Getting To Know Utah Football’s 2024 Schedule: Southern Utah University Thunderbirds
Jun 5, 2024, 10:58 AM
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah football is a little under three months away from kicking off their 2024 and inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference.
As we count down the weeks in anticipation of what many believe could be a special year for the Utes, it’s also a good time to take some time to get to know Utah’s opponents.
On Thursday, August 29, a new era of Utah football (and Utah Athletics overall) begins with hosting the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
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Three Things To Know About SUU Vs. Utah Football
- The Thunderbirds and Utes have met a total of three times not counting 2024. Utah has won all three meetings including the latest in 2022- a 73-7 blowout at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
- Southern Utah is led by third year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald who helped the Thunderbirds to their first winning season since 2017 in 2023. Last year SUU finished 6-5 while also adjusting to their first season in the United Athletic Conference. The Thunderbirds will also enjoy having back their senior quarterback, Justin Miller, who had 210 completions for 2,527 yards, 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2023.
- SUU has had an interesting time keeping an offensive coordinator over the past year. Tye Hiatt spent just one season as the Thunderbird’s OC in 2023 before taking the head coaching job at Cedar High. Coach Fitzgerald then brought on Brad Robbins to be his replacement in January. However, Robbins didn’t last long in Cedar City leaving the program at the end of March to be the quarterback coach at UConn. Instead of hiring yet another offensive coordinator, SUU will be rolling with two familiar faces- offensive line coach Matt White will serve as the run game coordinator while quarterbacks coach Will Brunson is responsible for coordinating the passing game. In stark juxtaposition to the offense, the Thunderbird defense will go into its third year under defensive coordinator John Kelling.
First @Utah_Football home game of the year. #GoUtes #UteProud #SUUvsUTAH pic.twitter.com/JGkM9jzdzU
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 10, 2022
Mark Your Calendars For Utah Football’s 2024 Season Opener With The SUU Thunderbirds
- When: Thursday, August 29, 2024
- Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Time: 7:00 pm MT
- Network: ESPN+
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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