THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The bitter taste left in the mouth of No. 8 Cal Lutheran after the last time they took the field was lessened tonight by a sweet Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opening 38-10 victory over Pomona-Pitzer at Rolland Stadium.
Senior wide receiver Eric Rogers was instrumental in the win, etching his name into the CLU record books with three touchdown receptions, breaking the mark of 25 career TD catches set by Skip Mooney from 1962-65. The Kingsmen captain started the night off running a reverse for a 38-yard touchdown for the first score of the game.
In the second quarter quarterback Kevin Ramay connected with Rogers for 19 and seven yard TD passes, tying him with Mooney. It was in the third quarter, however, that Rogers gave his mother the best birthday gift he could think of when he again nabbed a pass from Ramay, juggling the ball momentarily, but maintaining possession. He ran into the end zone for a 32 yard reception to not only push the score to 35-3, but also to break the mark that stood for 38 years. Additionally, he moves into second place in career receiving yards with 2,617 (behind Mike Hagan - 2,792) and fourth in career receptions (ahead of Mooney - 146 and two shy of current CLU Defensive Line/Special Teams coach Geno Sullivan - 161) with 159 total.
Rogers did not earn the win alone, tonight, though. Ramay added a nine-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to make it 28-0 in favor of the home squad at the break. Zach Shultis assumed the PAT duties, converting four in the first half before finishing a perfect 5-for-5.
David Sandler kicked a 24-yard field goal midway through the final quarter to conclude the scoring.
Ramay finished the night 21-for-29 for 282 yards and three TDs. He was picked off twice, the second time on a deflected pass, which set up the only PP touchdown of the night.
Also lining up under center tonight were Shultis and Billy Livingston who were 1-for-2 and 1-for-1, respectively.
Leading all players with 173 all-purpose yards was Rogers who caught nine passes for 135 yards. Vincent Minor was second on the Kingsmen with 159 all-purpose yards, 39 on a pair of kick returns and 120 on five punt returns. Vincent's longest of the night was a 64 yard return in the second quarter.
On the ground, Ryan Zirbel carried the ball 17 times for 80 yards. Daniel Azhocar had eight rushes for 38 yards on the final CLU possession of the game and nearly scored a TD. Livingston added a 37 yard run to his pass completion. Justin Bloom finished with five carries and handed the ball off to Rogers for his TD run in the opening frame.
On a night that the crowd wore white and packed the stadium for a White Out, the CLU Kingsmen, clad in visiting white uniforms, came storming out.
The offense produced 561 yards of offense and held the 2011 NCAA Division III leading rusher, Luke Sweeney, to 80 yards on the ground in his season debut. Cal Lutheran earned 30 first downs and held PP to 12. They were 6-for-12 on third down conversions and 2-for-2 on fourth down chances. CLU scored four of six times in the red zone. The defense held PP to 4-for-15 on third down conversions and stopped one of two fourth down tries for the Sagehens.
Overall 22 different players made a tackle for the Kingsmen. Tonight the defensive effort was led by Dontaie Ferguson who tallied nine total tackles, three for a loss with five solo stops. Derrick Romo also had a big night with eight talks, four of them solo. Christian Bradley made six stops, four solo, and both Caius Radu and Tim Cozine finished with five. Patrick Knox had a pair of pass break-ups in the fourth quarter for CLU.
Pomona-Pitzer (1-2, 0-1 SCIAC) used two different quarterbacks. Yoshi Rothman finished with 160 all-purpose yards with seven catches for 111 yards, including a 50 yard catch and run for the lone Sagehens TD. He also had 40 yards on kick returns and nine rushing.
Tonight 56 different players stepped on the field for CLU.
The Kingsmen extended their SCIAC win streak to 21 games dating back to 2008. They also improved their all-time series record against Pomona-Pitzer to 17-7 and have won the last eight meetings.
Cal Lutheran (2-1, 1-0 SCIAC) continues SCIAC play next Saturday, Oct. 6 when they hit the road for the first of two consecutive away games. The Kingsmen will travel to Redlands (1-2, 1-0 SCIAC) to play the Bulldogs who defeated Occidental tonight 49-7. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 38, PP 10
