Southern Utah Wins the Beehive Bowl and Idaho State Stuns Utah State

Southern Utah beat Weber State 47-42 at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City on Saturday, Idaho State walked into Maverik Stadium and beat Utah State 29-17, and a top-15 BYU team opened its season by putting 63 points on Utah Tech in Provo. Two of the three games matched in-state programs against each other.

It was the opener for BYU and Utah State. Southern Utah and Weber State were each playing a second game, and both left it 1-1.

Floyd Chalk's 22-yard run decided the Beehive Bowl

The Thunderbirds and Wildcats traded the lead repeatedly into the final quarter. Weber State went ahead 42-41 in the fourth on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Nate Dahle to Noah Kjar, the second scoring catch of the game for the pair. Southern Utah answered with a 22-yard Floyd Chalk touchdown run, and the 47-42 scoreline held.

Chalk finished with 183 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries, averaging 7.6 yards a carry with a long run of 39. Quarterback Will Burns produced much of the rest himself: 148 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, plus 146 passing yards and two more scores on 10-of-18 throwing. He also broke a 75-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Receiver David Spjut caught one pass for 44 yards, Southern Utah's longest completion of the game, and kicker Jayden Rogers handled the extra points.

Safety Parker Vance intercepted two passes and broke up three more while adding six tackles. Linebacker Mason Stromstad and nickel Christian Sampson each recorded six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, and Sampson forced a fumble. Tight end Joshua Acord caught five passes for 42 yards and a 16-yard touchdown, and receiver Devin Downing added a 16-yard scoring catch.

Weber State's other points came from a second-quarter punt return by Smith, two Ferguson touchdown runs including a 28-yarder, and a one-yard Vaenuku run that opened the scoring.

Utah State outgained Idaho State by 166 yards and lost

The Aggies' opener under Bronco Mendenhall went to an FCS opponent. Utah State outgained Idaho State 407-241 and lost 29-17, because the Bengals scored on their first four drives and added ten points off turnovers.

Utah State quarterbacks threw four interceptions — three by McCae Hillstead, one by Grady Brosterhous. Idaho State kicker Mason Lindberg went 5-for-5 on field goals, three of them from beyond 40 yards, which is how a team wins by 12 while being outgained by 166. Receiver Eli Wood caught six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.

Mendenhall did not spread the blame afterward.

"The team wasn't prepared well enough to win," he said. "My job is always to prepare the entire team." He added that the afternoon was at least clarifying: "We also have to make clear and early assessments of where our team is, so today gave us great feedback."

On the offense, Mendenhall pointed at the line before the quarterback. "Offensive football certainly starts with the front," he said. "Quarterback directs the whole thing and then just precision and execution."

Wood kept it shorter. "We lost; that's really the only thing that matters," he said. "We can't let one game define us."

Inside linebacker Harrison Taggart said the finish bothered him as much as the result. "First game of the season, I didn't like how it came out," he said. "I didn't like how it finished."

Utah State, now in the Pac-12, is 0-1.

Bear Bachmeier threw three touchdowns in BYU's opener

Bear Bachmeier completed 16 of 20 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for a fourth, as BYU beat Utah Tech 63-7 at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Legend Glasker turned five touches into 81 total yards and three touchdowns. Running backs LJ Martin and Devaughn Eka combined for 308 rushing yards. Cannon DeVries returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score and averaged 37 yards per punt return. Tre Alexander and Evan Johnson each intercepted a pass.

BYU moved to 1-0. Three Utah programs lost on Saturday: Weber State, Utah State and Utah Tech.

The week ahead

Southern Utah travels to Colorado State on September 12, with the game on CBS Sports Network. BYU's next opponent is Arizona.

Key facts:

• Southern Utah 47, Weber State 42 — Beehive Bowl, Eccles Coliseum, Cedar City, September 5, 2026
• Floyd Chalk (SUU): 183 rushing yards, 3 TD on 24 carries; game-winning 22-yard run in the fourth quarter
• Will Burns (SUU): 148 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD; 146 passing yards, 2 passing TD on 10-of-18
• Parker Vance (SUU): 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 6 tackles
• Idaho State 29, Utah State 17 — Maverik Stadium, Logan; Utah State outgained the Bengals 407-241
• Utah State threw 4 interceptions; Idaho State's Mason Lindberg made all 5 field goals, 3 from 40-plus yards
• BYU 63, Utah Tech 7 — LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo; Bear Bachmeier 16-of-20, 198 yards, 3 passing TD, 1 rushing TD
• Records after the weekend: BYU 1-0, Southern Utah 1-1, Weber State 1-1, Utah State 0-1
• Next: Southern Utah at Colorado State on September 12 (CBS Sports Network); BYU faces Arizona