Football can’t wrangle Mustangs
Toreros drop home opener in front of largest crowd since pandemic began
Mari Olson / Sports Editor / The USD Vista
The University of San Diego Torero football team opened its fall season at home on Saturday, Sept. 4 against the California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) Mustangs.
This was the seventh meeting between the Toreros and the Mustangs. Cal Poly led the series 5-1. The teams last met in San Luis Obispo in 2019, when Cal Poly won 52-34.
USD started the game strong, with graduate student and quarterback, Mason Randall, scoring the first touchdown of the game. Randall ran for one yard and put the ball into the endzone to make the score 7-0 after the successful extra point kick with almost seven minutes left in the first quarter.
The Toreros’ defense couldn’t hold on to the end of the first quarter. Cal Poly scored a similar rushing touchdown just over a minute later to tie the game at 7.
It was a toasty afternoon at Torero Stadium, and senior nickelback Kama Kamaka noted that the heat, in addition to Cal Poly’s fast pace, made the first quarter especially tough.
“When we’re tired we just have to make plays,” Kamaka said.
The Mustangs started the second quarter off strong and made a 35-yard pass into the endzone for their second touchdown of the game to make the score 7-14 in favor of the team from San Luis Obispo.
The Toreros had no answer, and ended the second quarter with a 61-yard field goal attempt by first-year kicker Pablo Tager. Tager hit the post on his try for the longest field goal in school history.
Junior kicker Brandon Eickert came into the game to convert a field goal in the third quarter to make the score 10-14 to the Mustangs, and put San Diego within striking distance. The Toreros couldn’t take advantage, and Cal Poly scored yet again early in the fourth quarter to widen the gap to 11 points.
Randall threw an interception halfway through the fourth quarter that Cal Poly was able to convert into their fourth touchdown of the game to make the score 10-28.
The Toreros continued their attempts down the field as the clock ticked down. Junior wide receiver, Michael Carner, looked like he had made a touchdown catch with five minutes to go, but the referees waved it off as an incomplete pass.
Finally, with less than a minute left in the game, Randall found senior wide receiver Bennett Dondoyano in the endzone for the Toreros’ second touchdown of the game to make the final score 17-28.
Head coach Dale Lindsey was positive about their performance.
“Overall, I’m pleased they played hard,” Lindsey said. “I think we were right there. At any point we could’ve gotten right back in.”
Lindsey noted that since Cal Poly is a scholarship team, they have an advantage when it comes to recruiting players.
“They had a little bit of an edge on height, speed, but we kept up,” Lindsey said. “We played 60 minutes, were physical, and didn’t quit.”
Lindsey lamented about the tough schedule the Toreros have coming up.
“I don’t know who made the schedule, but they weren’t doing us any favors,” Lindsey joked.
Kamaka was generally optimistic about the result as well.
“I like to see the way our program is trending. As a team we expected to win that game,” Kamaka said, emphasizing the importance of setting the bar high for themselves.
Randall agreed with Kamaka about the direction Torero football is headed.
“We showed we can compete with them and gained some respect from them,” Kamaka said. “As a program we’re looking to turn the corner.”
While coach Lindsey certainly has things he’s looking to improve in the next game, he took a wider view of the situation after the game.
“There’s worse things in the world than losing a football game,” Lindsey emphasized.
San Diego will take on University of California Davis at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 back at Torero Stadium. The Toreros will be looking for revenge after losing at home to the Aggies at their last matchup in 2019.