Toreros get first road win: no soup for you, Campbell

Rubin Resnick / Chief Copy Editor / The USD Vista

For the Toreros football team, anything less than domination of their opponent would have been considered a failure.

Facing Campbell University, a school that has just joined the Pioneer Football League and has not fielded a team since 1950, the well-established Toreros throttled the fighting camels 43-7 in a convincing win as they prepare to face a worthy contender, the Drake Bulldogs. For now, the football team can enjoy their padded stats and a 3-0 standing, 1-0 in conference, as they turn their focus to their next game in Des Moines, Iowa.

Perhaps, after such a long respite from football, the Fighting Camels forgot the finer points of this physical game. Maybe, it was the fact that the majority of the players on the Campbell roster were freshmen. Perchance, the Campbell mascot, the Fighting Camels, didn’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of the Toreros. Whatever the reason might be, it can be inferred that the Campbell team was simply overwhelmed. To extend the metaphor, the Camels were’t adequately prepared for the trek through the desert that was this game.

Running back Phil Morelli led the offensive onslaught, rushing 21 times for 151 yards and three touchdowns for an efficient average gain of 7.2 yards a carry. He also caught three passes for 22 yards giving him 173 all-purpose yards. On Sunday Morelli was named Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week. This honor makes it the third consecutive week, not counting the last bye week, that this award was given to a Torero. Quarterback Sebastian Trujillo commanded the offense well by completing 22 of 31 attempts for 264 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior John Matthews led the receiving corps, burning the Campbell defensive backs seven times for 109 yards and one touchdown. He was aided by senior Ben Hannula who caught six passes for 80 yards and redshirt freshman John McGough who contributed to the team effort with a touchdown reception.

In any football match, the game is won and lost in the trenches, and this contest was no exception. The defensive line sacked the opposing quarterbacks Matt Vollono and Wesley Snow four times for a total loss of 25 yards. Julian Strickland, a redshirt sophomore, and the rest of the defensive line contained the inexperienced Campbell running backs by limiting their rushing total to a feeble eight yards and one rushing first down.
Overall, the defensive unit was led by defensive back Derek Pilkington who managed four solo tackles and two assisted tackles and helped confine the Campbell offense to only 184 yards passing.

The Toreros, having moved past a rookie opponent, now face their first official test of the season by traveling to Des Moines to play at Drake Stadium. In the PFL, USD owns the number one ranking in total offense and in total defense.

Even though Drake has the number one ranked defense in the league, they may be over matched with only the 6th ranked offense. It will most likely be a game determined by who can turn more possessions into touchdowns.