Redlands Bulldogs vs. Occidental Tigers
"Take a Kid to the Game Night!"
October 1, 2016, in Ted Runner Stadium, 7:05 p.m. kick-off
Available through Live Stats, Stream, and Audio at www.goredlands.com
Following a 31-22 victory over in-region foe George Fox University (OR) and a bye week, the University of Redlands football team excitedly welcomes Occidental College to Ted Runner Stadium on Saturday night for the teams' Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opener. Amidst the fun and enthusiasm of young fans attending "Take a Kid to the Game Night," the Bulldogs hold high hopes of taking the next step in their battle for possibly winning the program's 30th conference title.
Last time out, the Maroon and Gray relied on a total-team effort in a close contest against a well-coached opponent. Despite beginning with back-to-back turnovers, the Bulldogs quickly regrouped and found their stride to secure the victory. While highlighting the effort, the team recognized its players of the game, with the unusual suspect of senior Tobias Dates (Trabuco Hills, CA) receiving the honor on behalf of Redlands' impressive kicking game. Dates, who is listed a wide receiver, stepped in as a punter and averaged 52 yards per attempt. He and the rest of special teams played a huge part in the Bulldogs' positive outcome by creating excellent field position throughout the competition.
In addition, another former wide receiver made an impact and garnered the team's offensive player of the week, with junior Alex Andrighetto (Portola Valley, CA) receiving the nod as a running back after carrying the ball 20 times for 96 yards. Defensively, junior Tristan Corwin's (Wildomar, CA) big-time contributions on the line resulted in the individual honor for his five tackles, including one-and-a-half for a loss of eight yards, a forced fumble, and a quarterback hurry. Furthermore, freshman quarterback Matt Adamkiewicz (Gilroy, CA) and freshman linebacker Austin Cuicchi (Canyon Lake, CA) earned the accolade for offensive and defensive prep players of the week.
This Saturday, Redlands and Occidental square off in the first week of SCIAC competition, as the rest of the conference goes head-to-head for the first time as well. According to Head Coach Mike Maynard, every team has significantly improved, thanks in part to the conference's relatively new ability to recruit off campus, which entices better student-athletes to every institution.
"Everyone has a chance to the win the conference," he commented. "It will be interesting to see how it all plays out."
Although Occidental enters Saturday's game with two losses, the Tigers have scored 32 points per game, with 42 coming against Northwest Conference opponent, University of Puget Sound (WA), in the season-opener.
Maynard expects the Tigers to stick with their high-octane offense that stems from All-SCIAC quarterback and team captain Bryan Scott and his ability to "point and shoot" for a quick yet accurate release. His 379 yards per game come at a conversion rate of 65.9% en route to six passing touchdowns and only one interception. Cordell Harris and Ian Blonde serve as the primary Tiger targets by accounting for more than half of the catches thus far.
Gone are the days of Oxy looking to the dynamic run game of school-record-holder Kwame Do, but opponents should not discount the ground attack from the very well-coached and talented Tiger squad.
However, the Bulldogs' defense strives to wreak havoc on the Oxy offense by staying in front of the ball and pressuring the quarterback. Look for Redlands to maximize the ability and tenacity of junior linebacker Mitch Shepherd (Seattle, WA), junior defensive back Dustin Nascimento (Aiea, HI), sophomore defensive lineman Joe Munroe (Costa Mesa, CA), and many others to create excellence on defense.
The Tigers have struggled to contain opposing offenses, which makes Redlands' two-quarterback system potentially more effective than ever before. Oxy has given up 838 yards and a 71.1% completion rate to Puget Sound and Pacific University (OR) in the last two games. The Tigers' defense-by-committee boasts 10 players with eight or more tackles, as headed up by Marcus McDuffie with 24 hits and one sack.
"Take a Kid to the Game Night" is slated for a 7:05 p.m. kick-off at Ted Runner Stadium.
