Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Overall Rank: #36
#2 Great West
Southern Utah Team Page
2010 Record: (6-5, 4-0)
2010 Postseason: none
Coach: Ed Lamb (15-18 at Southern Utah, 15-18 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Austin Minefee, RB, 764 yards
Passing: Brad Sorensen, QB, 3,163 yards
Receiving: Austin Minefee, RB, 257 yards
Tackles: Blake Fenn, LB, 97
Sacks: Tyler Osborne, LB, 7.0
Interceptions: Blake Fenn, LB, 1; Dion Turner, CB, 1
It did not take Coach Ed Lamb too long to turn around the program at Southern Utah. His first couple of seasons did not go too well, but the Thunderbirds made huge strides in 2010. In a conference that was supposed to be dominated by Cal Poly and UC Davis, Southern Utah handed the Mustangs a 20-7 defeat and annihilated UC Davis on the road by a score of 55-24.
Strengths:
The nice thing about SUU last season was their strength on both sides of the ball. They could win a defensive battle like the one against Cal Poly or outscore the opposition like they did against UC Davis. Both sides will be strong again this time. On the defensive side of the ball the linebackers are the best unit. Blake Fenn is the leader of the unit and led the Thunderbirds with 97 tackles in 2010. Rush linebacker Tyler Osborne is a superb pass rusher and is always in the backfield. After tallying 7.0 sacks and 18.5 tackles-for-loss a year ago, even bigger things are expected in 2011. Troy Bunting and Akeem Anifowoshe will be missed, but Southern Utah can easily build around Fenn and Osborne. The front line is in good hands as well with the return of end Cody Heinreich and Cody Larsen. Neither of those two were particularly great last season, but they were good enough to open up space for Osborne. On paper the secondary looks to be in the worst shape heading into 2011. However, a handful of junior college transfers will join senior cornerback Dion Turner and safety Erron Vonner to help fill the holes. It may take a little bit of time, but the secondary should be just as good as they were last season assuming the front seven continue to get consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback.
Weaknesses:
SUU won games through their passing attack in 2010. That may be the case again with quarterback Brad Sorensen back for his junior season. The 6-5 signal caller threw for 3,163 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. The problem is his top receivers are all gone. Tight end Abbel Aioni should see an increase in production, but the receiver corps will need Jared Ursua, Justin Brown and some younger players to step up and replace Tysson Poots and Fesi Sitake or this team will not come close to reaching 300 passing yards per game like they did in 2010. The offensive line returns intact and that should help Sorensen stay on his feet. The team did throw a lot, but they still gave up way too many sacks…34 in all. Sorensen may not be the most mobile quarterback around, but the offensive line has had plenty of practice pass blocking and they need to get better with a year of experience. Yet, while the new receivers come into form, the line may be run blocking more than they did last season.
The Bottom Line:
Austin Minefee rushed for 764 yards and five touchdowns on 133 carries in 2010. He should be asked to do more during his senior season and do not be surprised if the Southern Utah offense turns into a much more balanced unit. Add fellow senior back Decar Alexander, who rushed for 420 yards in 2010, to the mix and SUU has a couple solid running backs. This is still a team that will likely pass first, but Minefee and Alexander should give Coach Lamb more options and that will lead to another successful season in 2011.
Projected Postseason: none
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 135.00 (72nd in nation, 3rd in conference)
Passing Offense: 296.09 (5, 1)
Total Offense: 431.09 (9, 1)
Scoring Offense: 29.73 (29, 2)
Rushing Defense: 116.27 (21, 2)
Pass Defense: 193.45 (47, 1)
Total Defense: 309.73 (21, 1)
Scoring Defense: 19.18 (17, 1)
Turnover Margin: .45 (28, 2)
Sacks: 2.45 (24, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 2.73 (97, 4)
