THOUSDAND OAKS, Calif. – The University of Redlands football team (2-4, 2-2) won their first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) road game 17-15 at California Lutheran University (CLU) on Saturday evening as they maintain the Smudge Pot Trophy for the 11th consecutive season.
After CLU won the toss and deferred to the second half, Redlands got possession and got 20 yards from Ryker Rivinius on their first play from scrimmage. The dive, though, would end with an Aidan Petruescu punt.
After a muffed punt almost cost the Bulldogs possession after their defense got off the field, the offense went seven play and 24 yards as Petruescu made a field goal from 44 yards for a 3-0 lead.
A 10-yard pass with a 15-yard penalty followed by a 35-yard completion allowed the Kingsmen to attempt and make a 25-yard field goal.
Following another CLU field goal, it was 6-3, but on the subsequent possession Jayden Mckey ran for 79 yards on the longest play from scrimmage this season and put his team ahead 10-6 with only a minute remaining in the half.
The Kingsmen had a great response as they made it to the Redlands 36 after plays of eight, 12, and 17 yards. The drive would end the half with a field goal attempt from 46 yards that was missed in what would end up being a big miss on the final score.
After a scoreless start to the half from both teams following an interception from Craig Hunter and then a missed 50-yard field goal by Redlands, the Bulldogs took over at their 20 and started with a 40-yard rush by Calel Olicia-Aramboles.
Deo Robinson and Olicia-Aramboles combined for rushes of 22, 15, and 15 yards as they capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown on the ground by Olicia-Aramboles to make it 17-6 with 1:34 remaining in the third.
In the fourth quarter the Bulldogs maintained their two-score lead deep into the quarter, but with six minutes to play the Kingsmen had first and goal at the six.
They would go rush for a yard, incomplete pass, and incomplete pass to bring up fourth down at the five. Cole Smith and Sami Abdul-Majid both made the play on the run to set up the stop.
CLU would settle for the field goal as it was 17-9 with 5:19 to play.
The offense had a chance to salt the game away, but they went three and out. CLU, however, gave them the ball back on a muffed punt of their own as Enrique Ybanez III recovered at the CLU 45.
Another three and out forced and two timeouts used by the Kingsmen gave them a chance with the ball at their own 20, down eight, and 2:23 to play.
They methodically moved the ball before a 38-yard pass put the ball at the Redlands one. On the next play they scored, but they still needed a two-point conversion to tie. The conversion would fail.
The onside kick then went out of bounds as they kneeled the last 20 seconds out for the win.
Mckey attempted only nine passes as they ran it 44 times for 276 yards which included 104 net yards for Mckey, 78 for Olicia-Aramboles, and 52 for Jared Johnson.
Hunter finished with 10 tackles, a tackle for loss (TFL), and an interception. Laurence Williams had eight tackles. Ybanez III, Connor Green, and Smith both had six tackles.
Redlands will look to take the momentum back home with them as they host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for homecoming next Saturday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m. inside Ted Runner Stadium.