ORANGE, Calif. - The Cal Lutheran football team fell 49-21 to Chapman on Saturday night as the Panthers picked up their first home win of the season and extended their win streak against the Violet and Gold to three.
Although the Kingsmen out-passed Chapman 306-168 yards, the best rushing offense in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) was held to just 87 yards by the Panthers who themselves put up an astounding 358 rushing yards.
The Kingsmen got off to a slow start and quickly found themselves trailing 14-0 just halfway into the first quarter. The only score of the first half for CLU came late in the first quarter with a drive that saw rushes from CJ Washington, Alix Moise Jr. and Isaac Seymour, as well as key consecutive completions to Ricky Johnson and Sean Bellotti. The drive was capped off by an Adam Friederichsen 31-yard pass to Connor Allen bringing the score to 14-7.
Yet this score did not hold for long as the Panthers wasted no time responding, scoring on their next two consecutive drives to put them ahead 28-7 heading into the half. They would score again on an early touchdown in the third quarter to further extend their lead to 35-7.
Not ready to give up, Cal Lutheran's offense would keep on pushing. They were able to put together a nine-play, 80-yard drive late in the third quarter. The Kingsmen drive consisted of a 33-yard rush from Seymour and a combined 36 receiving yards from Allen. On a crucial third-and-goal, Friederichsen found Bellotti for a six-yard touchdown pass to make it a three-possession game, but Chapman fired back rushing for over a combined 115 yards on its next two possessions to pull ahead 49-14.
The Kingsmen would score one last time with under four minutes left of play on an 11-play, 70-yard drive that saw 16 and 28-yard completions to Allen and Johnson, respectively. However, it would not be enough as Chapman would ultimately claim the victory, displaying its best defensive performance of the season.
Offensive leaders for CLU included Allen (125 yards) and Bellotti (52 yards) who each had a touchdown, as well as Johnson (45 yards). Friederichsen set a career-high with 290 yards on 21-of-38 passing and threw for two touchdowns.
The Kingsmen defense was led by Lucas Quinn who had 10 tackles, Brysen Kokubun who had nine while Cale Dester and Robert Hernandez each had six.
The Panthers rushing game was led by senior Jeremiah McKibbins who rushed for a total of 265 yards, breaking both his own personal best and a Chapman school record. He also recorded three touchdowns on the night.
The Kingsmen (4-2, 2-2 SCIAC) will be back at Rolland Stadium next weekend on Oct. 31 as they host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 7:00 p.m. In the final home game of the season, Cal Lutheran will honor its 19 seniors prior to kickoff.
Box Score: CU 49, CLU 21
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