Amidst the excitement and energy of Homecoming weekend, the University of Redlands football team took another step in the right direction of achieving its goals for the current season by defeating the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Stags by a score of 23-17.  While never trailing in the contest, the Bulldogs held off a late push by the Stags and secured their fourth win of the season. 

The Bulldogs played with poise and patience, and found ways to consistently put points on the board in whatever form they could muster.  Following a 13-play, 54-yard opening drive, Redlands looked to freshman kicker Alex Raya (Jamul, CA) to split the uprights on a 30-yard field-goal for the first score of the game.  Junior running back Alex Andrighetto (Portola Valley, CA) provided the Maroon and Gray's biggest gain on this possession when he carried the ball for 21 yards.

A defensive battle ensued, with neither team able to capitalize on offense, until early in the second quarter when CMS evened the score on a 31-yard field-goal of its own.  While denying a Stag touchdown, Redlands gained huge plays from senior defensive lineman Brian Keyser (Medford, NJ), sophomore defensive lineman Joe Munroe (Costa Mesa, CA), sophomore defensive back DJ Hollingshead (Citrus Heights, CA), and others, in an effort to stymie the Stags' ability to move the ball.

The Bulldog defense continued to step up by halting CMS' next drive, when junior defensive lineman Tristan Corwin (Wildomar, CA) stripped the ball out the Stag running back's hand and junior defensive lineman Trevor Raras (Novato, CA) landed on it in the end zone for a Redlands touchdown.

The Maroon and Gray found a way to put up more points before the end of the first half by moving the chains 72 yards on an 11-play drive.  Sophomore running back Conner Kennedy (Olympia, WA) raised his game to serve as the top ball-carrier and amassed 41 positive yards to set up the touchdown.  Junior quarterback Mitch Kidd (Salinas, CA) found junior wide receiver Cole Blackburn (Sammamish, WA) on a five-yard strike to give Redlands a 17-3 lead at halftime.

The Bulldogs gained six more points on Raya's field goals from 21 and 38 yards out, but the Stags refused to go away and scored twice to make things interesting.

However, Redlands responded by managing the clock and moving the chains just enough to end the game on its final possession.  During this drive, Kidd found senior wide receiver Jack Peterson (Seattle, WA) on a 14-yard strike for a first down, before Kennedy powered through the Stag defense for 11 yards and another first down.

Kennedy finished with a career-night of 113 rushing yards on 20 carries with a long of 28 yards. 

Munroe was credited with three sacks for a loss of 24 yards, while Keyser added two tackles for a loss of 13 yards.  Hollingshead and junior defensive back Dustin Nascimento (Aiea, HI) led the team by combining for 17 tackles.

With tonight's win, Redlands (5-1, 4-0 SCIAC) remains one of two undefeated teams in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).  The Bulldogs look forward to facing the other next Saturday when it travels to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Sagehens.