Cal Lutheran Squanders Lead, Loses on Final Play, 34-33

Intercepting a pass, recovering an onside kick and stopping your opponent on downs in the final 4 minutes 15 seconds is usually enough to protect a nine-point lead in a football game.

But Cal Lutheran learned otherwise Saturday in a 34-33 nonconference loss at Azusa Pacific, as Michael Wade kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired.

The Kingsmen seemingly had assured themselves of victory several times, especially after stopping the Cougars on downs with 1:10 left. On third down, however, Cal Lutheran running back Cassidy O’Sullivan was hit by linebacker Bo Beatty as he took a handoff from Adam Hacker and fumbled.

David Park recovered, giving Azusa Pacific (1-3) the ball on the Cal Lutheran 42-yard line with 16 seconds left. Dain Strobel completed a third-down pass to Dan Mitchell who stepped out of bounds at the 28 with two seconds remaining, setting up Wade’s winning field goal.

“(Beatty) stunted the hole and nobody touched him,” O’Sullivan said of the fumble. “It was a bad exchange between me and (Hacker). I don’t know if I touched it.”

Coach Joe Harper took the blame for the loss. “I screwed it up,” he said. “I didn’t (instruct Hacker to drop to his knee) when we should have. We played well enough to win. I was outcoached.”

Cal Lutheran (0-2) took a 30-24 lead with 12:47 to play on Hacker’s three-yard run, the only time a Kingsman other than O’Sullivan rushed for a gain.

The Cougars failed to make a first down on their next possession and Kurt Koerth’s 22-yard punt went out of bounds at Cal Lutheran’s 37. A 20-yard pass from Hacker (21 of 28 for 233 yards, one touchdown) to Len Bradley and two runs by O’Sullivan advanced the ball to the nine. Ben Schuldheisz kicked a 20-yard field goal two plays later to increase Cal Lutheran’s advantage to 33-24 with 5:41 to play.

An interception by Pete Leao stopped Azusa Pacific’s ensuing possession at the Kingsmen four with 4:15 left. The Cougars got the ball back 58 seconds later, however, and drove 67 yards, scoring on Marcus Slaten’s two-yard run with 1:53 left.

Bradley recovered Wade’s bouncing onside kick at the 50, apparently ending Azusa Pacific’s hopes. But poor clock management hurt the Kingsmen. O’Sullivan, who rushed for 96 yards in a school-record 40 carries, twice ran out of bounds. Park blocked Pete Pistone’s punt, but Azusa Pacific gave up the ball on downs with 1:10 to play.