Despite a slow start that included missed chances early in the opening quarter, the University of Redlands Bulldog football team took charge with a 21-point third quarter to defeat the visiting Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Halloween night by a score of 41-14.

Redlands faced a must-win situation in order to keep its title hopes alive while relying on Cal Lutheran University to give Occidental College its first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) loss of the season. The Kingsmen managed a 24-14 victory over Oxy, setting the table for a Redlands-Cal Lu showdown on November 14.

Earlier tonight, the Maroon and Gray jumped out to a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter with a 15-yard scoring run by junior running back Daylan Swedlow (Lake Arrowhead, CA), followed by back-to-back field goals by freshman kicker Connor Cook (Kamuela, HI).

At the start of the second half, senior quarterback Dan Selway (Villa Park, CA) led the Bulldogs downfield from their own 36-yard line, making completions to three different receivers. But it was Swedlow who continued to cover solid ground with a 26-yard scamper into the end zone to make the score 20-0

On the ensuing Sagehen drive, Pomona-Pitzer pushed its way to the Redlands 43-yard line but senior defensive lineman Josh Cunningham (Phoenix, AZ) came up with an important sack for a loss of seven yards, forcing Pomona-Pitzer to punt on fourth down.

Starting at its own 40, the Maroon and Gray steadily moved the ball, with Selway opening the drive with a six-yard rush. He then connected with four receivers while completing the next five passes. This set up consecutive runs of six and one yard by Swedlow, who broke into the end zone for his third touchdown of the night with 4:46 to go in the third quarter.

Pomona-Pitzer put up seven points as junior quarterback Jacob Caron ran the ball five yards for the touchdown.

Redlands responded just over a minute later as Selway found senior wide receiver Evan Reuter (Cameron Park, CA) on a 19-yard bullet into the end zone. He opened the drive with a 25-yard strike to senior wide receiver Brenden Barkate (Bakersfield, CA) and then connected with him on a 16-yard reception on third-and-10. Despite a 15-yard personal foul penalty, the Bulldogs converted the red-zone opportunity to extend their lead to 34-7.

Despite another touchdown by Caron to open the fourth quarter, the win was never in question for the Bulldogs as sophomore running back Sean Quinn (El Paso, TX) gained the team's fifth touchdown of the game with 9:31 to go.

Selway posted a season-high 405 passing yards, finding senior wide receiver Brian Putman (Bakersfield, CA) on nine occasions for 124 yards, while Barkate racked up 136 yards on eight catches. Swedlow controlled the ground game with 100 yards on 15 carries for three touchdowns.

On defense, the Bulldogs gained 10 total hits from sophomore linebacker Ian Sluss (Vista, CA) as he pushed the opponents back for a loss of 26 yards and forced two fumbles.

Redlands (6-1, 4-1 SCIAC) heads to non-conference Chapman University on Saturday for a 7 p.m. game against the Panthers.