Redlands Bulldogs vs. La Verne Leopards
October 8, 2016, in Ortmayer Stadium, 1 p.m. kick-off
Available through Live Stats, Streaming, and Audio
Equipped with a 1-0 start to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition, the University of Redlands football team takes to the road on Saturday, October 8, to face the University of La Verne in a highly-anticipated battle against last season's conference champion.
Although the Leopards are winless thus far in 2016, Head Coach Mike Maynard refuses to overlook this formidable foe.
"We have a ton of respect for their players and what we're going to see. This is a team that can turn it on at any moment so we need to show up with our A-game," Maynard stated. "We expect them to be awesome and at the top of their game against us. They will not simply roll over."
Following last weekend's exceptional run performance that included the second-most yards rushing in school history, the Bulldogs strive to carry that momentum into tomorrow's game against the Leopards. Redlands continues to rely on great depth at the running back positon, with junior Alex Andrighetto (Portola Valley, CA) earning the team's offensive player of the week nod after a 144-yards-rushing performance.
Redlands' offensive line was critical in the team's success, allowing for time and creativity en route to moving the chains for 26 first downs against the Tigers.
"We are pleased and proud of how the O-line played. They were aggressive, tough, and came off the ball hard," added Maynard.
While leading by 41 points to start the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs took full advantage to play a lot of the reserves. Maynard was impressed with what he saw, especially in sophomore linebacker Pete Riccolo's (Morris, IL) coverage on defense, senior linebacker Miguel Betacourt's (San Bernardino, CA) all-over-the-field presence, sophomore linebacker Nick Castro's (La Verne, CA) solid tackling, and freshman defensive lineman Elias Hackney (Santa Monica, CA) on his late-game sack to force the Tigers' fumble.
In addition, sophomore defensive lineman Joe Munroe (Costa Mesa, CA) impressed in his first start of the season, providing great pressure on the quarterback and two pass break-ups. He collected the team's defensive player of the week award.
Furthermore, junior wide receiver/kicker Kyle Kabeary (Indio, CA) took his additional role in stride with great success and was named the kicking team's standout from the Occidental game. He tallied 10 kick-offs for an average of 58 yards, with three touchbacks. Finally, freshman linebacker Ian Davidson (Spanaway, WA) rounded out the honorees as the prep player of the week, following his exceptional effort at various positions, including as a linebacker and on special teams.
This week, Redlands remains focused on eliminating turnovers and forcing the Leopards to make more of them.
Offensively, La Verne boasts a talented ball-carrier in Dallas Parent, who is averaging 176 yards/game. He runs with vision, speed, and power, forcing the Bulldog defense to likely swarm-tackle him. As a masterful quarterback, Josh Evans offers a versatile offensive scheme that includes plenty of ball-faking, effective passing off the play-action, and quality yards on the ground.
Despite giving up more than 40 points per game this season, the Leopard defense has the ability to step up in critical situations, including goal-line stands, as seen in last week's loss to Cal Lutheran University. Connor Truhitte leads the team with 18 total tackles but three other players closely follow at 17, including First-Team All-SCIAC honoree Austin Brown.
Saturday's SCIAC showdown takes place at Ortmayer Stadium on the turf field at 1 p.m.
"We know we need to match the energy and enthusiasm of their crowd," added Maynard.
