‘The ax is back home’: Utah Tech football avenges earlier loss, defeats Southern Utah

Written by Vin Cappiello
November 5, 2022

ST. GEORGE — The halftime pyrotechnics were minor compared with how Utah Tech and Southern Utah lit up the scoreboard Saturday night.

Utah Tech fans celebrate during the Trailblazers’ 48-36 homecoming football win over Southern Utah, Nov. 5, 2022 | Photo by Vin Cappiello, St. George News

And Chapter 2 of the Battle of the Ax went to the host Trailblazers, whose 48-36 homecoming victory stat sheet reads like a Fourth of July fireworks blueprint.

Freshman quarterback Victor Gabalis was 24-of36 passing for 477 yards and five touchdowns, both program bests. And as Utah Tech students rushed the field at Greater Zion Stadium, he stepped to the side to reflect on the win.

“Oh yeah, revenge was a factor,” said Gabalis, referring to Southern Utah’s 31-17 Western Athletic Conference win at Eccles Coliseum on Sept. 25. “We had to show them who was boss.”

Wide receiver Rickey Johnson caught nine passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns — the yards and scores both Utah Tech single-game records and the second-highest single-game receiving yard total in both FBS and FCS Division I, Utah Tech Athletics Director Steve Johnson said.

“I just go out there and have fun … and play my game,” Johnson said. “I trust my receivers’ blocking. And whenever I see green grass, I go.”

In the Battle of the Ax, Utah Tech football defeated Southern Utah 48-36 in the homecoming game at Greater Zion Stadium Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 | Photo by Vin Cappiello, St. George News

Utah Tech re-wrote the record book when Connor Brooksby booted a career-best school-record 54-yard field goal, and running back Quali Conley rushed for 155 yards on 22 carries

“We’re playing with some confidence,”  Utah Tech coach Paul Peterson said. “Early in the season we had some of these same things open and we missed them, but we’re making them work now.”

Southern Utah quarterback Justin Miller was 23-of34 passing for 273 yards, completing passes to nine different receivers. But it was Isaiah Wooden’s kick return performance that put the Thunderbirds in position to score two of their touchdowns. He amassed 203 yards on five returns, including a 72-yarder.

It was a back-and-forth affair for the first half. Utah Tech struck first when Gabalis completed passes of  33 yards to Johnson and 30 yards to Joey Hobert to highlight a 9-play, 73-yard drive that spanned 4:07. Brooksby split the uprights at the 11:58 mark to start the scoring.

Southern Utah quarterback Justin Miller takes a breather during the third quarter of the Thunderbirds’48-36 football loss to Utah Tech, Nov. 5, 2022 | Photo by Vin Cappiello, St. George News

But Southern Utah answered, going 54 yards in 12 plays, culminating with a Micah Pettit 43-yard field goal to make it 3-3.

And the fight was on.

The Blazers went right to work from their own 33-yard line when Gabalis found Johnson for nine yards. Then on second-and-one, Conley took the ball on a sweep and scampered 43 yards to the Thunderbird 15. Two players later, Gabalis found Hobert from six yards out, and Utah Tech was up 10-3 with 3:56 left in the first quarter.

Utah Tech’s defense forced a three-and-out with Malaki Malaki tallying a tackle for loss and Justin Kirkland stuffing the middle on a pivotal third down, which forced Southern Utah to punt.

And then came more fireworks from the Trailblazers. Conley gained five yards on first down to take the ball up to the Utah Tech 21, and after a Gabalis incompletion, he found Johnson on a 79-yard catch-and-run. The 84-yard, 3-play drive took 57 seconds, and the Blazers were up 17-3.

More fireworks went off in the second quarter as Southern Utah battled back, spearheaded by Wooden’s 66-yard kickoff return to the Utah Tech 33-yard line. And on the second play of the second quarter, Isaiah Williams found paydirt from three yards out. Pettit’s PAT pulled the T-birds within 17-10.

The two teams traded punts on their next possessions. But Southern Utah grabbed the momentum when Julian Sanderlin knocked the ball from Gabalis’ hands in the end zone. The safety made it 17-12, and the Thunderbird sideline was ignited again when Wooden returned the ensuing free kick to the Southern Utah 48.

Six plays later, Elijah Burns found the end zone on a six-yard run, and the Thunderbirds led 19-17  with 3:35 to play in the first half. The teams traded field goals to make it 22-20, but the Trailblazers grabbed the lead – a lead they would never relinquish – with 6 seconds left in the first half when Johnson snared a 6-yard pass from Gabalis.

The second-half air show continued with Roberts and Gabalis connecting from 39 yards out to put Utah Tech up 34-22. The play came on fourth down and seemed to tip the momentum back in the Trailblazers’ favor.

Southern Utah, however, kept fanning the flames as Miller scored on a 4-yard rush, closing the gap to 34-29. But that’s as close as the Thunderbirds would get. Johnson scored with 1:07 left in the third quarter to put the hosts ahead 41-29. And Conley added a 27-yard TD run after Williams had scored on a 2-yard touchdown run for Southern Utah.

As the game neared its end, several Utah Tech players dashed toward the coveted ax, which was mounted on a round table near the south end zone. But a timing snafu forced them to return the ax until the final 10 seconds ticked off the clock.

When it did, they grabbed their reward and ran onto the field, joining the student body, coaches and family members in a frenzied post-game celebration.

Afterward in the press box, Peterson simply said: “The ax is back home.”

Utah Tech (3-6 overall, 1-2 in the WAC), next hosts Tarleton State Saturday, Nov. 12, at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.

Southern Utah (3-6,  1-3) next hosts Lincoln University of California Saturday, Nov. 12, at 1 p.m.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vin Cappiello has been involved in journalism in various capacities since age 16, when his first story was published in the Rockland County Journal-News in suburban New York CIty. He has worked at newspapers in Ohio, Idaho and Wyoming and now serves as evening editor of St. George News. Vin and his wife Lisa have three grown children: Gabriella, Sara and Maggie. Vin and Maggie are 3rd-degree and Lisa is a 2nd-degree black belt in taekwondo. Vin also is the author of the young adult novel, "A Quarter Mile From Home." He enjoys hiking, camping, fly-fishing and running, preferably with Lisa.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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