Southland Roundup : Santa Barbara Stuns Azusa Pacific

Quarterback Paul Wright threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Steve Marks with 8:11 remaining, lifting UC Santa Barbara to a 17-14 upset win over previously unbeaten Azusa Pacific in a nonconference game Saturday at Azusa Pacific. The loss virtually eliminated the Cougars from NAIA playoff contention.

The winning touchdown came on a fourth-and-goal play and gave the Gauchos their most significant win of the season. Santa Barbara (4-4) dropped football after the 1971 season but brought it back this year at the NCAA Division III level.

Wright completed 14 of 30 passes for 232 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Gauchos.

Okoye ran for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns in a school-record 40 carries, but the Gaucho defense stopped Okoye on a crucial fourth-and-goal play at their one-yard line late in the third quarter. Azusa Pacific is 5-1-2.

Cal Poly SLO 26, CS Sacramento 6--Robert Perez threw three touchdown passes in the third quarter as the Mustangs blew open a close game and went on to upset the Western Football Conference leaders at San Luis Obispo.

Perez finished with 17 completions in 27 attempts for 183 yards, including touchdown passes of 2, 11, and 33 yards. All three touchdowns were set up by Sacramento turnovers.

San Luis Obispo is 4-4 overall, 2-2 in the WFC. Sacramento is 5-3-1 overall, 4-1 in the WFC.

La Verne 30, Menlo 28--Shawn Zink kicked a 51-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give the Leopards a nonconference win at Atherton, Calif.

La Verne had a chance to win with 1:04 left, when quarterback Mark Van Allen threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Barry Tyler to pull La Verne within one point at 28-27, but Van Allen’s two-point conversion pass was incomplete.

However, La Verne (6-2) recovered the ensuing onsides kick and, aided by an interference penalty on a fourth-down play from its 45, drove to the Menlo 34, where Zink made the winning kick.

Van Allen completed 21 of 47 passes for 290 yards and 4 touchdowns. Moise Garrett caught 5 passes for 149 yards, including touchdown catches of 64 and 63 yards. Menlo is 3-4-1.

Occidental 41, U. San Diego 7--Quarterback Mark Krajnik threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Tigers routed the Toreros in a nonconference game at San Diego.

Krajnik had touchdown passes of 5 and 19 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run. Occidental (5-2-1) rushed for 300 yards, and the Tigers limited San Diego (3-6) to 175 total yards as the Toreros completed only 8 of 34 passes.

Claremont-Mudd 27, Redlands 0--Chris Dabrow ran for 171 yards in 29 carries and 2 touchdowns to lead the Stags over the Bulldogs in a Southern California Intercollegiate Conference game at Redlands.

Quarterback Mike Pembroke also threw 37 yards for a touchdown and ran 24 yards for Claremont’s final score. Claremont-Mudd is 7-1 overall, 3-1 in SCIAC. Redlands is 0-9, 0-4 in SCIAC.

S. Utah State 34, Cal Lutheran 31--Rob Hill’s two-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds remaining gave the Thunderbirds the WFC win at Cedar City, Utah, as the Kingsmen lost their sixth straight game despite the passing of Tom Bonds.

Bonds, a junior, completed 31 of 53 passes for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns. Cal Lutheran is 2-6, 0-6 in the WFC. Southern Utah State is 7-3, 2-3 in the WFC.