Smith, defense help Weber State beat Southern Utah 29-14

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — Kevin Smith had 16 carries for 108 yards, the Weber State defense had four interceptions, and the Wildcats beat Southern Utah 29-14 on Saturday night.

Kaden Jenks was 13-of-22 passing for 132 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to David Ames that gave Weber State the lead for good with 5:28 left in the third quarter.

B.J. Taufalele returned an interception 22 yards to the Southern Utah 38 to set up the go-ahead touchdown. The Thunderbirds (1-6, 0-3 Big Sky Conference) were forced to punt on their next possession and Weber State answered with a seven-play, 53-yard drive capped by Adam Rodriguez’s 3-yard scoring run that made it 20-7 early in the fourth quarter. Marque Collin picked off a pass three plays later and Kris Jackson’s 1-yard TD run made it 26-7 after a failed attempt at a 2-point conversion with 9:56 to play.

Chris Helbig completed 23 of 42 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns for Southern Utah.

Eddie Heckard had nine tackles, including 1 ½ for losses, an interception and a forced fumble for Weber State (4-2, 2-0), which went into the game ranked No. 5 in the FCS Coaches poll.