From Deseret News archives:
SUU looks for 1st Great West conference win
SUU (3-4, 0-1 GWFC) will also be playing the final game in a four-game road swing. The Thunderbirds narrowly lost the first two, falling 18-14 at Cal Poly and 30-27 at McNeese State after leading both those games in the fourth quarter. But the road became harsher last week when they fell behind 25-0 in the first half before suffering a 32-7 loss at I-A Florida Atlantic last Thursday.
"We had a tough game last week (at Florida) playing a I-A school on short rest when they were coming off a bye," said SUU coach Wes Meier. "I think we played quite well after we adjusted to their size and speed, though.
"We played much better in the second period than we did in the first, and we basically played them even in the second half. Even though the score was ugly, we were able to do quite a few things well. We just didn't get into the end zone."
UC Davis (3-3, 0-1 GWFC) will be playing just its second home game of the season. The Aggies opened their home slate with a 33-13 win over Central Arkansas last weekend, snapping a two-game slide. The Aggies' other wins this season came at Northern Colorado (34-7) and Montana State (45-0), while their conference loss came at Cal Poly (23-17).
Saturday's game will mark the 11th meeting between the two schools in a series that began with a 28-27 SUU win in Cedar City in 1993. UC Davis holds a 7-3 edge in the series to date, including a perfect 5-0 mark at Toomey Field. UC Davis held off SUU 33-21 last year to give it three wins in the last four meetings.
The last Thunderbird win in the series was a 19-15 triumph in Cedar City during the 2004 season. The series had a three-year hiatus, from 2001-03, before resuming in 2004.
"Defensively they're quick and strong," said Meier of UC Davis. "Last week they completely shut down Central Arkansas' run game and had four picks. They won't be as big as Florida Atlantic, but they have good size and good speed."
