Toreros Mend Against Claremont-Mudd

If nobody at the University of San Diego gets carried away celebrating the Toreros’ 42-13 victory Saturday in front of 2,477 at Torero Stadium, it is because of the opponent.

In 1991, Claremont-Mudd went 0-9 and averaged seven points a game.

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Stags (0-2) had lost 11 consecutive games and their last five meetings against USD, including a 30-3 spanking last season.

Still, after a humbling loss to Redlands the week before, a good old-fashioned thrashing was exactly what USD (2-1-1) needed to get back in synch.

“We needed to do that,” said USD Coach Brian Fogarty. “We were looking for this from the beginning. We challenged them to come back (from the Redlands loss) and they did.”

Did they ever.

Quarterback Michael Bennett had promised that USD would exercise a multitude of options against the Stags, and it did.

Several times over.

After USD took a 28-7 halftime lead, Fogarty sent in a slew of unfamiliar players, which sent the announcers scrambling to the game program for identification purposes.

Before the night was out, 10 players, excluding the quarterbacks, rushed for yardage, and all four Torero quarterbacks saw considerable action.

“We’re getting it all together. We have so many threats,” said Bennett, who didn’t argue when Fogarty sent in the second and third teams. “Sure, I’d like to get a lot of playing time because I’m a senior, but I understand, too, that they’re preparing other guys.”

In the first half, it was mostly one guy that was the No. 1 rushing option. Running back Scott Sporrer gained 122 yards on 15 carries, and carried once after that to finish with 140 yards.

Michael Henry and Bennett gained 34 yards each, and John Lambert rushed another 27 for USD’s 231-yard halftime ground output.

For the game, the Toreros rushed 332 yards and passed for 82. All six of their touchdowns came by rushing.

USD’s offense had been tormented by its inability to score in the first half, but the Toreros solved that problem with four touchdowns, its initial first-half points of the season.

Henry scored first from five yards out, and Sporrer ran in from 16 yards back six minutes later in the first quarter.

Claremont-Mudd managed a six-yard pass play from Mark Ukropina to Tim Johnson to make it 14-7 early in the second quarter, but Sporrer scored again to pull USD ahead, 21-7, on a one-yard run with 3:36 left in the half.

Randy Rivera came up with an interception at 3:16 to set up Henry’s four-yard scoring run with 26 seconds left.

“It’s nice,” Bennett said, “but at halftime we were talking about how we didn’t want anyone saying we weren’t a second-half team.”

At least they were a third-quarter team. USD’s sophomore fullback, Brian Barr, scored on runs of three and four yards to put USD ahead, 42-7, going into the fourth.

The Stags’ Bob Berger finished the scoring with a one-yard touchdown.

Claremont-Mudd had 318 total yards, 189 passing.

“Although it was a great game,” Bennett said, “we have a lot to work on for Homecoming next week.”

Next Saturday, USD meets Cal Lutheran at 1:30 p.m.