-1 in Cedar City.
UP NEXT
Idaho State returns home to host Northern Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 6 p.m. in the ICCU Dome.
