Football team gets back on track, defeats Davidson

Kiva Herman / Staff Writer / The USD Vista

The University of San Diego Toreros football team was under huge pressure as their opponents, Davidson University, pulled ahead with an early advantage to start the game.

Davidson’s Justin Williams returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a 7-0 lead and Wildcat quarterback Ryan Alexander tossed two touchdowns for a 21-0 lead. The Toreros struck back and finished out the 2nd quarter with back-to-back touchdowns from quarterback Sebastian Trujillo to John Matthews to pull within seven points at halftime.

The Toreros tied the score at 21 in the third quarter when Trujillo threw a 9-yard pass to Matthews. With 2:19 left in the quarter, the Wildcats made a 24-yard field goal by Ben Behrendt for the 24-21 lead. USD’s next drive went 16 plays for 63 yards with Trujillo sneaking in from 1-yard out on a fourth-and-goal attempt.

“It was a big win for us. We felt that in order to get the two losses out of our mind we needed to step it up and prove to ourselves that when we play San Diego football we win,” sophomore Derron Juarez said. “They got a few lucky breaks in the beginning but we fought our way back by playing how we have been coached and playing like the team we know we are. When we put everything out on the field we can beat anyone on our schedule and the last two weeks didn’t really show who we really are.”

The Toreros continued with solid defensive and offensive efforts to result in a 28-24 victory. The win snapped USD’s two game losing streak and improved their season mark to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the Pioneer Football League.

Trujillo completed 22-of-27 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns, and added the game-winning score on the ground with 8:51 to go in the game. Senior wide receiver Matthews caught all three touchdowns and finished the day with a total of 11 catches for 140 yards. Matthews also set two more USD single season records: 18 receiving touchdowns and 75 receptions with two games to go, stepping ahead of teammates Adam Hannula’s and Wes Doyle’s mark of 73.

The Toreros also received solid production from freshman running back Matt Jelmini who finished the game with 133 yards on 25 carries. For the game USD totaled 416 yards of offense to Davidson’s 322.

Defensively, USD was paced by Fredrick Obi with eight tackles along with Loka Kanongataa with six tackles and Derek Marten with three tackles. Derek Pilkington contributed six tackles and one interception, along with Marten with three tackles, one sack and one interception.

The Toreros season has been tough thus far, but the win should hopefully boost the spirit of the team. The Toreros now prepare for their final conference game of the season, which is a must win game if they have any hope of making it back to the Gridiron Classic. First place Dayton has already clinched a birth in this game and second place Jacksonville would need to lose two straight games in order for the Toreros to sneak in. Though this seems like an impossible feat, it is still a possibility.

The Toreros will look to improve their record as they return to action next Saturday at 6 p.m. when they take on the Butler Bulldogs. The Toreros will wrap up the season as the UC Davis Aggies come to Torero stadium on Nov. 22.