Southern Utah coach Ed Lamb gambled Saturday night at Couglin-Alumni Stadium in Brookings, S.D.

He lost.

Trailing South Dakota State by a point with two seconds remaining in the game, Lamb ordered a two-point conversion attempt.

It failed, dooming the Thunderbirds to a heartbreaking 29-28 loss to the Jackrabbits in the season opener for both teams.

South Dakota State built a 29-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Southern Utah made a ferocious comeback.

The Thunderbirds' rally began when junior quarterback Brad Sorensen hit Jared Ursua on a 37-yard touchdown pass with 12:35 remaining.

Southern Utah got closer when senior safety Erron Vonner returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown, making it 29-22.

It appeared the Thunderbirds' hopes ended with 2:29 remaining, when Sorensen threw the last of his three interceptions.

Moments later, however, linebacker Blake Fenn's fumble recovery gave Southern Utah possession at its 34-yard line.

Sorensen quickly marched the Thunderbirds to the South Dakota State three, where he hit Ursea with another touchdown pass with two seconds left.

Trailing by one, Southern Utah went for the win, but Sorensen's pass to Daryl Brown was knocked away, sealing the Thunderbirds' fate.

The Jackrabbits owned a 9-7 halftime lead, but extended it during a dominating third quarter, when they turned two interceptions into 14 points.

Sorensen ended up completing 31 of 46 passes for 340 yards — the fourth-highest total in his career and ninth-best in school history.

Ursua caught a career-high nine passes for 129 yards and two scores.

Southern Utah tries to avoid a 0-2 start next weekend, when the Thunderbirds play Sacramento State at Eccles Coliseum.

The Hornets, expected to contend for the Big Sky Conference title this season, opened with a stunning 29-28 overtime victory at Oregon State on Saturday. —

Highlights

R Southern Utah's two-point conversion attempt with two seconds remaining fails in a 29-28 loss at South Dakota State.

• Thunderbird quarterback Brad Sorenseon throws for 340 yards and three touchdowns, but he is also intercepted three times.