The University of Redlands football team held off a fourth-quarter surge by the Pirates of Whitworth University (WA) en route to a 29-24 victory on Saturday at the Pine Bowl in Spokane.

The Bulldogs controlled the first half, holding the Pirates to a mere 64 yards of total offense. The Redlands defense also dominated play, with senior defensive lineman Josh Cunningham (Phoenix, AZ) racking up three sacks.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead after a 50-yard kickoff return by sophomore wide receiver Tyler Aubrey (San Diego, CA) set up excellent field position for the Maroon and Gray. Redlands moved the ball down the field off of a nine-yard reception by senior wide receiver Brian Putman (Bakersfield, CA) and two carries by junior running back Daylan Swedlow (Lake Arrowhead, CA) that accumulated 11 yards. On first and 10, senior quarterback Dan Selway (Villa Park, CA) found Putman in the end zone on a 12-yard pass to put the Bulldogs up by six.

Despite failing to earn the two-point conversion, the Bulldogs quickly rebounded during the Bucs' opening drive as junior defensive back Mike Nicolini (Novato, CA) wrapped up the Whitworth quarterback for a sack and forced a fumble on the Whitworth 22-yard line. Nicolini also recovered the ball to put the Bulldogs in scoring position. The Pirate defense held and forced Redlands to hit the field goal as junior kicker Joe MacMillan (Pasadena, CA) booted a 34-yarder through the uprights fro the 9-0 lead.

After trading possessions through the final minutes of the second quarter, the Maroon and Gray scored on a 26-yard scamper into the end zone by Selway. MacMillan's PAT was good, putting the Bulldogs up by 16-0.

Whitworth found new life in its final possession of the first half, moving the ball 43 yards to the Redlands 11-yard line. The Bucs converted a 28-yard field goal to get on the board before the break.

In the opening half, the Bulldogs outgained Whitworth by a substantial margin, 187-64.

The Maroon and Gray remained in control at the start of the third quarter and marched the ball 51 yards down the field to set up a 13-yard pass to senior wide receiver Evan Reuter (Cameron Park, CA). Holding a 23-3 lead, the game appeared to be in Redlands' hands.

However, the Pirates scored back-to-back touchdowns off of consecutive interceptions to pull within six points at 23-17 with 12:02 to play in the game.

Redlands responded on its next drive, going the distance from its own 32-yard line to the Whitworth end zone for the touchdown. Selway hit three different receivers for a total of 31 yards but the play-maker for this drive was clearly Swedlow, who carried the ball eight times for 37 yards and the score. On the day, he racked up 132 rushing yards on 27 attempts.

With less than seven minutes to play, the Pirates came knocking again, converting a 12-play, 61-yard drive into a touchdown to cut the Bulldogs' lead to only five points at 29-24.

On the ensuing Redlands drive, Swedlow gave the Bulldogs quality field position with a 28-yard carry to the Whitworth 45. He continued to move the ball down field while taking time off the clock. With 40 seconds left in the game, the Maroon and Gray took a knee for the final play on the Pirates 29-yard line, resulting in a hard-fought 29-24 victory for the Bulldogs.

This marks only the second time in the history of Whitworth's football program that the Pirates have lost to a California team in their home stadium. Redlands has won both of those games against the Bucs.

Overall, the Bulldogs racked up 428 yards of total offense, compared to the Pirates' 290. Selway connected on 24 of his 37 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. The formidable offensive line protected him throughout the game, allowing no sacks by Whitworth.

Sophomore linebacker Ian Sluss (Vista, CA) posted a game-high 11 tackles, while senior defensive back Rudy Vidales (Los Angeles, CA) backed him with nine.

The Bulldogs (2-0) enjoy a bye this week but look forward to playing the University of La Verne at home on October 3 at 7 p.m. for their opening Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game.

Whitworth hosts Chapman University on Saturday.