Cal Lutheran (0-3) Loses Again but Goes Down Kicking, 40-22

Cal Lutheran got a kick out of the first half. Tim Cronk got three of them, in fact.

But in the end, the Kingsmen got kicked when they were up as Azusa Pacific University scored 26 points in the last 20 minutes and beat Cal Lutheran, 40-22, Saturday night at Azusa Pacific.

Thanks largely to the efforts of Cronk, who made field goals of 41, 35 and 32 yards, the Kingsmen (0-3) held a 16-14 edge at the half after trailing 14-0. Cal Lutheran took its only lead on the 32-yarder with 29 seconds left in the second quarter.

Azusa Pacific (3-1) took the lead for good with 4:42 to play in the third quarter when Dexter Davis broke away for a 70-yard touchdown reception and a 20-16 lead.

The Cougars, ranked 23rd in the NAIA national poll, never looked back.

“I thought we had the momentum. I felt like things were rolling,” said Cal Lutheran’s Bill Busch, who rushed for 129 yards in 26 carries.

“We kind of surprised ourselves in the first half. We learned we really can do this, we can get ahead. Now we just have to learn to come back, too.”

Azusa Pacific, which got 190 yards rushing and three touchdowns from former Valley College star Elijah Raphael, scored on its first two possessions of the fourth quarter and then again in the last two minutes before Cal Lutheran’s final points on a five-yard run by Dan Reidt with 14 seconds left.

Azusa Pacific scored first on a 32-yard run by fullback Marcus Slaten.

The Cougars extended the lead to 14-0 on a two-yard scoring run by Raphael with 6:14 to go in the first quarter. Raphael’s score came four plays after defensive back Kevin Lyon recovered a fumble by Cal Lutheran tight end Ernie Foli.