Redlands rains on Leopards' parade
Campus Times
October 30, 1998
Junior running back Rickey Allen tries to fight off a tackle by a
Redlands defender during Saturday's Homecoming game. La Verne led through
the first three quarters at 6-0, until Redlands came back with a touchdown
and an extra point, defeating the Leopards on Homecoming by a 7-6 margin.
ULV fell to 2-4 overall and 2-2 in SCIAC.
Homecoming is a game the University of La Verne football team wants
to play its best for parents, alumni, students and faculty who attend.
And if heart and determination were rewarded on the scoreboard, the
Leopards would have scored a shutout.
However, Redlands had different ideas Saturday, as the Bulldogs rallied
in the fourth quarter for a 7-6 victory over ULV.
"The deal is these guys get one chance to win this game, and we
didn't get to win it," Don Morel, La Verne head coach, said. "It
is a very tough loss. Homecoming is a big deal at La Verne. These guys love
the University. It's hard. It's a hard loss."
La Verne's loss -- although devastating to the Leopards' Homecoming
plan -- was a significant blow to ULV's hope for a share of the Southern
California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. The Leopards, in third
place at 2-4 overall and 2-2 in conference, trail both Whittier and Redlands
in the standings.
For three quarters, La Verne seemed prepared to earn its second home
shutout of the season. But one Bulldogs drive was all it took for a ULV
loss.
Redlands began its game-winning drive from its 27-yard line. Bulldogs'
senior quarterback Danny Ragsdale connected with senior wide receiver Bobby
Bruce four times on its drive before the Bulldogs found themselves at the
La Verne 4-yard line on third-and-goal.
The La Verne defense put pressure on Ragsdale and forced him to step
up in the pocket. He did just that, finding Bruce-open in the middle of
the end zone -- for the only touchdown of the game with 10:07 remaining
in the game.
"Their one drive can be more than excused," Morel said. "We
played outstanding defense-pressured their quarterback and covered their
people. That is everything we asked our team to do."
In fact, the Leopards probably did more than they were asked to do.
La Verne held Redlands passing attack, which had been averaging 270 yards
a game, to 155 yards. The Leopards also did not have a turnover against
the Bulldogs, who had forced 22 takeaways in their first five games.
"It started last Saturday night [after the 42-22 loss to Azusa
Pacific], we got together and made a commitment that we were going to be
more focused," La Verne junior defensive lineman Korey Turner said.
"We came out focused, and we were ready to play. It started last week.
I think we did a hell of a job."
La Verne opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal by junior quarterback
Dan Blahy with five seconds left in the first quarter, after Blahy and junior
quarterback Kyle Spielbuhler took turns receiving the snap on a eight-play,
57-yard drive.
The combination of Blahy and Spielbuhler proved effective, as La Verne
was able to control the ball in the first quarter. Even when Blahy was not
scrambling for first downs, he was catching Spielbuhler passes to move the
chains.
La Verne needed Blahy on the field at all times as either a quarterback,
receiver or a running back because junior wide receiver Kenny Fredeu and
senior running back Ordell Williams were injured.
"We were pretty thin," Morel said. "So we were trying
to get our best players on the field."
The best players were on the field for La Verne on the second half kickoff
to Redlands, as junior linebacker Damien Alarcon recovered a fumble at the
Bulldogs 23-yard line. That recovery set up Blahy's second field goal of
the game.
The Leopards' final chance for a win came after they received a punt
with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter. ULV drove to its own 48-yard line,
but Spielbuhler threw four consecutive incomplete passes-one of which could
have been called defensive pass interference. The Leopards tried to question
the referees, but they were left with a loss as an answer.
"We played together. We just caught some bad breaks," said
Manny Rodriguez, sophomore defensive lineman. "We just want to finish
with a winning season."
ULV will try to shake its three-game losing skid, as the Leopards travel
to Chapman tomorrow to battle the Panthers at 7 p.m.
