The No. 21 University of Redlands football hits the road for a quick flight to Newberg, Oregon, on Friday in preparation for Saturday's afternoon showdown against George Fox University (OR). The Bulldogs hope to repeat their most recent result against the Bruins but realize that they face a different yet talented opponent now on its home turf.
"We are excited about this challenge. We know George Fox will be excited and ready to play a ranked team at home," Head Coach Mike Maynard stated.
The recent series between these West Regional teams is even at 1-1, dating back to just 2015.
Both teams are coming off a bye week. In week one, Redlands knocked off Trinity University (TX) in a high-quality performance over the Tigers, while George Fox showed tenacity and physical strength in their 28-30 loss to the No. 15 University of Wisconsin – Platteville. Back on September 2, the Bruins fell behind but they were never completely out of the game and they had the chance to win it in the fourth quarter.
"George Fox is always improving their team. They are a very tough, physical team with big linemen," Maynard commented. "They bring a lot of things to the table when they compete."
Last time out for the Maroon and Gray, the team gained a record-breaking effort from junior kicker Nathan Hierlihy (Redondo Beach, CA), who lit up the scoreboard with four field goals, including a 55-yarder to reset the Redlands standard. He went on to win weekly awards from D3football.com and the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) for his outstanding performance.
"We count on Nathan to perform well and he did," commented Maynard. "He is a weapon that we want to use."
In addition, the Bulldogs played stellar defense that resulted in four interceptions, as highlighted by two picks from sophomore defensive back Chad Virgil (Menifee, CA). Sophomore defensive back PJ Wilson (Modesto, CA) and senior defensive back Daniel Gonzales (Mentone, CA) also hauled in picks for Redlands. Overall, the defense was clicking on all cylinders due to excellent preparation and execution by the coaching staff and players. The Bulldogs anticipate that continuing in the George Fox showdown by putting great pressure on the Bruins' offense.
Offensively, the Maroon and Gray strives to play more as a cohesive unit, with senior quarterback Mitch Kidd (Salinas, CA) setting the tone with a variety of receiver options and ball-carriers ready to go. Senior running back Alex Andrighetto (Portola Valley, CA) and senior wide receiver Cole Blackburn (Sammamish, WA) paced the Bulldogs by combining for 17 completed offensive plays.
"We hope to find a lot of improvement in our second game. We need to take advantage of scoring opportunities," Maynard added. "We had no turnovers on offense or in the kicking game... We hope we can keep that statistic alive."
Redlands anticipates that George Fox's offense will be established by the multi-faceted abilities of the quarterback, senior Grant Schroeder, who went 18-for-32 for 271 yards for four touchdowns against UW-Platteville. This talented and experienced play-caller brings a lot to the field and his performance proves to be critical to the team's overall success. Look for him to scramble, sprint, and make it tough for the Bulldogs to sack him. Last week, his top target was junior Kenny May with four catches for 97 yards, including the explosive 80-yard play to put George Fox on the board with a touchdown in the first quarter.
Defensively, the Bruins look to the leadership and contributions of sophomore Daniel Campos, who had a team-high 10 tackles in their first game, and senior Dane Jensen. Campos arrived at George Fox as a first-year transfer from football powerhouse, University of Mount Union (OH).
Regardless of who is on the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Bulldogs expect to put forth their best effort with the goal of winning the one-on-one battles and executing well in order to capture their second win of the season.
"We trained with a heightened attention to detail and that hopefully pays off this week," Maynard concluded.
