Nov. 15, 2003
Box Score
Moraga, CA - The Saint Mary's football team suffered a 40-7 defeat to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday afternoon from Saint Mary's Stadium. Freshman wide receiver Kevin Swiryn became the first Gael in two years to top 100 yards in receiving, after hauling in six catches for 117 yards. With the loss SMC falls to 1-10 overall and the Thunderbirds improve to 4-6 on the season.
Southern Utah opened the game with a 6-play, 52-yard touchdown drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown run by Cory Ashby. Following a three and out by the Gaels, SUU added another touchdown on its next possession when Mike Culpepper scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Culpepper finished the game with a career-high 91 yards rushing on 12 carries for Southern Utah.
Saint Mary's cut the lead to 14-7 when Zac Connors connected with Swiryn on a 48-yard touchdown strike with 2:45 remaining in the first quarter. The 48-yard completion was the longest play from scrimmage for the Gaels this season. Swiryn finished the game with six catches for 117 yards and one touchdown. Nate Brown was the last Gael player to top the 100-yard plateau in a game when he had 110 yards receiving against Dayton on November 9, 2001.
Southern Utah extended its lead to 20-7 when Ryan Zimmerman hit Steve Price on a 26-yard touchdown pass with 15 second remaining in the first half. Including the late first half score and 20-second half points, SUU ran off 26 unanswered points against the Gaels to close the game.
In the second half, SUU scored its first touchdown on a 29-yard fumble recovery by Kurt Elliot just 49 second into the half. Two Steve Pulver field goals of 24 and 28 yards, respectively, extended the Thunderbird lead to 33-7 with 9:25 remaining in the third quarter. The final score of the contest came with 3:46 remaining when Colin Ash scored on an 11-yard touchdown run.
For Saint Mary's, Connors finished the game by completing 18-of-29 passes for 169 yards and one touchdown. The 169 passing yards topped Cordel Webb's 157 when SMC played Cal Poly, for the season-high for a Saint Mary's quarterback. Connors also had three interceptions. Saint Mary's turned the ball over five times including two lost fumbles.
Defensively, Saint Mary's was led by Anthony Woodards who finished the game with a season-high 14 tackles. Nathan Kenion and Ray Mike also recorded double digits in tackles with 11 and 10, respectively.
After finishing the game with 54 kickoff return yards, freshman Ryan Coogler set a Saint Mary's single season kick return record. Coogler now has 574 yards in kick return yardage, topping Ed Williams' previous record of 572 yards in established in 1994
Saint Mary's will play its final game of the 2003 season at home next week against Weber State. The game against the Big Sky opponent will begin at 1 p.m. from Saint Mary's Stadium.
