In 2011, the Thunderbirds ended their season with a respectable 6-5 record. Their big win last season was at FBS member UNLV, where they crushed the Rebels 41-16. They also blew out fellow Big Sky newcomer UC Davis in Cedar City with a 34-3 victory over the Aggies. In the Thunderbirds' five losses in 2011, four of them were by seven points or less, including three straight last October (lost at home to North Dakota 26-20, at South Dakota 24-19, and at Cal Poly 31-27).
Heading into this season, the Thunderbirds bring back their starting quarterback in senior Brad Sorenson, who had a pretty good 2011 season (threw for 3,143 yards and 17 TDs). But they are inexperienced at the other offensive skill positions, as leading rusher Austin Minefee and leading receiver Brady Measom both graduated over the offseason. So the returning receivers and running backs will have to step up, or it could be a long season for the Thunderbirds offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, leading tackler Chad Hansen is back. The junior linebacker led the team in total tackles with 104 (53 solo tackles). However, the team's leader in sacks (Tyler Osbourne) and co-leaders in interceptions (Erron Vonner and Nick Witzmann) graduated, so there may be some holes to fill defensively.
MY THOUGHTS: The Thunderbirds are a young team heading into this season. It helps their starting quarterback and leading tackler are back for the 2012 season, but there's a lot of younger guys that will have to step up if they want to duplicate or improve on their respectable 6-5 mark, and that might be difficult to accomplish playing in the more competitive Big Sky Conference. They lost four of their five games by seven points or less, so sealing the deal in close games will be crucial if they even want a sniff of the conference title, let alone an FCS playoff berth.
NEXT UP: football-only newcomer UC Davis.
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