REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands football team (2-1, 0-1) lost the Smudge Pot Trophy Game to California Lutheran University (CLU) 27-10 as they could not get their offense on track Saturday evening inside Ted Runner Stadium.
The Bulldog defense forced a three and out to begin the game. On fourth down Kaleb Gibbs blocked the punt and gave the offense the ball at the CLU 15-yard line. Taylor Bowie ran for eight yards, but they would have to settle for a 28-yard Aidan Petruescu field goal.
CLU responded with a 14 play, 75-yard drive that ate up more than eight minutes and made it 7-0.
Following a punt by Redlands, the Kingsmen had a third and 17 and on a deep pass to the right side Enrique Ybanez intercepted the pass and returned it 50 yards to the CLU 10.
The subsequent drive for Redlands went run for no gain, incomplete pass, incomplete pass, and then the 27-yard field goal was missed.
Redlands' defense then gave CLU 40 free yards thanks to penalties but with seven minutes remaining in the opening half the Kingsmen missed a 44-yard field goal.
Each side then stalled on offense and were forced to punt before the final Bulldog possession ended with an interception. That interception was converted into three points for the Kingsmen as they took a 10-3 lead into the half.
The first two drives for the Bulldog offense in the second half ended in punts while the Kingsmen also punted before a 13-play, 54-yard drive ended in their third field goal with 3:29 to play in the third quarter.
Two plays after going down two possessions for the first time Luke Coleman had his second pass intercepted. Ybanez, however, got it right back with his second pick which came in the endzone and gave the Bulldogs the ball right back only six seconds after turning it over.
Redlands, though, did not take advantage of the second chance as they committed two penalties and lost possession on a sack fumble that gave CLU another chance in the red zone.
The two interceptions and fumble all came within 37 seconds of each other.
The sack fumble recovered by CLU would be converted into seven points after a three-yard rushing touchdown for a 20-3 advantage for CLU.
Trailing by 17 in the fourth the Bulldogs did not go away with new quarterback Tobey Schmidt engineering a 19 play drive that ended in a 19-yard touchdown pass to Scott Blankenship Jr. on fourth and goal at the 19. Schmidt was under pressure and lofted a pass to the back left corner where Blankenship made the diving catch to cut the deficit to 10, 20-10.
Down 17 once again the Bulldogs got into Kingsmen territory with less than two minutes remaining, but Schmidt's fourth and 10 pass fell incomplete as CLU picked up their first win since 2012 against Redlands.
The defense forced two turnovers and held CLU to 4-of-13 on third down despite being on the field for 37 minutes.
Also, notably, the Kingsmen scored on five-of-six redzone tripes while the Bulldogs only got three (scoring twice). Two of those trips came off a turnover and a blocked punt that resulted in only three points.
Aaron Muñiz had 2.5 tackles for loss (TFL), Jax Lee had two, and Laurence Williams, Shephard Cope, Anthony Hall, Benjamin Fitchett, and Jaeden Thorn had one with Mosese Afemui adding 0.5 TFL.
Redlands now prepares for Chapman University who they will play next Saturday, October 4 at 7 p.m. in Orange.