Following this weekend's 33-14 win over Cal Lutheran University for its seventh Smudge Pot trophy, the University of Redlands football team garnered a pair of national rankings, as announced earlier this week. The Bulldogs climbed two spots on the D3football.com poll to No. 21 and reentered the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) list at No. 24. With the recent victory, Redlands now owns a 7-1 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action.
Against the Kingsmen, senior kicker Alex Raya (Jamul, CA) put the opening points on the board when he drilled a school-record, 56-yard field goal with 11:32 left on the first-quarter clock. This achievement helped him earn this week's SCIAC Football Specialist of the Week. Overall, Raya sits fourth in the nation with 11 field goals and fifth in field goals per game with 1.38.
In addition, senior defensive back Jeff Hector (Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA) hauled in his seventh interception of the season to average 0.9 interceptions per game, which ranks him tied-for-first in the country. He also snagged his third pick-six in the last two games. Hector sits atop the national rankings in interception return touchdowns with three and takes the number two spot in interception return yards with 150.
Overall, the Bulldog defense takes the top spot nationally in multiple categories, including plus-28 in turnovers gained, plus-22 in turnover margin, and tied-for-first with 17 interceptions.
Junior wide receiver Khory Day (Fresno, CA) also shows off his talents on special teams by ranking third in the country with 13 punt returns for an average of 19.4 yards per return.
Offensively, junior quarterback Nathan Martinez (Redlands, CA) impresses with 130 completions for 1,456 yards and 17 touchdowns while also rushing for 302 yards. He takes the sixth spot in the nation with an amazing .707 completion percentage.
For a complete list of the top-25 polls, please visit the D3football.com and AFCA websites.
Redlands (7-1, 4-1) welcomes Whittier College to Ted Runner Stadium on Senior Night, Saturday, November 9, for a 7:05 p.m. kickoff.