TORERO STADIUM (10/03/2015) Down 20-7 early in the second quarter, the University of San Diego Toreros (3-1, 2-0 PFL) rallied back with a 23-7 scoring run to defeat the Marist Red Foxes (1-4, 0-2 PFL) Saturday afternoon.
As always in this series, Marist put up an outstanding effort, but once again it wasn’t enough as USD extended its lead in the all-time series to 11-0.
“This is an ugly win,” USD head coach Dale Lindsey said during the post-game interview. “I thought Marist played quite well, and I think we played with spurts.”
“We got some things we have to tighten up, because we have Dayton next week and they're a really good team,” Lindsey added.
The Torero offense got off to a hot start on the game’s opening drive. Anthony Lawrence led the team 75 yards down the field on a 10-play drive that ended on a 6-yard touchdown run by Dallas Kessman.
Marist responded back with an 8-yard scoring pass from Michael White to Lawrence Dickens, kicking off a 20-0 scoring run. Due to a missed extra point, the Toreros held the lead at 7-6 with 6:58 left in the quarter.
After forcing USD to punt, Marist needed just three plays to take its first lead of the game. White found Dickens again as he was left wide open for a 63-yard touchdown, putting the Foxes on top 13-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Marist added to its lead after a 95-yard drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Garrett Clay.
Trailing 20-7, the Toreros responded with a 5-yard quarterback keeper by Lawrence, cutting the Marist lead to 20-13 after a missed extra point.
With the Toreros needing a momentum shift after halftime, fifth-year senior cornerback Yogi Hale came through with a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown, knotting the score at 20-20.
“I think Yogi's interception flipped the game," said Lindsey. “The ball popped up and he grabbed it, standing up with nothing in front of him, and I just thought it was a fabulous play.”
After forcing a three-and-out, the Toreros ended a 60-yard drive with a 5-yard go-ahead touchdown strike from Lawrence to Justin Priest, giving USD a 27-20 lead to end the third quarter.
Dropping what appeared to be an easy pick earlier in the game, linebacker Nic Henson got his redemption by killing a potential game-tying drive. The redshirt junior’s second career interception led to a 23-yard field goal by Jack Flatau, extending USD's lead to 30-20 with 5:25 left to play.
On the first play of the ensuing possession, White found Juston Christian for a 77-yard catch and run for a score that cut the lead to 30-27 with 5:05 left to play.
“We tried to convince [the players] all week that Marist is a team that lives off big plays,” Lindsey stated.
“They saw it day after day and didn't believe it, and three big plays put up 27 points.”
Fortunately for the Toreros, they were able to kill the clock and escape with yet another nail-biting win over Marist, extending their PFL home winning streak to 20.
Next Saturday, October 10th, USD travels to Ohio for a 10:00 a.m. meeting with the undefeated Dayton Flyers (4-0, 1-0 PFL).
Impact Toreros
TE Ross Dwelley
- 9 catches for 87 yards
CB Yogi Hale
- 30-yard INT Return TD & 1 PBU
QB Anthony Lawrence
- 22/35 for 207 yards & 1 TD, 1 Rush TD
USD Offensive Line
389 Total Yards, 3 TDs, & 0 Sacks Allowed
Impact Red Foxes
RB Marcellus Calhoun
- 12 carries for 104 yards
WR Juston Christian
- 3 catches for 95 yards & 1 TD
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