The University of Redlands football team traveled to Thousand Oaks on Saturday to take on the undefeated Cal Lutheran University Kingsmen in the host school's Homecoming contest. Amidst a defensive battle for the coveted Smudge Pot Trophy, the outcome came down to senior kicker Sean Murray's (Phoenix, AZ) 17-yard field goal with two seconds left in the game for the Bulldogs' 13-10 victory.
With the win, Redlands holds onto the Smudge Pot for the third-consecutive year.
The game began the same way it finished, as Murray punched in the first score of the game on a 47-yard field goal to cap off the Bulldogs' second drive of the game. The team remained true to the rushing game with four positive carries, but the biggest gain of the series came on first-and-10 when senior quarterback Kevin Russell(Lacey, CA) found sophomore wide receiver Cole Blackburn (Sammamish, WA) on a 12-yard strike.
After Cal Lutheran eventually answered with a touchdown to start the second period, neither team gave an inch for the remainder of the first half, as they entered the locker room with a score of 7-3.
However, the Maroon and Gray began the third period with a bang, when junior running back Devin Appleton (San Jose, CA) returned the Kingsmen's kick-off 45 yards to set the tone for the subsequent scoring drive. After a good balance of pass and running plays, the Russell-Blackburn combination provided a 14-yard gain to CLU's doorstep. Thanks to the Bulldogs' offensive line, senior running back Curtis Tanquary (San Jose, CA) found space on a one-yard scamper into the end zone for the Bulldogs' 10-7 lead.
The rest of the third frame provided plenty of defensive dominance for both squads, leading to three punts. In addition, senior defensive lineman Jack Rulon (Huntington Beach, CA) nabbed a fumble recovery to contribute to the Bulldogs' three takeaways on the day.
During the fourth quarter, the Kingsmen proceeded to move the ball 69 yards to set up a 28-yard field to tie the game while also eating up 6:25 on the clock.
Knotted at 10 apiece, Redlands had enough time for one game-winning drive. Following a 23-yard kick-off return by sophomore wide receiver Kyle Kabeary (Indio, CA), the Bulldogs fired off three quality passing plays, as Russell connected with junior wide receivers Yoshio Hasegawa (Seattle, WA) and Kevin Johnson (Discovery Bay, CA), and Blackburn for an average gain of 13 yards per catch.
Tanquary helped move the ball to the one-yard line on three-consecutive carries to set up Murray's game-winning field goal, keeping the Smudge Pot trophy in Redlands for the third-consecutive year.
Russell finished the day with 165 yards on 17-for-27 passing, while Blackburn registered 67 receiving yards to lead the team. Tanquary provided 77 yards on the ground for an average of 5.1 yards per carry.
Junior defensive backs Connor Hoffman (Tustin, CA) and Aaron Mandell (Seattle, WA), and sophomore linebacker Mitch Shepherd (Seattle, WA) each contributed seven tackles, with Shepherd forcing the CLU quarterback behind the line of scrimmage for two sacks and a loss of 12 yards.
With today's win, Redlands (2-2, 2-0 SCIAC) is one of two teams in the conference that remains undefeated, joining the University of La Verne at the top of the standings.
The Bulldogs head to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday, October 17, for a 1 p.m. kick-off against the Stags.