Belle Leads University to Victory, 29-13

Junior tailback Craig Belle scored three touchdowns to lead University to a 29-13 nonleague victory over Laguna Hills Saturday night in Irvine Stadium.

Belle, who rushed for 195 yards on 11 carries, scored on runs of 58, 66, and 35 yards as the Trojans improved their record to 1-2.

University totaled 255 yards rushing compared to 78 for Laguna Hills. The Hawks scored on a 2-yard run by David Dancey and a 37-yard touchdown pass from Pat Buckley to Chris Latham.

The Trojans took the lead on a 34-yard field goal Will Ferrell with 8:19 remaining in the first quarter.

The Hawks (0-3), evened the score on a 35-yard field goal by Jeff Tinch with 11:13 remaining before halftime.

Belle’s first touchdown run with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter gave University a 10-3 lead.

The Trojans increased their lead to 16-3 when linebacker Brett Howard intercepted a Wayne Helm’s pass and returned it 35 yards for the score with 5:32 left in the third quarter.

Laguna Hills cut the lead to 16-10 on Dancey’s touchdown run with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter. Dancey’s 58-yard reception from backup quarterback Pat Buckley set up the score.

However, Belle scored two more times in the fourth quarter, the second with 5:02 remaining to play to give the Trojans a commanding 29-10 advantage.

Laguna Hills scored the game’s final points with three seconds left when Buckley connected with Chris Latham on a 37-yard pass.