This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Cedar City, Utah • Tyler Collet made a diving interception to thwart a late Southeastern Louisiana rally as Southern Utah held on for a 28-23 win on Saturday night.
Southeastern Louisiana pulled to within five points when Justin Alo hit Juwan Dickey on a 20-yard scoring strike with 3:33 left in the game.
The Lions got the ball back with 1:12 remaining. With 54 seconds left, Josh Thornton tipped the pass and Collet scooped it out of the air to seal the win.
Patrick Tyler led Southern Utah (1-1), throwing for 188 yards and three scores on 18-of-28 passing. Malik Brown rushed for 146 yards on 32 carries.
The Thunderbirds' balanced attack racked up 437 total yards.
Southeastern (0-2) held a 17-14 advantage at the break, but the Thunderbirds took the lead for good when Brady Measom hauled in a 10-yard scoring strike from Tyler.
Tyler hit Mike Sharp on a 16-yard scoring play with 9:27 left in the game to provide enough cushion for the win.
Alo, a senior, threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-31 passing in his first career start for the Lions.
Senior Rasheed Harrell scored his first rushing touchdown of the season, as SLU finished with 411 total yards. of offense.