USD to Finish with Occidental

What once loomed as a possible showdown for an NCAA Division III football playoff berth is now merely the season finale for the University of San Diego and Occidental.

They play tonight (7 p.m.) at Occidental, but barring the collapse of three or four teams in the West Region, this is it for USD (6-3) and Occidental (5-3).

USD had a realistic shot at the playoffs before losing last week, 42-34, to Azusa Pacific. Next to a 51-3 loss to UC Santa Barbara two years ago, it was the most points the Toreros had allowed since 1983. Occidental fell to La Verne, 39-34, its second consecutive loss and third in its last four games.

Still, USD Coach Brian Fogarty is viewing this as a big game.

“We have some goals that we set,” he said. “The top of the chart was, obviously, the playoffs, but we also set a goal to be the best Division III team in the state. And at this time, we haven’t lost to a Division III team. By beating Oxy, we can achieve that goal.”

Including last week’s loss to Azusa, an NAIA Division II team, USD lost two 21-20 games to Cal State Hayward (NCAA Division II) and Cal Lutheran (NAIA Division II). A victory tonight would give the Toreros seven victories for the third consecutive year.

USD, which has already established a new school record for rushing yards with 2,415, also has a shot to produce a 1,000-yard rusher.

Freshman tailback Willie Branch has 848 yards on 79 carries and junior fullback Scott Sporrer has 801 on 156 attempts.

Branch and Sporrer, as well as a solid offensive line, have given Fogarty (46-38-2 in nine seasons) his most potent offense ever at USD.