Occidental 34, Puget Sound 32
By Joe Compagno
Sports Information
Players of the Game: After Oxy's top two quarterbacks left the game due to injury in the first half, it was up to senior Tom Stivers to lead the offense. Stivers did that and more, going 14-15 (93% completion rate) with 155 passing yards and three touchdowns. As a whole, the Tigers' QBs put up 308 yards on the day and completed 24 of their 30 passes.
Puget Sound quarterback Hans Fortune threw five touchdown passes on 34-60 passing. Fortune finished with 533 passing yards with a long of 78 yards.
Video Interview with Thomas Stivers
Defensive Standouts:
Dallas Gosselin blocked a PAT attempt with 2:54left in the 4th quarter, and also recorded a sack and a forced fumble.
Defensive back Shay Mueller made a huge interception late in the 4th quarter to seal the game for the Tigers. Mueller finished the day with 6.5 tackles.
Teran Mawhinney led the team in tackles, finishing with seven. He also broke up a pass.
Stats of the Match: Punter/Wide Receiver Samuel Crizer kicked the leather off the ball, booting six punts for a total of 313 yards-an average of 52.2 yards per. Crizer put two inside the 20 yard line, and also had a solid day receiving, recording four receptions for 52 yards in the passing game.
Puget Sound's Sawyer Petre kicked two successful onside kicks inside the last 4 minutes of the fourth quarter, keeping his team's chances of victory alive. The Loggers had a chance to recover a third and possibly go ahead in the game with 19 seconds left, but returning First Team All-SCIAC receiverSamuel Stekol made a sure handed play to seal the victory for the Tigers.
Oxy running back Kwame Do, coming off of a record-breaking season during which he set Oxy's single season rushing mark at 1,325 yards, quietly ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
Turning Point: With 4:22 left in the third quarter, Stekol caught a touchdown pass in double coverage to put Oxy up 21-13. Stekol recorded a total of 128 receiving yards on six catches.
Play of the Game: Slot receiver Devin Bullock made a spectacular diving catch in the back of the end zone towards the end of the first half. It came with under 30 seconds left, and gave the Tigers a 14-0 lead. It was the first of Bullock's two TD catches.
From the Coach: "We were really focusing on getting Bryan Scott and Tommy Edwards a lot of reps at quarterback," head coach Doug Semones said. "Next thing you know, they're both out in the first half. Stivers stepped in and played a great game. We always tell our guys, 'when your number is called, you've got to be ready,' and Stivers was more than ready today."
Season Impact: Although today's game wasn't pretty, Oxy still managed to start its season off on the right foot. A win in their next game will mark the Tiger's first undefeated preseason since 2008.
Puget Sound beat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 13-10 before coming in to play the Tigers today.
Next Game: Next Saturday, the Tigers will pack up their uniforms and head off to Sherman, Texas. They play Austin College at 11 a.m. on Sept. 20, a team they beat 35-25 at home last season.