Redlands 38, Whitworth 7

REDLANDS, Calif. —
The No. 23 University of Redlands football team hosted a tough Whitworth University (WA) squad on Sept. 20 and emerged from the game with a decisive 38-7 win.

Defeating Whitworth for the second year in a row, the Bulldogs extended their home winning streak to eight. The last loss handed to Redlands at Ted Runner Stadium came at the hands of Occidental College on Oct. 7, 2006.

Dan Selway marched the team up the field on the Bulldogs' second drive of the game as Nick Schroeder scored the game's first touchdown 10 minutes into the first quarter off of a four-yard pass, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead after Joe MacMillan connected on the extra-point attempt.

Just less than two minutes later after Redlands forced Whitworth to punt in a three-and-out situation, Zach Schafer followed his blockers and surged past the defenders in the secondary, rattling off a 70-yard touchdown run.

After throwing five consecutive first-down passes, Selway brought the Bulldog offense from their 28-yard line all the way to the Whitworth 18. Following a penalty, he threw another 12-yard pass, Schafer picked up the first down and Tom Romaine capped off the drive with a three-yard touchdown reception.

Starting a third-down play at their own 38-yard line, Whitworth's Andrew Durant fumbled the ball, which Tam Berhe picked up at the Whitworth 29 to give Redlands the possession. Following a pass interference call against Whitworth in the endzone, Selway found Romaine open for a nine-yard touchdown pass.

After breaking at the half with a 28-0 score in favor of Redlands, the Pirates responded by means of a 45-yard touchdown pass to Adam Anderson thrown by Mike Peck.

Whitworth continued to cause problems for the Bulldogs in the third quarter as Cameron Stroyan picked off a Selway pass at the Whitworth 23, halting a promising drive for Redlands that included six plays for 55 yards total.

At the start of the fourth quarter, MacMillan booted a 44-yard field goal, putting Redlands up 31-7.

On the kickoff following the field goal, the Bulldogs got possession back by means of a MacMillan kick that bounced off of a Whitworth special teams player. When the ball rocketed back toward MacMillan, he jumped on the ball to ensure Redlands' possession.

Keeping the ball on the ground, senior Jeff Stewart led the charge down the field. Stewart carried the ball four yards into the endzone to give Redlands the 38-7 advantage following a successful MacMillan extra-point kick.

Unable to mount a comeback, Whitworth suffered three-and-out situations in its final two drives.

Coming into the game, Redlands ranked first in the nation in rushing defense with -30 yards allowed. The Bulldogs will likely stay at the top as they held the Pirates to -4 yards rushing.

Ian Sluss tallied 10 total tackles in just his second collegiate game, leading all Bulldog defenders. Also picking up the brunt of the tackling workload was Mike Nicolini with nine and Brock Arndt with eight. In addition, Arndt accumulated 5.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a total loss of 27 yards, compiled three sacks and tallied three quarterback hurries.

Conor Drake picked up an interception and also compiled two total tackles.

Schafer led all rushers with 92 yards on the ground with one touchdown. Stewart split time with Schafer at tailback and recorded 72 yards. In the fourth quarter, Daylan Swedlow picked up the work load with ease, gaining 23 yards on three carries.

Under center, Selway completed 24 of 33 passes for 260 yards and also threw three touchdown passes. Brenden Barkate led the receiving corps with five catches for 72 yards while senior Kenny Romero also played an important role in the Bulldogs' passing offense with 68 yards gained on five catches.

Whitworth's Kory Kemp left the game early but managed five completions on six pass attempts. Mike Peck filled in for Kemp, compiling 95 yards on five completed passes.

Adam Anderson proved to be a popular weapon for the Pirate offense, gaining 35 yards on 15 carries. He also paced the Whitworth receiving corps with 64 yards on four catches and shined on the special teams unit, returning two kicks for 63 yards total.

Defensively, Layton Brown led the way for the Pirates, tying Sluss with the game-high in total tackles with 10. Derek Stottlemyer and Jesse Clark totaled eight tackles apiece as well. Nate Hadley brought Selway down behind the line of scrimmage once, recording a sack.

Redlands (2-0) has a bye week this week before facing off against the University of La Verne at Ortmayer Stadium on Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. Whitworth (1-1) returns to Southern California next week to battle non-conference Chapman University at 7 p.m.

Press release submitted by Redlands on Sep 21, 2008 at 06:06 PM Eastern