AZUSA, Calif. – In the first meeting since 2000, the University of Redlands football team (1-3, 1-1 SCIAC) beat Azusa Pacific University (APU) 44-9 Saturday evening for their first win against the Cougars since 1994.
The Bulldogs started with the ball but went three-and-out. After conceding a first down, the defense forced a punt, which was returned 43 yards by Q McGahan (Simi Valley, CA) to the APU 38.
On that subsequent drive, Mark Mitchell III (Fontana, CA) ran for eight and got a first down on 3rd down, keeping the chains moving. He then gained another seven on first down. With a 4th and 4 at the APU 22, Head Coach Jim Good went for it and Tobey Schmidt (Tustin, CA) found Nathaniel Barnes (Seattle, WA) for 10 yards and another U of R first down.
Taylor Bowie (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) then came into the back field and gained seven yards on two carries, but after a hold on third and short, Redlands would have to settle for a 29-yard Dominic Ozeta (Riverside, CA) field goal.
APU's next drive would also result in a field goal to tie the game, but those would be the final first half points for the Cougars.
Redlands' first possession of the second quarter had two completions of 10 yards, one to Bowie and the other found John Valadez (Fontana, CA). Then on 4th and 6 from the APU 34, Good decided to go for it again this time with Schmidt finding Carter Leibham (Hartland, WI) for 34 yards and a touchdown.
At the 4:07 mark of the second quarter the Bulldogs made it three-straight scoring drives as they went 45 yards for a touchdown. The first play got them 38 yards after Schmidt connected with Julian Borrayo (Covina, CA). Then for a second time the Bulldogs found the endzone on fourth down as Schmidt threw his second touchdown pass on the night, finding Roshawn Lacy (Yorba Linda, CA) from two yards out.
Thanks to another defensive stop, Redlands got the ball with 2:28 remaining in the half. With 3rd and 7 looming, they handed the ball to Bowie who found space off the left side and gained 11 yards.
On another third down Bowie got it again, this time going 14 yards. On the next play Schmidt dumped it off to Mitchell III for 11 yards, which brought the Bulldogs down to the Cougar 12. With runs of two and 10 yards Redlands made it into the endzone thanks to Schmidt's legs as Redlands carried a 21-point lead, 24-3, into the break.
The opening possession of the second half was halted by Adrian Silva (Bell Gardens, CA) who sacked the Cougar quarterback, forcing another punt, which started the Bulldog drive at their own 21.
On that drive, Redlands needed only one third down conversion, and a six-yard completion to Lacy, as Keenan Jackson (Compton, CA) came in at quarterback and rattling off a big 33-yard run down to the APU 35.
The run game continued for the Maroon and Grey, with four runs for a total of 27 yards, which ended in a Bowie two-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 27, 30-3, after a failed two-point try.
The Bulldog defense continued to suffocate the Cougars on their next drive as Zaveon Jones (Edmonds, WA) had 1.5 sacks with Jorge Mejia (Hesperia, CA) the other half sack and Jeremiah Blackmon (Los Angeles, CA) having a tackle for a loss (TFL), which resulted in 4th and 30 and a three-and-out.
After the punt, Mitchell III had 31 yards rushing, Schmidt completed a pass for 18 yards to Borrayo, and Bowie ran for his second touchdown from two yards out on third down for a 37-3 lead.
To add to their great quarter, the defense gave the offense the ball at the APU 31 following a fourth down stop. Mitchell III then added 15 more rushing yards to his evening before Jakai Torres (Baltimore, MD) found his way up the middle and into the endzone from 18 yards out.
APU added a late touchdown, but the Bulldogs secured their first win of the season and their first game allowing single digit points since a 10-7 season-opening win over George Fox University last season.
Schmidt finished with 146 yards on 16 passes with two touchdowns. He added 19 yards and a touchdown on the ground too. Jackson finished with 38 yards on two passes and ran the ball twice for 33 yards.
The running backs saw Mitchell III have 76 yards, while Bowie had 75 and two touchdowns.
Borrayo was the top target through the air, finishing with 63 yards as one of nine players with a reception.
Defensively, Jones had a night, recording seven tackles, four TFL's, and 1.5 sacks. Silva went for six tackles, two TFL/sacks and Blackmon had five tackles and two TFL's, which gave the Bulldogs a total of 10 thanks to Kenneth Crews III (Colton, CA), Anthony Hall (Seattle, WA), and Mejia who also had a TFL.
As a team the Bulldogs ran for 243 yards with an average of 5.3 yards per carry. They averaged 10.2 yards per attempt on 18 passes. Overall, they outgained the Cougars 427-143 and averaged 6.7-3 yards per play. A strong effort by the Bulldog offensive line, which included Angel Rosales (Oxnard, CA), Isaac Williams (San Bernardino, CA), Jaycob Partida (South Los Angeles, CA), Ty Murga (Indio, CA), and Blayke Michael (Las Vegas, NV).
Redlands went 5-for-5 in the redzone and needed only one field goal thanks to a 4-for-5 mark on fourth down. McGahan added three punt returns for 53-yards, with a long being for 43 and then had a kickoff return for another 15-yards. Ozeta was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra points and converted a 29-yard field goal, but made his presence felt on kickoffs where he had eight for a combined 483 yards, with a touchback and a 60.4 average.
Redlands will return home to Ted Runner Stadium next Saturday, October 10 at 7:05 p.m. when they host Chapman University for the home Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opener.
