Toreros ground the Eagles in a 41-17 decision

Rubin Resnick / Chief Copy Editor / The USD Vista

The Morehead State University Eagles found themselves in a no-fly zone over Torero Stadium this past Saturday, and needless to say, they encountered some rough turbulence. The Eagles, bearing little resemblance to their similarly named professional football counterparts in Philadelphia, stumbled through the first half of the game and never recovered to bring San Diego to an pristine 6-0 record, 4-0 in the Pioneer Football League.

This game was the fourth consecutive game, and the fifth within the last six, that USD has scored at least 40 points. The Toreros produced over 400 yards of offense that was a result of good play execution coupled with a balanced attack that differed from previous games. Almost half of the yards gained were through the running game, with halfbacks Phil Morelli and Matt Jelmini combining for 35 carries for 189 yards and one touchdown.

Like an aggressive hunter, quarterback Sebastian Trujillo picked off the Eagle’s defensive backfield with the rifle that was his arm, going for 19 of 31 attempts for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He threw two of those touchdowns to John Matthews who racked up his season total to 12 touchdown receptions and helped raise Trujillo’s pass touchdown total to 19 this season. If Matthews continues on the pace that he is currently maintaining, then he could reach 22 touchdown receptions on the season within the remaining five games. Overall in regards to the offensive performance on Saturday, it was as easy as shooting fish in a barrel, or more appropriately, shooting eagles out of the sky.

The Toreros had transformed into a figurative brick wall as they forced six punts out of 10 Eagle possessions in the first half and forced two turnovers, one being an interception and the other a fumble recovery. Defensive back Al Adeyemi made the defining statement for the defense by making the interception and returning it 37 yards for a touchdown in the opening minutes of the first quarter. What ensued was a defensive onslaught from defensive linemen Josh Sutchar and Julian Strickland with eight combined tackles, linebackers Derek Marten and Kevin Dunn with nine combined tackles and defensive backs Patrick O’Neill and Gabe Derricks with 11 total tackles.

The Toreros have this week off as they prepare to travel to Florida next week to face the Jacksonville Dolphins. The Dolphins are currently ranked second in total offense in the PFL, but they will most likely fall to a USD team that is firing on all cylinders as they look to finish the season undefeated.