Lawrence soars in USD win

Quarterback Anthony Lawrence sets USD all-time passing yards record in 59-35 victory over Jacksonville

Anderson Haigler / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

Game after game this season, the University of San Diego football team has found success by consistently putting up big numbers on offense. Their effort last Saturday was no exception. Taking on the Jacksonville University Dolphins at Torero Stadium, the Toreros exploded for a season-high 59 points in a victory that had more than its fair share of special moments, the most notable of which being yet another accolade for USD’s star quarterback, Anthony Lawrence. With a quick toss to junior wide receiver Michael Bandy, the redshirt senior cemented himself as one of the program’s all-time greats, earning his 11,106th career passing yard and the record for most all-time passing yards in USD football history. 

Success on offense last week was not limited to the Toreros, however. The visiting Dolphins, who USD blew out 63-10 last season, found their footing early with a run-heavy approach. Sixty-four of Jacksonville’s 71 total plays on offense were rushing plays, and the lopsided strategy appeared to be fruitful for them in the first half. After USD struck first with a 17-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Emilio Martinez, the Dolphins responded with a rushing touchdown of their own, evening the score at seven with 6:22 to play in the first quarter. It was in these early phases of the game that the teams looked most evenly matched. Though the first-place Toreros cruised to victory in their last matchup against last-place Jacksonville, this year’s offering had a more urgent tone in its opening quarter, with the two teams being tied for the entirety of the first period. 

True to form, however, USD began to pull away as the game unfolded. Though the Dolphins made the game as close as 21-14 with a touchdown in the first half’s final minute, the Toreros’ ensuing possession sparked what would best be described as a torturous series of drives for the Jacksonville defense. The Toreros’ run of success began when wide receiver Michael Armstead sprinted 67 yards for a lengthy kickoff return, setting the table for yet another quick rushing touchdown from Martinez. Armstead, though, was far from finished. On the opening play of the third quarter, the junior returned the Dayton kickoff 100 yards for a thrilling touchdown that set the stage for a big second half for USD. After the game, Armstead discussed his big day on special teams, adding that he may have had a little extra motivation to take his second return all the way. 

“To be honest with you, the kickoff return before (his touchdown run) should’ve been to the house,” Armstead said. “Our team’s been working really hard in practice, so I felt like I should’ve got that first one, and I was really upset about that. So that second one I said, ‘there’s no way I’m gonna let my guys down.’”

The dash, which spanned the length of the field, featured Armstead weaving in and out of defenders with ease, eventually breaking free and shedding a Dolphin clinging to his jersey to be downfield completely by himself for the final 40 yards. 

“I felt a little grab on the back, and I was like no way, just do not get caught right now,” Armstead said. “I just put my head down and ran as fast as I could.”

His memorable march down the field was the first of a couple for the Toreros on the day. But on the other side of the ball, USD did not set forth their best effort. Their defensive woes were largely overshadowed and compensated for by their stellar offensive performance, but the continuation of the Toreros’ struggles in that respect didn’t seem to sit well with their head coach.

“If I said the defense played atrocious, that would be a compliment,” Lindsey said. “Tackling, that was worse than atrocious. I’m not happy about the tackling, I’m not happy about the execution. Special teams did a good job, the offense did a good job, but the defense just did enough for us to win.” 

He mentioned that his team’s struggles on defense may have been self-inflicted.

“It was more us messing up than, I think, the other guys whipping us,” Lindsey said.

His scathing criticism of his team’s defensive performance was harsh, but perhaps well-warranted. While the Toreros are undefeated in PFL play, many of their contests have seen the Toreros give up a sizable amount of points, only to muscle their way to victory with a powerful display of offense. If they are to achieve their lofty postseason ambitions, the Toreros will need to clean up their efforts on defense, and their coach is keenly aware of this deficiency. 

“We cannot continually think we’re gonna score 59 points and give up 35,” Lindsey said. “This isn’t basketball, this is football. It’s supposed to be seven to six, 10 to seven. I’m okay with those kinds of games. I’m okay with 59 to four too. Our defense has gotten us in trouble in about half of our season so far, and we’ve gotta find a way to stop bleeding.” 

Like Lindsey mentioned, the Toreros were able to create distance from Jacksonville late in the game behind a field goal, a rushing touchdown, and yet another strong performance from Lawrence. Though they periodically allowed the Dolphins to score with relatively little opposition, they simply outclassed their opponent with a superior offensive effort, making up for their defensive shortcomings. When time expired, the Toreros were 59-35 winners, coming out with yet another high-octane performance in the face of permissive defense. 

Lindsey assessed his team’s offensive performance.

“Let’s put it this way: our offense, we couldn’t ask them to do anymore than they do, and they’ve done, over the last eight weeks,” Lindsey said. 

One pass within the Toreros’ 284 total passing yards Saturday was perhaps slightly more important than the rest. After the game, Lawrence reflected on both the record he set and his career at USD.

“It’s awesome,” Lawrence said. “Just, the guys who came through this program and the people I’ve been able to share this moment with and the coaches who put in the great game plan every week, it’s a really great honor.”

Lawrence, who hails from nearby La Mesa, Calif., emphasized his appreciation for the opportunity over the last four years to play in his home city.

“It’s been a ton of fun being able to be out here in San Diego, to be able to do it in front of my friends and family. The support I get from them, it’s been a blast. I really can’t believe where I’m at today.”

Humble as always, the quarterback was quick to credit the group of receivers he’s had over the years.

“They did it all for me,” Lawrence said. “I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without them. It’s been an honor to play with all of them.” 

Bandy, who has played with Lawrence for the last three seasons, was equally prompt in shifting the credit back to his quarterback. 

“He’s awesome, it’s all him, definitely,” Bandy said with a smile. “All the work we’ve put in in his last four years have been awesome.” 

His coach offered high praise of his quarterback as he has done so after every game this season, expressing appreciation for everything Lawrence has accomplished in his career thus far.

“We can’t say enough good things about him,” Lindsey said. “Anthony plays up every week. He doesn’t care who we’re playing, what we’re doing, how the game’s going. He doesn’t get rattled — he gets a little mad at himself when he misses a ball, and we have to calm him down once in a while, but this guy is gonna compete, he’s gonna compete to win. And we are just so fortunate that he chose USD five years ago to come over here. He has been the difference in how this program has soared.”

As is common with programs as prosperous as the Toreros’, much of USD’s season has been consumed with records and various milestones, including what Lawrence was able to accomplish Saturday. Although their win Saturday moved them to a perfect 5-0 in PFL play, and extended their expansive PFL win streaks to 33 consecutive home games, and 26 games overall, Lindsey stated that his team is unaffected by the expectations surrounding them.

“We’re just trying to win a game,” Lindsey said. “The record that we’re looking for is 5-0. That’s the only record we’re interested in. I told the team yesterday, we don’t care about the winning streak, we don’t care about the home streak. We didn’t really care about Anthony’s streak. What we wanted to do is win the game, that’s the number one thing.”

Central to Lindsey’s team’s mental approach is a sense of unity and collectivism.

“It’s about us,” Lindsey said. “It’s not about ‘I’, ‘me,’ or ‘my,’ it’s about us. And as long as we keep that in perspective we’ve got a chance to win a championship. And that’s the only thing that’s important. I think in the big picture if you ask Anthony, he’s interested in winning the championship. I don’t think he cares about the record either.”

Bandy echoed his coach’s in-the-moment mentality.

“We just try to take it one game at a time and do what we can,” Bandy said.

The Toreros’ 59-35 victory over Jacksonville moves them to 6-2 on the year (5-0 PFL). Next week they will take to the road once again, this time to Des Moines, Iowa to take on Drake University (5-2, 4-1 PFL) in another PFL matchup.

Lindsey spoke about his team’s upcoming game, mentioning the stark difference in weather between a typical Iowa afternoon and a sunny San Diego afternoon. 

“Drake is a really loaded team,” Lindsey said. “They have a lot of fifth-year seniors, and they run well. We’ll have our hands full, plus it’ll be cold and windy, you know, another Iowa beautiful day unlike San Diego. So we’re gonna have to get our stuff straightened out.”

USD will return home on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. for their final home game of the year against PFL opponent Davidson University.