The University of Redlands football team took full advantage of competing in front of the "Rah Rah Redlands" crowd in Ted Runner Stadium on Saturday night by rattling off 38 unanswered points en route to the solid 38-7 win over Pomona-Pitzer Colleges during the teams' Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opener.
After Pomona-Pitzer scored a touchdown on its second drive of the game, the Bulldogs answered with an 11-play, 71-yard drive to even the score at seven apiece with 12:07 left in the second quarter. Junior running back Devin Appleton (San Jose, CA) served as the primary workhorse for the Maroon and Gray, accounting for 42 yards on the ground that included a pair of 14-yard carries. Senior quarterback Kevin Russell (Lacey, WA) also found junior wide receiver Christian Guzman (Desert Hot Springs, CA) on two air strikes for a combined 18 yards. But it was senior running back Curtis Tanquary (San Jose, CA) who broke through to the promise land on a two-yard scamper for the touchdown. Senior kicker Sean Murray nailed the point-after try for the Bulldogs.
The teams traded possession throughout the second period, with the Bulldogs capping off the first half by taking a 14-7 lead into the locker room. This time, Tanquary provided key yardage for the Maroon and Gray, including back-to-back big gains of 16 and 29 yards. After finding junior wide receiver Kevin Johnson (Discovery Bay, CA) on 14-yard pass, Russell proceeded to find space on three carries, eventually taking the ball well beyond the necessary 13 yards to the house on a creative and athletic scramble for the touchdown.
During the third frame, the Bulldog defense came up big to halt any possibility of a Sagehen comeback, beginning with senior linebacker Griffin Lord's (Upland, CA) fumble recovery on third and one on the Pomona-Pitzer 20-yard line. This takeaway led to another Redlands touchdown, with Tanquary and Appleton impressing on the ground once again, before Russell found junior wide receiver Yoshio Hasegawa (Seattle, WA) in the end zone for a three-yard scoring catch. On Pomona-Pitzer's subsequent drive, sophomore linebacker Mitch Shepherd (Seattle, WA) hauled in an interception, which ultimately led to a 38-yard field goal by Murray. The Maroon and Gray finished out the outstanding third frame on another big defensive note, as Lord's 11-yard sack on third and four forced the Sagehens to punt.
The Bulldogs finished off the game with two more touchdowns, highlighted by Appleton's 71-yard outburst to set up Tanquary's five-yard jaunt into the end zone. After junior defensive back Aaron Mandell (Seattle, WA) and junior defensive back Ernesto Ruiz (Sylmar, CA) hauled in interceptions for the Bulldogs, freshman running back Jacob Guglielmana (Lake Elsinore, CA) notched a three-yard touchdown to cap off a 10-play, 68-yard final scoring drive that utilized a variety of new ball-carriers.
Redlands notched 20 first downs on the night, 17 of which came on the ground, while amassing 404 yards of total offense. Appleton led all players with 139 yards on 16 carries, while Tanquary added 86 yards on 10 attempts.
Sophomore defensive back Davis Peralta (Murrieta, CA) led the Bulldog defense with 12 tackles, including seven solo hits. Lord stepped up with eight tackles, including that sack for a loss of 11 yards.
Redlands (1-2, 1-0 SCIAC) heads to Cal Lutheran University on Saturday, October 10, for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Kingsmen.