by Heather Baxter
Assistant Sports Editor
Following the disappointing loss to Azusa Pacific last week, the University of La Verne football team rebounded with a 48-7 romp of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday.
Compared to the rest of the game, the fourth quarter was relatively quiet, as the La Verne defense allowed the only Claremont score of the night with 14:58 left in the game. The sole Stag touchdown was not left unanswered, though, as Tauheed Jermany quickly answered with a La Verne touchdown. This would be the final score of the game and would cement La Verne’s insurmountable lead.
“The APU game was a great opportunity to learn,” said head coach Don Morel. “[We’ve improved] our ability to run the ball and we’re just starting to learn who this football team is.”
In fact, compared to the dismal amount of yards gained rushing against APU, La Verne gained 185 net yards on rushing against the Stags.
The scoring started early for the Leopards as an interception a minute and a half into the game gave La Verne control of the ball. James Evans scored the first points of the game with a touchdown with only 2:01 played in the first quarter. Flynn Turner completed the touchdown with a successful kick.
Turner would go on to complete all of his extra-point kicks successfully, and kicked both a 43-yard and a 50-yard field goal to complete his game.
An aggressive offense was important for La Verne as it increased its lead over the Stags to 31-0 with three more touchdowns and a 43-yard field goal in the first half. The costly mistakes made by the Stags when they had possession of the ball also contributed to the Leopard dominance.
In the first half alone, Claremont allowed three interceptions and committed two fumbles. Also, a lack of successful completions plagued the Stags, as they were only able to gain 194 yards compared to La Verne’s 377 net yards.
“We can’t turn the ball over for scores like that,” said Stag’s coach Rick Candaele. “We made it a really short field for [La Verne].”
Key to the Leopards’ victory was the ability of La Verne to convert Claremont turnovers in Claremont territory without committing any of its own. In comparison to the Stags three lost fumbles and four interceptions, La Verne only gave up possession on two fumbles and neither Becker nor Jeremy Mears, the other Leopard quarterback to play in the game, was intercepted by CMS.
Not to be second-guessed over his use of two quarterbacks, Morel explained his reasoning.
“We’re still trying to figure out who we are,” he said. “We’ve been at it now for about three and a half weeks. It’s a great opportunity for us to learn. We’re still working on it. It’s a work in progress. We’re not sure who our quarterback is yet.”
Also, the spread between the Stags and the Leopards third-down conversions, three of 11 and seven of 14, respectively, illustrated the La Verne control over the game.
The dominant offense was not the only successful aspect of La Verne’s game. A strong defensive line held the Stags scoreless until the fourth quarter, where on a hand-off from the quarterback, Stag Ryan Mele ran for one yard for the only CMS touchdown of the game.
Impressive La Verne performances included Demetric Brown, Evans, Travis Lerma, James Torrance, and Jermany, all of who scored touchdowns, as well as Jonathan Johnson, who returned three interceptions for a combined 80 yards.
Ryan Gocong had an impressive game for the Stags, gaining 80 yards on only 18 carries, but he also lost two fumbles. Stag’s quarterback Nick Bonacci struggled throughout the game, converting only 6-of-15 passes and throwing all four interceptions.
“We had some strong defensive checks,” said Morel, who explained that it was not only the offense who was successful during the game. He also was impressed with the rushing attack.
“[The rushing attack] is starting to get there. We’re getting our guys healthy, and that’s huge.”
Although Morel was impressed with his defense’s performance, he readily acknowledged the impact that CMS turnovers had on the outcome of the game.
“I was [surprised by all of the turnovers],” said Morel. “Typically, CMS is a very stingy, stingy team.
“I think every team is going to have one game like [this],” he said. “We just got theirs tonight.’
For this reason, despite the dominating victory over Claremont, Morel is not ready to say that he has figured out who will play every game.
‘We’re a work in progress,” he said. “We do have things to work on. We need to work on our third-down conversions. We’ve been playing in a box too much. We’ve got to work outside of the box. But, the effort level is at 1,000 percent. You just can’t beat that, and I’m very appreciative for it.”
With a 1-1 overall, 1-0 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic record, the Leopards play host to Occidental College on Saturday at 1 p.m. After a 13-7 victory over Colorado College, the Tigers enter the SCIAC matchup to open conference play with a 1-1 record.
Heather Baxter
