USD Struggling to Keep Playoff Bid Alive

Clinging to real but desperate playoff hopes, the University of San Diego football team faces nemesis Occidental in its final home game as an NCAA Division III independent at 7 tonight at Torero Stadium.

“We win our next three games, then we’ll talk about playoffs,” senior offensive tackle Eric Brown said. “In the back of my mind, I think of it, but we won’t go anywhere without winning these last three.”

Brown is right. Generally, only one team from the West Coast makes the 16-team Division III playoffs.

USD (5-1-1) needs to finish with victories over Occidental (3-2), Pomona Pitzer (3-3) and Menlo College (3-3) to sustain what may be its only playoff hope for years to come. But even then, the Toreros will need Redlands (4-1) and LaVerne (4-0-1) both to lose at least one more game. USD tied LaVerne, 21-21, and lost to Redlands, 28-7, earlier this season. In the Toreros’ favor, LaVerne, Redlands and Occidental have yet to play one another.

USD moves up to the Division I-AA Pioneer League next season, but because it will remain a non-scholarship program, USD does not anticipate a postseason appearance for at least a few years.

“We need help,” senior defensive end Christian Sirek said. “But it doesn’t matter who wins or loses if we don’t win our last three.”

Immediately, Occidental presents enough of a challenge. USD has beaten the Tigers the past two seasons, 28-19 and 20-12, but the Toreros are 2-5-1 against them during Coach Brian Fogarty’s tenure and 8-10-1 overall.

“I expect a tough game,” Brown said. “They’ve got some schemes that can beat us if we’re not careful. They have potential to mess us up pretty good if we’re not up to playing them. Last year was a thriller, and I’m sure this year will be, too.”

Occidental switched to the option from the one-back set it had used for years to take advantage of talented running backs Marcus Garrett, Gary Little and El Camino graduate Brian Madlangbayan, who leads the Tigers with four rushing touchdowns.

“This is going to sound like a broken record, but we have to control the ball,” Fogarty said. “They’ve got some awfully good running backs. They’re going to get their yards if we give them the ball.”

As is customary at USD, the 12 seniors playing in their final home game will be honored before the game. They are: quarterback Michael Bennett, running back Scott Sporrer, offensive linemen Brown and Sean Parks, receiver Chip Packard, defensive backs Jeff Blazevich, Stephen Crandall and Matt Horeczko, linebackers Bill Mathauer and Fred Shaw and defensive linemen Sirek and Rick Salazar.

Sporrer set the Toreros’ career rushing record in last week’s thrilling 42-35 victory over Azusa Pacific. He leads the team with 754 yards (4.9 per carry) this year and has 2,212 career yards.

“This is a good group,” Fogarty said. “This will probably be, unless we fall flat on our faces, the winningest group we’ve ever had here.”