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CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) -- Jonathan Daly passed for 147 yards, and Cal Poly held off a Southern Utah rally late in the fourth quarter Saturday to beat the Thunderbirds 28-21.
Cal Poly (6-3, 2-1 Great West) took a 28-7 lead early in the third quarter when Daly threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Ramses Barden, who had 5 receptions for 123 yards.
However, Cody Stone rallied Southern Utah (0-9, 0-3) with two touchdown passes to Tysson Poots.
Poots broke two tackles and eluded two other defenders to turn a short gain into a 28-yard touchdown reception with 11:07 left in the fourth quarter, bringing Southern Utah within a touchdown.
Stone, who passed for 310 yards, had the Thunderbirds at midfield with 2:32 to play, but his fourth-and-6 pass intended for Craig Gritton fell incomplete. Cal Poly took over and ran out the clock.
Both teams returned fumbles for first-half touchdowns.
Southern Utah's Rob Takeno picked up a dropped pitch and returned it 20 yards to tie the game 7-7 with 6:21 left in the first quarter.
Justin Reece put Cal Poly ahead 14-7 with 5:12 to go in the second quarter when he scooped up a Johnny Sanchez fumble and took it 75 yards.
Three plays before Reece's touchdown, Stone and Poots appeared to have collaborated on a 39-yard touchdown pass. However, the field judge ruled the pass incomplete after consulting with the line judge, who had come 25 yards down the sideline to help rule on the play.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-11-03-07 1619MDT
