Cal Lutheran Waltzes at Homecoming : College football: Huisenga passes for three touchdowns as Kingsmen rout hapless Whittier for third consecutive SCIAC victory, 42-0.

What could be better than playing the worst team in the conference on homecoming day?

In Cal Lutheran’s case, a shutout made it even sweeter.

The Kingsmen blasted Whittier College, 42-0, on Saturday to win a third consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game for the first time since joining the conference four years ago.

“Obviously this was great for our confidence,” Cal Lutheran Coach Joe Harper said. “Another great thing about it is that everybody got a chance to play today, so that helps the entire team as far as enthusiasm.”

Whittier (1-5, 0-4 in the SCIAC) was in trouble from the beginning. Cal Lutheran (3-2-1, 3-0) scored three touchdowns in the first quarter while the Poets managed only 25 yards.

The Kingsmen scored again in the second quarter and Whittier, with an offense that showed no signs of life, couldn’t play catchup. The Poets finished with 159 yards, compared to Cal Lutheran’s 509.

“We have mostly freshmen on our team and when we play bigger, stronger upperclassmen we look like a very young team,” Whittier Coach Kirk Hoza said. “It was difficult to do anything against them.”

The Kingsmen scored their final two touchdowns in the third quarter. The first, at the end of a six-play, 76-yard drive, came on the first possession of the second half.

Ryan Huisenga capped the drive on a 34-yard touchdown pass play to David Harrington. Huisenga completed nine of 16 passes for 167 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

The 5-foot-11 junior from Moorpark hit Billy Busch on a 39-yard touchdown pass play with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter for the final score.

Led by freshman Fredrik Nanhed, the Kingsmen rushed for 337 yards. Nanhed gained 218 yards and one touchdown in 27 carries though he didn’t play in the fourth quarter. He had 156 yards in the first half.

“This is the first real convincing win we’ve had and it feels great,” Nanhed said.

“This picks us up another level. It’s very exciting.”

Whittier’s Tyrone Phillips completed 12 of 27 passes for 110 yards and two interceptions. Danny Reynolds, who was averaging 82.6 yards a game, was held to 36 yards in 15 carries.

Whittier came closest to scoring with about a minute left to play when it drove to the Cal Lutheran 11-yard line. But Phillips was sacked for a loss of eight yards as time expired.