Azusa Ends Five-Game USD String

SAN DIEGO —  It’s all academic now. With one game remaining, the University of San Diego football team can still attain a number of preseason goals and still set a number of school records, but its No. 1 goal--an NCAA Division III playoff appearance--was shot down Saturday night by Azusa Pacific.

Despite gaining 459 yards, the Toreros, error-prone in front of 4,000 in Torero Stadium, were defeated by Azusa, 42-34.

With its first loss in five games, USD fell to 6-3 heading into next week’s season finale at Occidental. USD’s first two losses were by one point each and to higher division teams.

“Everything that went wrong for us tonight went wrong at the worst possible time,” USD Coach Brian Fogarty said.

The Toreros were ranked sixth in the Western Region and probably would have moved up because No. 4 Beloit (Wis.) lost earlier in the day.

Only the top four teams in each of four regions qualify for the Division III playoffs. USD, which has now come close for the fourth time in five years, has not made the playoffs since 1973. The Toreros finished 7-2 the past two years and were ranked No. 6 in the West Region both seasons.

Azusa Pacific, which after two games was ranked 13th in the NAIA Division II, improved to 4-5.

The Cougars won this one with an impressive passing performance by freshman Dain Strobel. He threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns, completing 14 of 26 attempts. He did most of that damage in the first half as Azusa went up 28-19.

USD quarterback Michael Bennett had the best game of his career. He completed nine of 15 passes for 208 yards and one touchdown.

Junior fullback Scott Sporrer had 95 yards on 18 carries.

For the first time this season, USD trailed the entire way, although the Toreros pulled to within two, 28-26, less than two minutes into the third quarter.

Azusa Pacific, however, scored the next two touchdowns to ice the game.

Sporrer scored from one yard with 3:18 left to pull USD within the final score, but Azusa recovered USD’s onside kick attempt.

Azusa Pacific took a 14-0 lead 4:21 into the game after running only seven plays.

Strobel hit Dan Mitchell on a 27-yard streak in the right corner of the end zone for the Cougars’ first score on play No. 5. Strobel then connected with Ian McBay on an 11-yard touchdown on play No. 7 with 10:39 left.

Mitchell’s score capped a five-play, 81-yard opening drive for the Cougars. McBay’s nifty one-handed grab in the middle of the end zone came one play after USD committed an uncharacteristic special teams error--USD long snapper Matt Horeczko sailed the ball over Dave Bergmann’s head and Azusa Pacific took over at the USD 12.

USD came right back with a touchdown, but the point-after attempt was blocked by Azusa’s Steve Sturm and USD needed every bit of three costly offsides penalties against the Cougars before Willie Branch finished the eight-play, 73-yard drive with a two-yard run.

Azusa made it 21-6 with a one-yard touchdown by Jeremy Hathcoch on the Cougars’ 14th play of the game.

Branch then scored on the final play of the first quarter. Taking a toss at midfield from Bennett, who had been forced from the pocket, Branch cut upfield, veered right, broke two tackles, and finally hurdled a Cougar defender at the 15 before skipping into the end zone.

Bergmann, the most prolific kicker in the history of USD, kicked field goals of 43 and 32 yards--the latter with no time remaining in the second quarter--to end the Toreros’ first-half scoring. With 35 seconds left, Azusa had gotten a 26-yard touchdown pass from Strobel to Alex Davila after Branch had fumbled with a minute remaining. Azusa’s Mike Bangs recovered on the USD 35.

Bennett, a junior from Point Loma, threw for 163 yards on six-of-seven passing in the half. The yardage was more than Bennett had thrown for in any game this season, and he immediately added to that on the first play of the second half, hitting tight end Brad Leonard on a 22-yard pass along the right sideline.

That play helped set up Bennett’s three-yard keeper 1:50 into the third quarter that trimmed Azusa’s lead to 28-26.