SUU football: Close does not count for T-Birds

CEDAR CITY — There can be only so many moral victories. Eventually, a football team has to translate playing well against good competition into wins. That is exactly what coach Ed Lamb and his Southern Utah Thunderbirds want to do.

The T-birds have been oh-so-close to a major breakthrough. Despite the team's 1-2 record, there have been plenty of positive vibes coming from Cedar.

The team opened the season at Wyoming of the Mountain West Conference, hanging tough but falling 28-20. SUU returned home to easily handle the University of San Diego 32-2 — the only school with the same FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) level of competition the T-birds have faced so far — before falling last week to San Jose State of the WAC, 16-11, when the Spartans scored a go-ahead touchdown with only 1:10 left in the game.

"We have been right there, right in those games," said Lamb. "We just needed to make one more play here or there, and we could have pulled out a huge win for our program."

Southern Utah hasn't beaten an FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) program since 1997, in a 34-24 win over Arkansas State. After teasing its players and fans with being so competitive against larger schools, what do Lamb and his players need to do to get over the hump and make that one more play?

"Right now, we are just focusing on that little bit of improvement from within," Lamb said. "Each player and coach knows they can improve, even a little bit, and if we can each get just a little better, then collectively, we will be better as a team."

While victories have been of the moral type, one area on the field where Lamb feels his team is truly winning has been on the offensive line.

"Our guys on the line have really stepped up and fought hard," he said. "We still have work to do, but those guys have really impressed me with their play. They have shown a lot of improvement."

Junior Brock Christensen (6-6, 306 pounds, West Jordan High), sophomore Zach Brackus (6-5, 325, Murray High), sophomore Gavin Farr (6-3, 288, Northridge High), junior Trevor Schauerhamer (6-5, 324, Skyline High) and junior Brandon Beddes (6-5, 312, Snow JC) are on the way to becoming one of the real strengths for the team. It is an area that had to make strides when Lamb, who is in his third season as head coach, first took over the program.

Another area that has made the T-birds more competitive and on the cusp of a statement-grabbing win is how the team travels.