Occidental Presents Challenge for USD

Every year, it’s something different. But every year, the result is the same. The University of San Diego, as good as it has been the past three years, can’t seem to beat Occidental College.

Tonight at 7:30 at USD’s Torero Stadium, USD will try again in both schools’ season opener.

Last year, USD was 5-0 and leading Occidental, 17-7, at halftime when the Toreros ran into a little problem--the Tigers’ Gary Little. In the end, Little had 261 yards and two touchdowns, and Occidental had a 23-17 victory.

That loss, combined with a 51-3 rout by UC Santa Barbara, knocked USD (7-2) out of the NCAA Division III playoff picture.

In 1988, USD lost to Occidental, 20-16, after two Torero passes into the end zone fell incomplete. The second one--with less than 10 seconds remaining--was an apparent touchdown by receiver Ken Zampese, but officials ruled that Zampese had trapped the ball. Typical of that season, USD went 5-4 and had every loss determined in the game’s final drive.

In 1987, Occidental kicked a 35-yard field goal with no time remaining to tie the game, 13-13, and USD (6-3-1) missed the playoffs by one game. It was the closest USD had come to beating the Tigers since USD Coach Brian Fogarty began in 1983.

Fogarty (33-33-2) is well aware of that fact, but it doesn’t eat at him. He isn’t obsessed by the thought, and he doesn’t feel winning or losing to Occidental will make or break this season or any other. Still, it would be nice to beat them once in a while.

For the past three years, Occidental and USD have been the top Division III teams in the Southland. And this year should be no different.

USD returns 14 starters, including multiyear offensive starters Brendan Murphy at quarterback, Ty Barksdale at running back, Mike Hintze at tight end and Ray Smith at tackle.

USD also has nine of 11 of last year’s leading tacklers returning, including inside linebacker Lenny Territo (81 tackles) and defensive backs Darryl Jackson (61) and Darby Barrett (58).

Occidental, which was 7-2 and won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, returns 13 starters, including “That guy who ran a million yards against us,” as Fogarty referred to Little, a sophomore.

“Oxy is a tough opener,” Fogarty said. “We’ll find out how good we are right away. But I like playing tough teams early. It gives us something to shoot for.”