# 2022 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team

The 2022 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team represented Southern Utah University in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald, the Thunderbirds played home games at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah. Previously a member of the Big Sky Conference for a decade, this was Southern Utah's first season in the WAC.

## Schedule

Southern Utah and the WAC announced the 2022 football schedule on January 12, 2022.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | St. Thomas (MN)* | Eccles ColiseumCedar City, UT | ESPN+ | W 44–13 | 5,000 |
| September 10 | 11:30 a.m. | at No. 13 (FBS) Utah* | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | P12N | L 7–73 | 51,531 |
| September 17 | 3:00 p.m. | at Western Illinois* | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN+ | W 17–10 | 5,024 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Utah Tech | Eccles ColiseumCedar City, UT | ESPN+ | W 31–17 | 8,069 |
| October 1 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 25 Eastern Kentucky* | Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, KY | ESPN+ | L 28–35 | 14,099 |
| October 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Tarleton State | Eccles ColiseumCedar City, UT | ESPN+ | L 40–42 | 4,132 |
| October 15 | 2:30 p.m. | at Abilene Christian | Wildcat StadiumAbilene, TX | ESPN+ | L 18–21 | 10,229 |
| October 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin | Eccles ColiseumCedar City, UT | ESPN+ | L 38–41 | 3,268 |
| November 5 | 11:00 a.m. | at Utah Tech* | Greater Zion StadiumSt. George, UT | ESPN+ | L 36–48 | 6,903 |
| November 12 | 11:00 a.m. | Lincoln (CA)* | Eccles ColiseumCedar City, UT | ESPN+ | W 55–0 | 3,556 |
| November 19 | 11:00 a.m. | at Sam Houston | Bowers StadiumHuntsville, TX | ESPN+ | W 17–7 | 7,059 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Mountain time |||||||

## Game summaries
### St. Thomas (MN)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tommies | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Thunderbirds | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 44 |

### At No. 13 (FBS) Utah

| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 2–0 | September 1, 2016 | Utah Utes |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thunderbirds | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 13 Utes | 7 | 38 | 14 | 14 | 73 |
at Rice-Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT
* Date: September 10, 2022
* Game time: 11:30 a.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 51,531
* Referee: Mark Duddy
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)
| Statistics | SUU | UTAH |
| First downs | 4 | 31 |
| Total yards | 85 | 598 |
| Rushes/yards | 21–43 | 42–246 |
| Passing yards | 42 | 352 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 11–23–2 | 23–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:34 | 36:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern Utah | Passing | Justin Miller | 11/21, 42 yards, 2 INT |
| Southern Utah | Rushing | Grady Robison | 2 carries, 27 yards, TD |
| Southern Utah | Receiving | Timothy Patrick | 4 receptions, 17 yards |
| Utah | Passing | Cameron Rising | 17/23, 254 yards, 3 TD |
| Utah | Rushing | Chris Curry | 6 carries, 66 yards, TD |
| Utah | Receiving | Dalton Kincaid | 7 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD |

### At Western Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thunderbirds | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Leathernecks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |

### At No. 25 Eastern Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thunderbirds | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| No. 25 Colonels | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |

### Tarleton State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 42 |
| Thunderbirds | 0 | 10 | 3 | 27 | 40 |