Defense makes stand for ULV, 20-0
Campus Times
September 25, 1998
Occidental's completed pass doesn't help much as defensive back Aaron
Garcia, a La Verne freshman, is there to stop a potential touchdown. ULV's
defense held the Tigers to 32 yards -- 22 yards rushing and 10 yards passing
-- of total offense. The Leopards won their first game by a score of 20-0
over Occidental.
When University of La Verne head football coach Don Morel said his team
was going to be sound defensively, he wasn't kidding.
The Leopards opened their season with a performance just short of perfection
on defense, as ULV cruised to a 20-0 victory over the visiting Occidental
Tigers on Saturday.
"Our people up front really controlled the game -- (junior defensive
lineman) Jason James, (junior defensive lineman) Mike Merrill, (junior linebacker)
Mike Barreiro," said Morel, whose defensive unit allowed only 32 yards
of total Occidental offense.
"It was really an outstanding job by the defense and a really good
defensive plan on stopping the option."
The Tigers remained loyal to their running attack, but La Verne was
up to the task of stuffing the rush, holding Occidental to 22 yards on 42
attempts.
"I thought for a season opener, we did well," said senior
running back Ordell Williams, who carried the ball 25 times for 129 yards.
"I expected our defense to do what they did."
What Williams or any other ULV player or coach may not have expected
was the poise junior transfer quarterback Dan Blahy showed in the pocket.
He was instrumental in the Leopards' first-quarter scoring strike, a
four-play drive ending with Blahy scoring on an 11-yard scramble.
"Dan Blahy did an outstanding job at quarterback," Morel said.
"He is very mature and made good decisions."
Junior Kenny Fredeu scored the second ULV touchdown with 6:23 remaining
in the first half. He fielded an Occidental punt at his own 37-yard line
and returned it 63 yards for the score.
Blahy scored the final touchdown on a scramble, a 1-yard run, in the
fourth quarter.
"I tried to make plays when I had the chance," he said. "I
tried to limit turnovers and do what I can do.
"Before the first snap, I was a little nervous. Last night, I couldn't
sleep, so it was a little tough, but it worked out."
Occidental came close to ruining ULV's shut out in the fourth quarter,
when a Blahy pass was intercepted by Tigers junior linebacker Dwight Hawkins.
The Tigers began that possession just inside the La Verne 10-yard line.
After two failed running plays and an incomplete pass, senior defensive
lineman Terrence Williams and junior linebacker Damien Alarcon combined
on 4-and-goal to knock Occidental's sophomore quarterback Lirk Sorenson
out of bounds at the Leopards' 6-yard line.
"Once we shut them down three plays and out in the first drive,
[we knew] this was going to be a good game," senior outside linebacker
Stephen Brame said. "I think we did an overall great job.
"They [the offense] put points on the board fast, and when they
do that, it helps us out."
The Leopards will try to bring that defensive pressure with them tomorrow,
as La Verne travels to Texas to do battle with Howard Payne at 1 p.m.
ULV will try to avenge its 21-18 loss to the Yellowjackets last year
at Ortmayer Stadium.
