2021 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team
The 2021 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team represented Southern Utah University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Demario Warren and played their home games at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah. They played their final season as a member of the Big Sky Conference, as they would depart for the Western Athletic Conference for the 2022 season.
| 2021 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football | |
|---|---|
![]() | |
| Conference | Big Sky Conference |
| Record | 1–10 (0–8 Big Sky) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Matt Wade (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Robert Bala (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Eccles Coliseum (capacity: 8,500) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Sacramento State $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Montana State ^ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Eastern Washington ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Montana ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 UC Davis ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weber State | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Arizona | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portland State | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho State | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Utah | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preseason
Polls
On July 26, 2021, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Thundebirds were predicted to finish eleventh in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.[1]
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weber State | (7) |
| 2 | Montana | (3) |
| 3 | Eastern Washington | (2) |
| 4 | Montana State | (1) |
| 5 | Sacramento State | (1) |
| 6 | UC Davis | |
| 7 | Northern Arizona | |
| 8 | Idaho | |
| 9 | Idaho State | |
| 10 | Portland State | |
| 11 | Southern Utah | |
| 12 | Cal Poly | |
| 13 | Northern Colorado |
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weber State | (14) |
| 2 | Montana | (4) |
| 3 | Eastern Washington | (3) |
| 4 | Montana State | (3) |
| 5 | Sacramento State | |
| 6 | UC Davis | |
| 7 | Northern Arizona | |
| 8 | Idaho | |
| 9 | Idaho State | |
| 10 | Portland State | |
| 11 | Southern Utah | |
| 12 | Northern Colroado | |
| 13 | Cal Poly |
Preseason All–Big Sky team
The Thunderbirds had one player selected to the preseason all-Big Sky team.[2]
|
Defense La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis – OL
|
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28 | 8:00 p.m. | at San Jose State* | CBSSN | L 14–45 | 16,204 | |
| September 2 | 8:30 p.m. | at No. 25 (FBS) Arizona State* | P12N | L 14–41 | 44,456 | |
| September 18 | 5:00 p.m. | vs. Tarleton State* | ESPN+ | W 40–35 | 8,346 | |
| September 25 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 6 Eastern Washington | L 21–50 | 7,096 | ||
| October 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Portland State |
| L 13–20 | 4,013 | |
| October 9 | 7:00 p.m. | at Sacramento State | ESPN+ | L 20–41 | 6,244 | |
| October 16 | 2:00 p.m. | at Northern Arizona | L 35–59 | 7,511 | ||
| October 23 | 6:00 p.m. | Northern Colorado |
| ESPN+ | L 9–17 | 3,208 |
| October 30 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 11 Montana | RTRM | L 19–20 | 22,587 | |
| November 6 | 2:00 p.m. | at Idaho | ESPN+ | L 24–42 | 6,082 | |
| November 13 | 2:00 p.m. | Weber State |
| ESPN+ | L 0–62 | 4,045 |
| ||||||
Conference opponents not played this season: Cal Poly, Idaho State, Montana State, UC Davis
Game summaries
At San Jose State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Spartans | 21 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 45 |
At No. 25 (FBS) Arizona State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 25 (FBS) Sun Devils | 13 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 41 |
Vs. Tarleton State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds | 14 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 40 |
| Texans | 7 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
No. 6 Eastern Washington
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Eagles | 9 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 50 |
| Thunderbirds | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Portland State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
| Thunderbirds | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
At Sacramento State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| Hornets | 17 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 41 |
At Northern Arizona
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds | 0 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Lumberjacks | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 59 |
Northern Colorado
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Thunderbirds | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
At No. 11 Montana
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds | 3 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| Grizzlies | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
At Idaho
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Vandals | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
Weber State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 14 | 31 | 7 | 10 | 62 |
| Thunderbirds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
References
- "Thunderbirds Picked 11th in Big Sky Preseason Polls". July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- "Kaho'ohanohano-Davis Named to Big Sky Preseason Team". suutbirds.com. July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- "2021 Southern Utah Football Schedule". suutbirds.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
