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(STATS) -- Nearing the halfway point of the conference slate, Southern Utah is in the mix to defend its Big Sky title. Slightly concerning, however, is its league wins have come at home over a pair of struggling programs while it was blown out on the road in its only matchup with a STATS Top 25 team.The Thunderbirds again find themselves on the road against a ranked team Saturday when they face No. 22 North Dakota, which is looking to win five straight games for the first time since moving to Division I in 2008.A defense led by NFL-bound James Cowser, Miles Killebrew and LeShaun Sims carried Southern Utah to its first Big Sky title a year ago. The Thunderbirds offense was no slouch, either, averaging 35.4 points and 445 yards. This season, under first-year coach Demario Warren -- the defensive coordinator from the past two seasons -- the defense is again leading the way but the offense has been a major liability.Southern Utah (3-2, 2-1) is last in the Big Sky in yards (338.8 per game) and second-to-last in scoring (23.4), and behind JUCO-transfer QB Patrick Tyler, the offense just isnt able to find any rhythm or sustain long drives. It is converting 24.6 percent of its third downs, ninth-worst out of the 125 FCS schools, and its average of 25:20 in time of possession is fifth-worst.Tyler, who is completing 54.3 percent of his passes, is averaging 195 passing yards in four starts -- a pretty substantial dropoff in production from a year ago when Ammon Olsen averaged 278.7 yards passing.We feel confident that Patrick is the guy that can help us win games, Warren said.The run game, however, is still thriving behind senior Malik Brown, who is second in the Big Sky in rushing (540 yards) and average (6.3 per attempt) among those with at least 50 carries.Brown and the rest of the offense, however, didnt get much going against overmatched UC Davis last weekend. The Thunderbirds gained 260 yards -- their fewest in a conference game since 2013 -- but scored TDs on both first-half trips inside the red zone and didnt turn the ball over in 24-3 winOur offense did their part in those areas and there are some other areas we want to improve at for sure, Warren said. But as long as were great at situational football, well give ourselves a chance to win at the end of the game.The Thunderbirds two Big Sky victories have come against teams that are a combined 3-9 while their conference loss came at then-No. 11 Montana on Oct. 1.Southern Utahs scuffling offense will face its greatest test of the season when it visits the Alerus Center, where the Fighting Hawks (4-2, 3-0) have won four in a row and are 10-3 under coach Bubba Schweigert.North Dakota, which defeated then-No. 16 Cal Poly in its last home game on Oct. 1, is 3-0 in conference play for the first time since joining the Big Sky in 2012 and coming off its most emphatic victory of the season. The Fighting Hawks racked up 625 yards, including 422 on the ground, while holding Sacramento State to 272 in a 40-7 win -- the programs largest margin of victory against a Big Sky foe.All five of UNDs touchdowns came on the ground and the team had three 100-yard rushers, with Brady Oliveira gaining 111, Austin Gordon at 102 and quarterback Keaton Studsrud with 100. John Santiago, named to the 2015 STATS All-American second team, was cleared to play just before kickoff after injuring his leg on the games second play against Cal Poly, and ran for 76 yards on just eight attempts.The Fighting Hawks are third in the league in rushing, averaging 216 yards, and are just as strong against the run. They rank second in the Big Sky, allowing an average of 125.3 yards and 3.3 per rush.I really like the plan our defensive staff puts together. Our guys understand the plan and weve been able to limit big plays, Schweigert said. A big key to our defensive effort has been our offense being able to control the football and thats really helped us.Powered by its stellar ground game, North Dakota leads the Big Sky in time of possession at 32:54.With Santiago a little banged-up, Oliveira has stepped up, totaling 409 yards rushing with a 6.8 yard average in the last three games. Oliveira ranks sixth in the league in rushing yards per game at 84.8 and Santiago is eighth at 73.8, giving the Fighting Hawks the only pair of teammates in the Big Sky that are in the top 10.Weve been pleased with our tailbacks, Schweigert said. The big challenge for us is how do we get them into space and get them some room to run. Bruce Bowen Jersey . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. Luka Samanic Jersey . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. https://www.spurslockerroom.com/Bruce-Bowen-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Bryn Forbes Spurs Jersey .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Patty Mills Spurs Jersey .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Alex Valle is a busy man this week. The CEO of Level|Up is preparing for the companys biggest event of the year and a landmark in the fighting game tournament scene: SoCal (Southern California) Regionals on Oct. 14-16. He sat with me to discuss the preparation of the event, the growth and the potential surprises yet to come.This years iteration is at the Esports Arena in Santa Ana, California for the first time. In addition to the arena space, the street outside of the arena will be closed off for more tournament setups and a block party.Were trying new things and stepping outside the norm, Valle said. It could be amazing or a failure, but we wanted to step out of the label just another major by adding new things and attractions.Not only will the tournament provide plenty of entertainment for spectators and players alike, it will also be a high-stakes competitive battleground. SoCal Regionals Street Fighter V tournament will be one of the last Capcom Pro Tour Premier Events and should be a slugfest as last-minute hopefuls aim to punch their ticket into the tour finals in December. In addition, it will also be one of the last qualifiers for the North American King of the Iron Fist Tournament for Tekken 7 and a qualifier spot for the Killer Instinct World Cup. The incentives will be plenty for those that need their spots and practice before the big-time finales begin.With eight different games, the issue with space was the main challenge for SoCal Regionals. In the past, the tournament was played in ballrooms or convention centers in rural areas with plenty of room. The Esports Arena will not have the luxury of all that space, but there might be upsides to the situation.Its challenging to work on a smaller venue, Valle said. We scaled back based on the space, but there are also not a lot of players playing a lot of games. Last year, the venue was frustrating because there was too much space, but a tighter venue will allow players to have more interaction with one another.ddddddddddddI asked Valle what his favorite games to watch this weekend are and he listed Street Fighter V, Mortal Kombat XL, King of Fighters 14 and Tekken 7. He cited the ridiculous amount of talent competing for each game in addition to the prizes. Valle had struggled with deciding the tournaments lineup because there were so many games to include, but added that games needed good support and growth to confirm a spot.This will be the hardest Street Fighter tournament in SoCal Regionals history -- there will be over 20 international players, Valle said. It will be fun to watch the local regulars, [who are part of] one of the strongest regions in the country, step up to the international talent.Valle believes that Southern California is not only one of the top destination for Street Fighter talent, but was the strongest region for King of Fighters players. He said that any of their players could travel anywhere and take a top-three spot in a tournament. As for the growth for both Mortal Kombat and Tekken, there was nothing short of pride for the tournament organizer when either game was mentioned.Im excited to see the interest in Tekken; its tripled out previous numbers. Im not sure why that is, maybe its the return to 1v1 because Tekken Tag did not pick up for the new guys, Valle said. Im glad Warner Bros. and NetherRealms ran it back with the support. It will be the first time that all the top killers will be coming. Its going to be a bloodbath for that title.SoCal Regionals is on the cusp of innovation, but the competition and the prestige remain as high as ever. It will be more than just a Street-Fighter-plus-other-games tournament and the players will prove that this weekend. ' ' '