After a sluggish start, the University of Redlands football team blew it open with 43 unanswered points to capture a 64-28 win over the University of La Verne Leopards on Saturday afternoon in Ortmayer Stadium. While facing the NCAA Division III's ninth-ranked offense, the Bulldogs nabbed four takeaways while holding their opponents to a season-low of 379 yards. In addition, the Maroon and Gray converted four touchdowns in a six-minute span to finish the first half with great momentum and never looked back.
Amped for their Homecoming game, the Leopards came out of the gates on fire, playing at a frenetic pace that resulted in back-to-back touchdowns
However, the Bulldogs settled into their game plan and made the necessary adjustments midway through the second quarter, beginning with junior kickerSean Murray's (Phoenix, AZ) 46-yard field goal to initiate the team's offensive outburst.
On La Verne's ensuing possession, Redlands forced the opponents to try for a field goal, which was knocked down by junior defensive back junior DJ Dawson Jr. (Atwater, CA) to provide excellent field position for the Maroon and Gray. Three plays later, junior running back Curtis Tanquary (San Jose, CA) made his presence known with a 31-yard scoring run.
With 6:59 left in the second stanza, junior quarterback Kevin Russell (Lacey, WA) connected with senior wide receiver James Ramirez (La Verne, CA) on an eight-yard catch to cap off the 10-play, 63-yard drive. Senior wide receiver Sam Angelo(Woodinville, WA) and junior wide receiver Stephen Rodriguez (Brentwood, CA) both hauled in significant receptions, accounting for 35 yards of the series.
With La Verne's offense back on the field, Redlands looked to its defense to come up with the ball, as sophomore defensive back Jalen DeVine (Richland, WA) pulled in his second interception of the season, returning this one 50 yards to the three-yard line. It wasn't long before the Maroon and Gray took full advantage of the short field, as senior running back Bobby Brown (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) scampered in for the touchdown just one play later.
After another three-and-out showing for the Redlands defense, the Bulldogs covered 60 yards on three plays, with Brown highlighting the drive with a 36-yard carry. Russell ultimately found Angelo for the touchdown, making it 30-14 with 2:14 left in the first half.
Another big takeaway gave the ball back to Redlands, as La Verne fumbled the ball on the ensuing kickoff and freshman linebacker Mitch Shepherd (Seattle, WA) recovered it at the bottom of the pile. This time, Brown and sophomore running back Devin Appleton (San Jose, CA) combined for the yardage on the short field, with Appleton finding the end zone on a 16-yard jaunt.
But the Bulldogs weren't done yet, as the Leopards' next drive was immediately cut short when sophomore defensive back Aaron Mandell (Seattle, WA) snagged a pick-six from 25-yards out, giving Redlands great momentum at the end of the half with a 43-14 advantage.
Early in the second half, the Bulldog defense came up with a big stop to prevent an early score by the Leopards. Sophomore defensive backConnor Hoffman (Tustin, CA) provided a key break-up in the end zone, allowing senior defensive back Stephen Reyes (Kingsburg, CA) to pull in the tipped pass for the interception.
Redlands went on to score three more touchdowns before the final whistle, earning a season-high number of points to rank sixth all-time in school history. Highlighting the late-game offense, sophomore quarterback Justin Cillay (Pullman, WA) notched his first career touchdown, which came on a 15-yard carry with a little over a minute to go.
Overall, Brown led all players with 129 yards on the ground with more than eight yards per carry. Russell amassed 226 yards through the air on 17-for-25 passing, with Ramirez leading the team with eight catches for 129 yards. Appleton added 148 all-purpose yards, including 107 on kick returns. The relentless offensive line played a big role in the team's scoring explosion, with seniors Aaron Hinkle (Lodi, CA), Zachary Alford(Redding, CA), and Mason Marino (Reno, NV) contributing to the coverage.
Aside from the impressive takeaways, the Bulldog defense stepped up to the challenge of shutting down the ninth-ranked offense that had been averaging more than 520 yards prior to today's game. Senior linebacker Michael Tootle (Las Vegas, NV), Shepherd, sophomore defensive linemanBrian Keyser (Medford, NJ), and junior linebacker Griffin Lord (Upland, CA) headlined that effort for the Maroon and Gray.
With the win, the Bulldogs (4-2, 4-0 SCIAC) remain at the top of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings in a tie with Chapman University. Redlands heads to Whittier College on Saturday for a 1 p.m. conference bout with the Poets.