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CEDAR CITY -- The Southern Utah football team will look to pull even at 4-4 and keep its Great West title and playoff hopes alive Saturday when the T-Birds play host to UC Davis.
The T-Birds (3-4, 1-1 Great West) are coming off a 35-10 victory over North Dakota, while the Aggies (4-3, 1-0 Great West) are coming off a 34-31 come-from-behind road win over Portland State.
Both teams are unranked, but each received votes in the FCS Coaches Poll and The Sports Network FCS rankings, with UC Davis receiving more votes than SUU in each poll.
The T-Birds' defense have given up a lean 148 passing yards combined in the last two games, but the Aggies boast the No. 12 passing offense in the nation, averaging almost 275 yards per game. The T-Birds have thrown for just 11 fewer yards than UC Davis and have the No. 14 passing offense.
Junior quarterback Greg Denham has passed for 1,840 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions to lead the Aggies. He completed 20 of 35 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown against Portland State before leaving with a hand laceration and seeing his backup, freshman Austin Heyworth, throw two fourth-quarter touchdowns and earn Great West Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Denham has thrown only one interception in his last four games and is expected to play Saturday.
"Denham has a super strong arm; he likes to throw the ball deep," SUU Head Coach Ed Lamb said. "Their game plan is definitely to attack the field vertically. They've got a bunch of great receivers."
Denham's favorite target has been senior wide receiver Chris Carter, who ranks fourth in the nation with 57 catches. Senior wide receiver Bakari Grant and junior wide receiver Sean Creadick each have four touchdown catches to lead the team.
T-Birds junior safety Akeem Anifowoshe said the defense must be focused and on the same page, and play with emotion to stop the Aggies. He said the T-Birds are confident following the North Dakota game.
"We're bringing in a lot of momentum," he said. "Our defense right now is playing with a lot of confidence. Last week we were clicking on all cylinders and our defense is playing better as a team every week. I think this week we're going to step up our level of play and go out and attack the offense."
The T-Birds have had a high-powered aerial attack as well, with senior quarterback Cade Cooper throwing for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns in five straight games. His 20 touchdown passes this season rank fourth in the nation.
His favorite targets have been junior wide receiver Fesi Sitake, who has 49 catches for 507 yards and seven touchdowns, and Tysson Poots, who has 43 catches for 527 yards and six touchdowns.
Poots would rank second in catches per game and fifth in yards per game, but hasn't played in 75-percent of the team's games, which is necessary to qualify. After Saturday's game, Poots will qualify for national rankings.
For the T-Birds' passing game to be successful, they must slow down the pass rush of the Aggies, who have collected nine sacks in their last two games.
"We've got to hold up with our offensive line," Lamb said. "They've got a very active front, they've got great speed in their front seven and we've really got to do a nice job of holding up."
The T-Birds have fared better on the ground than UC Davis, ranking 65th nationally, while the Aggies rank just 113th. The Aggies, however, have been much better than SUU at stopping the run, ranking 55th compared to the T-Birds 103rd.
Lamb said the T-Birds could have an advantage on the ground.
"(Running the ball) could be an advantage for us and so we would very much like to maintain that advantage," he said. "We would like to rush for more yards than them, we'd like to have more time of possession than them and establish a physical dominance in the game."
Anifowoshe said the T-Birds will have the advantage if the weather is cold and snowy like it was at practice Tuesday.
"UC Davis, coming from California, they're spoiled, they have the good weather every day, and no matter what the weather is, we play in all elements so we're prepared to play in snow, rain, sleet, whatever," he said.
"They don't practice in this stuff and that's why we come out and practice," Lamb said. "I hope we're building a little toughness out here and learning to get our footing on a bad field and who knows what the weather will be like."
Barring inclement weather though, the ball will likely be flying all over the field as both teams average 40-plus passing attempts per game, creating opportunities for turnovers.
"When teams throw the ball around a lot, like their team does and our team does, there can really be a propensity to turn it over. So we need to make sure we minimize our turnovers and maximize our takeaways," Lamb said.
"At a critical point, turnovers are what change the game, and if we can get more turnovers than them, I think we can pull it out," Anifowoshe said.
Lamb said whichever team plays the hardest will win the game.
"I think it will be two very closely matched teams," he said. "I think the team that prepares hardest and plays hardest will be the winner."
The game kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Eccles Coliseum and will be broadcast live on Power 91 Radio, which is streamed at www.suu.edu/hss/comm/ksuu/.
