The University of Redlands Bulldog football team saw its playoff
hopes disappear with a difficult 21-30 loss to Cal Lutheran
University in an important Southern California Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game on Saturday. Despite a valiant
effort in the second half, the Bulldogs came up short in their
quest to force a tie at the top of the conference standings.
Redlands initiated the scoring on its opening drive by moving the
ball 59 yards on seven plays. Senior wide receiver Brian Putman
(Bakersfield, CA) broke through the CLU end zone as he caught a
six-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Dan Selway (Villa
Park, CA).
The Kingsmen answered with a 68-yard march down to the Bulldog end
zone on six plays, evening the score at seven apiece.
During the second quarter, which traditionally has been
Redlands' time to shine this season, the Bulldogs gave up an
uncharacteristic 20 points off of three costly turnovers.
With a 7-27 deficit at the half, the Maroon and Gray regrouped
after making important adjustments to both sides of the ball.
The Bulldogs rallied back with two touchdowns while only giving up
a field goal during the second half, but it wasn't quite
enough.
After forcing Cal Lutheran back six yards on its opening drive of
the third quarter, Redlands went 46 yards on 10 plays for the
touchdown score. Selway found his favorite target of the season,
Putman, on a nine-yard pass into the end zone.
Now, just two scores away from taking the lead, the Maroon and Gray
had new life in the game.
Again, the Bulldog defense held the surging Kingsmen offense,
getting the ball back on a punt to its own one-yard line. Selway
hit senior wide receiver Evan Reuter (Cameron Park, CA) for a
36-yard gain on the first play of the drive, creating more momentum
for the Bulldogs. Sophomore running back Sean Quinn (El Paso, TX)
pushed his way down field for eight yards on the next three plays,
before Selway earned the first down on a two-yard run. From the
Redlands 47-yard line, Selway found Putman on a huge 35-yard
reception, putting the Bulldogs in scoring position from the CLU
18. The duo reconnected again on the ensuing play, moving the ball
to the CLU 13. Following a Selway rush for two yards and the first
down, Redlands finally converted on this opportunity on third down
with a seven-yard scoring pass to junior wide receiver Nick
Brucculeri (Garden Grove, CA).
With the score at 21-27, Redlands sat within striking distance of
tying up the game. However, a 23-yard field goal by the Kingsmen
put the game out of reach for the Bulldogs.
Despite gaining two more possessions in the remaining 10:12, the
Bulldog offense struggled to move the ball against a stingy CLU
defense.
Quinn stepped in for injured junior running back Daylan Swedlow
(Lake Arrowhead, CA) and racked up 87 yards rushing on 22
carries.
Selway went 15-for-30 with two interceptions for a total of 163
yards. Putman served as his top receiver with 84 yards on seven
catches for two touchdowns.
Junior defensive back Mike Nicolini (Novato, CA) came up with a
team-leading 140 all-purpose yards with five kickoff returns for
125 yards to go along with a two punt returns for 15 yards. He also
recorded six total tackles, including a sack for a loss of five
yards.
Sophomore linebacker Ian Sluss (Vista, CA) continued to lead the
Bulldog defense with seven solo hits and four assisted tackles.
The Bulldogs finished out the 2009 season with a 7-2 overall record
to go along with a 4-2 mark in SCIAC action for third place.
