Southern Utah football: Cooper, T-Birds soar past Texas State

CEDAR CITY — Cade Cooper passed for 256 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another on Southern Utah's Legends Day to lead SUU to a 38-16 win over 19th-ranked Texas State on Saturday.

On a day when one of the greatest quarterbacks in Southern Utah history, Matt Cannon, had his number (9) retired, Cooper and an opportunistic Thunderbird defense rallied to snap a three-game losing streak with its third straight win over the Bobcats.

SUU scored on its first two possessions, taking the opening kickoff and driving 80 yards, cashing in on an 11-yard pass from Cooper to Major Gray. After Texas State answered with Alvin Canady's 10-yard touchdown run, Cooper found Tysson Poots in the end zone for a three-yard TD pass to stake the Thunderbirds to a 14-7 advantage.

On Texas State's ensuing possession, fate turned in Southern Utah's direction

The Bobcats drove the length of the field and had the ball at the Thunderbirds' two-yard line. On first down, Alvaro Garcia took the ball up the middle and, as he fought in the pile to get into the end zone, Erron Vonner knocked the ball loose at the one-yard line. Southern Utah's Akeem Anifowoshe alertly scooped up the ball and ran 99 yards, the longest fumble return in SUU history, for a touchdown to give SUU a 21-7 advantage.

"That not only changed the momentum of the game, but it really changed the attitude of the defense," SUU coach Ed Lamb said.

The SUU defense was "tense and tentative before the fumble but, after that, with a two-touchdown lead, they played a lot more loosely and were more effective."

The Thunderbirds forced TSU into a punt on their next possession and added three more points on a Ryan Griffith field goal to lead 24-7 at halftime.

SUU held Texas State to a three-and-out on its opening possession of the second half, then drove 68 yards to take a 31-7 lead when Cooper found Fesi Sitake in the right corner of the end zone.

Texas State rallied, scoring a touchdown and a field goal to get within 31-16, but Gray clinched it for the Thunderbirds with a 13-yard run up the middle with 4:10 to play.

SUU forced three fumbles and true freshman Matt Holley notched his first career interception. The Thunderbirds' defense was led by Rob Takeno with 14 tackles and Colin Pretlow with 12.

TSU won the total yards battle, 412-387, as Bradley George completed 26-of-41 passes for 197 yards and the team combined for 203 rushing yards.

Gray finished with 91 yards rushing, a career-high, and Poots caught 11 passes for 120 yards and a score.