Cal Lutheran Loses Seventh Straight, 34-31

Southern Utah State quarterback Chad Richard directed a 68-yard scoring drive in the final minute of the game to give the Thunderbirds a 34-31 win over Cal Lutheran on Saturday at Cedar City, Utah.

Rob Hill’s two-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds left handed the Kingsmen their seventh straight defeat.

Quarterback Tom Bonds hit Chris Hertsgaard with a 10-yard scoring pass to put Cal Lutheran ahead, 31-27, with just more than five minutes left.

But Richard brought Southern Utah back, passing for 39 yards and running for 14. He completed 16 of 28 passes for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for 65 yards.

Bonds completed a WFC-record 31 passes in 53 attempts for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns against the conference’s top-ranked pass defense. He also broke the CLU career total offense record of 4,459 held by Bill Wilson.

Southern Utah improved to 7-3, 2-3 in conference. Cal Lutheran fell to 2-7 and 0-7.

“Considering all of the guys who were hurt on offense,” said CLU Coach Bob Shoup, “Bonds’ performance was amazing.” Cal Lutheran running backs Tracy Downs and Noel Chesnut missed the game because of injuries.

Cary Grant, a freshman backup, caught 12 passes for 136 yards and 1 touchdown for the Kingsmen. He also gained 40 yards on eight carries, including a 15-yard touchdown run.