Shawn Shipman ran for a 15-yard touchdown 30 seconds into the game to give St. Thomas an early lead, but Southern Utah went ahead by 13 points by halftime and went on to a 44-13 season-opening victory Thursday night at Cedar City, Utah.
Southern Utah outgained St. Thomas 489 yards to 468.
Tommies quarterback Cade Sexauer completed 15 of 29 passes for 207 yards and one toudhdown with one interception, and Hope Adebayo led St. Thomas on the ground with seven carries for 76 yards.
The debut win for head coach DeLane Fitzgerald ended an eight-game losing streak for Southern Utah. The team hadn't won since defeating Tarleton, 40-35 on Sept. 18, 2021. It was the Thunderbirds' first season-opening win since 2013 when they beat South Alabama 22-21.
Southern Utah was 1-10 last season and had lose all but six of its previous 40 games dating back to the start of the 2018 season.
The Tommies, who made their first trip to Utah, are in their second season as a Division I program. It was the first meeting between the teams.
