Can not blame the Aztecs for wanting to play Southern Utah, because the Aztecs have had a tought time to wins which for the past decade are hard to come by. Southern Utah is an FCS school that comes from the Great West conference and last year went an unimpressive 4-8 record. They did play one FBS team last year in Air Force, but that game was quite ugly as they lost 41-7.
Also, to make matters more difficult for the Thunderbirds they lose quarterback Cody Stone who tossed for more then 2,500 yards and twenty scores, their new quarterback is expected to be Kyle Bowen who only had 55 yards last year.
Their is a bright spot for the Thuderbirds they do return their top rusher and their stud wide out Tysson Poots who had 83 catches and over 1,200 yards. Below is the returning stat leaders for 2009
| Passing | Com% | Yards | TD | INT |
| Kyle Bowen | 60 | 55 | 1 | 0 |
| Rushing | Carries | Yards | Yards Per Carry | TD |
| Deckar Alexander | 142 | 384 | 2.7 | 2 |
| Kenny Apilli | 45 | 160 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Receiving | Catches | Yards | Yards Per Catch | TD |
| Tysson Poots | 83 | 1,236 | 14.9 | 14 |
| Fesi Sitake | 26 | 306 | 11.8 | 2 |
| Jared Ursua | 27 | 298 | 11.0 | 3 |
Quarterback is always the key, but with Tysson Poots returning that should make things easy for new quarterback Kyle Bowen. Some of the passing stats from last came when SUU was behind, because they were 4-7 and had to play catchup in most games. Their offense was so-so by averaging only 22.1 points per game, but it was their defense that caused headaches by giving up 31.9 points per game.
Prior to their game against San Diego State, Southern Utah gets the chance to play Dixie State who is below the FCS level, so the Thunderbirds could have some confidence in their matchup against San Diego State.
The Aztecs should not take this game likely because last year they lost to FCS team Cal Poly, but should try to treat the game as important as any other since the Aztecs also have a tough time winning games. Southern Utah along with all the other FCS schools want to try to pull the upset, and the Thunderbirds should not be intimidated by SDSU since their recent history has not been kind.
It is doubtful that SUU will win, but if they find a quarterback mixed in with star wide reciever Tysson Poots who knows if they can pull off the upset over San Diego State