USD Defeats Claremont-Mudd, 23-7

Freshman quarterback Brendan Murphy completed 10 of 17 passes for 141 yards and 1 touchdown to lead the University of San Diego’s football team to a 23-7 victory over Claremont-Mudd Saturday afternoon at Claremont.

On the first play of the game, Murphy’s pass to wide receiver Jeff Mansukhani went 72 yards for a touchdown. The Toreros (5-1-1) added to the lead when Ty Barksdale scored on a 4-yard run late in the first quarter. Mark Fenick kicked extra points on both touchdowns for USD, which had a 14-10 halftime lead.

Claremont-Mudd (3-3) scored on a 15-yard run by tailback Chris Dabrow, the leading rusher in NCAA Division III. Dabrow had 70 yards in 9 carries in Claremont-Mudd’s 90-yard scoring drive. He finished with 137 yards in 27 carries.

USD increased its lead to 17-7 on a 27-yard field goal by Fenick. Todd Jackson added a 57-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Fenick missed the extra-point kick.