On a Saturday that included three contests against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, the University of Redlands made it a clean sweep with a dominating football victory to complement the men's and women's soccer victories. While leaving no doubt about its ability to bounce back from last week's heartbreaking loss, the No. 17 Bulldog football team cracked the school's top-10 list for scoring with tonight's 61-20 performance, landing seventh all-time for points scored at Redlands.
During the solid showing in front of 1,850 fans, the Maroon and Gray recorded a variety of firsts with a well-rounded effort from all facets of the team.
Redlands took advantage of excellent field position throughout the game, beginning with its second drive when sophomore running back Bobby Brown (Ladera Ranch, CA) carried the ball twice for a total of 36 yards into the Sagehen end zone. This initiated an impressive night for the quarterback-turned-ball-carrier, eventually leading to 116 yards on the ground and the first two rushing scores of his Bulldog career.
Early in the second quarter, junior wide receiver Ryan Curnel (Simi Valley, CA) caught his first collegiate pass for 13 yards and the touchdown, capping off a six-play, 68-yard drive for the Maroon and Gray.
However, Pomona-Pitzer responded with a seven-point play on the ensuing drive to cut its deficit in half.
Nonetheless, Redlands answered right back with a 54-yard touchdown catch by senior wide receiver Mark Richardson II (Los Angeles, CA) from junior quarterback Chad Hurst (Dixon, CA).
Sophomore kicker Kevin Grady (Seattle, WA) continued with the night's trend of first-time achievements when he booted a 42-yard field goal through the uprights for the longest of his career, resulting in a 24-7 lead for the Bulldogs.
After halftime, which included fun football activities for kids as part of Take a Kid to the Game Night, Redlands erupted for 37 points while allowing only 13.
Among the highlights, junior defensive back Scott Payton (Sammamish, WA) nabbed his first career interception for a 60-yard scoring return with 8:04 remaining in the final frame. In addition, senior quarterback Les Obie (Huntington Beach, CA) recorded a three-yard scamper into the end zone for his inaugural score as a Bulldog.
Overall, the Redlands defense racked up 13 tackles-for-a-loss of 39 yards with junior linebacker Jordan Garcia (Carlsbad, CA) leading the charge with two. He finished the night with 16 total hits, including 12 of the solo variety.
Sophomore defensive back Jessie Hobbs (San Diego, CA) notched his inaugural interception grab early in the first quarter and senior defensive lineman David Williams (Fontana, CA) blocked the Sagehens' extra-point attempt early in the fourth stanza.
Hurst led the Maroon and Gray offense with his first game without an interception, recording 306 yards on 19-for-31 passing. He connected with four targets during the game, finding sophomore wide receiver Taylor Irwin (Rocklin, CA) and Richardson for 108 and 105 yards, respectively.
Pomona-Pitzer's (0-4, 0-1 SCIAC) junior quarterback Luke Ferguson (Silverton, OR) stepped up with a 312-yard performance in the absence of the NCAA Division III's leading rusher, junior Luke Sweeney (Broken Arrow, OK), who sat out Saturday's game due to injury. Ferguson recorded 35 completions of 58 attempts with two picks.
Redlands (3-1, 1-1 SCIAC) heads to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Oct. 15 for a 1 p.m. showdown with the Stags.