FB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Gazolly Gazump]

   Doesn't Cal Lu have a great Fresman kicker?    Did the rain play that big a part in the miss, or was it just bad luck? (nerves?)
   
     We feel bad for him; you know he is going to have a long night  thinking about that miss.

      Congrats Oxy -  looks as if they're on their way to a playoff berth and SCIAC ring.
   

[D O.C.]

Happened to be under OXY'S goal posts in 2006 as I was today, What a game to ponder in Thousand Oaks.

[tigersports]

I read through the play-by-play on Cal Lu's stats.  Looks like they completed a pass in bounds with no TO's left and had to rush the kicker on the field.  Looking forward to OB's review.  (I'll be broadcasting this game in six years when AYSO has run its course).

Nice for Oxy to be in a spot such that either the shoes or the drum puts them in the dance.  Here's hoping there's enough in the kitty to send Tigersports to Salem (or somewhere in Minnesota) for the playoffs.

[labart96]

I read through the play-by-play on Cal Lu's stats.  Looks like they completed a pass in bounds with no TO's left and had to rush the kicker on the field.  Looking forward to OB's review.  (I'll be broadcasting this game in six years when AYSO has run its course).

Nice for Oxy to be in a spot such that either the shoes or the drum puts them in the dance.  Here's hoping there's enough in the kitty to send Tigersports to Salem (or somewhere in Minnesota) for the playoffs.

reading the box score the game actually shouldn't have been that close (funny how the stats often show a completely different game vs. if you were there).

190 rushing yards for oxy vs 34 for clu
373 yard total offense for oxy vs. 201 for clu

but the reason it was close:

(stat of the game) was 5 turnovers (3 INT, 2 fumbles) for oxy vs 2 (1 int, 1 fum) for clu. 

if you can still win after coughing up the ball -3x - you are a pretty good team.....

[tigersports]

Yeah, it did appear that Cal Lu had nothing on offense in the last 40 or so minutes of the game.  An unsung part of this Oxy team has been their D, which, other than some lapses against Chapman and Menlo, has been pretty stellar.  Would be interested to know if Goltz was off his game or whether Cal Lu's playmakers were the reasons for the number of TO's.

[labart96]

Yeah, it did appear that Cal Lu had nothing on offense in the last 40 or so minutes of the game.  An unsung part of this Oxy team has been their D, which, other than some lapses against Chapman and Menlo, has been pretty stellar.  Would be interested to know if Goltz was off his game or whether Cal Lu's playmakers were the reasons for the number of TO's.

i think it may have been more of the former.  oxy bob and i chatted on this during the end of the 3rd/beginning of the 4th qtr.  i was impressed with how well goltz threw the ball, and not to discredit the clu defense (their pass d and overall d was pretty highly ranked in the sciac overall), but it did seem like the oxy offense and goltz had an "off-day."

[snoop dawg]

I read through the play-by-play on Cal Lu's stats.  Looks like they completed a pass in bounds with no TO's left and had to rush the kicker on the field.  Looking forward to OB's review.  (I'll be broadcasting this game in six years when AYSO has run its course).

Nice for Oxy to be in a spot such that either the shoes or the drum puts them in the dance.  Here's hoping there's enough in the kitty to send Tigersports to Salem (or somewhere in Minnesota) for the playoffs.

I think they let the clock run down to 5 seconds and then used a t.o.  When they retook the field, the sky opened.

I   haven't seen Oxy in any other game this year but from the amont of points they put up on UR and others, I though they were having an off day.  The CLU defense was strong though and that may have been the reason.  I thought the Oxy defense was strong.  They have some very big guys up front.   

Uncle Tony must be very proud of his nephew DJ Ciasulli, he had a very good game.

[snoop dawg]

     I thought the run was a QB scramble, not sure though.  What I didn't understand is why they let the clock run down.   They could have easily run another play, then called t.o. and kick the FG.  I think they let 15 secs run off before they called the t.o.

[labart96]

Eyewitness report from Thousand Oaks...

Oxy 24, Cal Lutheran 21

That's twice in a row that Oxy has escaped with a win at CLU after a missed FG at the gun. In 2006 Connor Pearce's 59-yarder missed by inches, and today Jackson Damron's 30-yard try was just wide to the left on the last play of the game.

Oxy had plenty of chances to make it easy on themselves but turnovers cost the Tigers several good chances to score. After CLU fumbled on its first play of the game, Oxy took over on the CLU 33 and moved to the 17, but Justin Goltz's third down pass was intercepted by Victor Edwards in the end zone. In the 3rd quarter Oxy drove to the CLU 17, but Goltz was intercepted again by Edwards. In the 4th quarter Oxy had a 2nd-and-goal at the 8 but Goltz fumbled and Jacob Calderon recovered at the 5.

Goltz will probaly say that he did not have a good game. He was 14-for-26 for 183 yards with 3 interceptions (all by Victor Edwards), and he rushed for 36 yards but fumbled twice, one of which was scooped up and run back for a TD by Sawyer Merrill. However, Goltz made the biggest play of the game: With the game tied 21-21, Oxy was 4th-and-9 at the CLU 28. Goltz kept the ball and made 10 yards (9 yards and 1 inch) to give Oxy a first down on the CLU 18, reminiscent of Andy Collins in the 2006 game. Three plays later Neil Martin kicked a 27-yard FG to give Oxy the lead.

Someone from the CLU side will have to explain their strategy at the end. With 32 seconds to go, CLU had the ball at the Oxy 21 and had plenty of time to try a pass play or maybe even two and win the game, but instead ran the clock down and went for the tie. At that precise moment the skies opened up and a deluge hit. I don't know if the downpour affected Damron's FG try, but it just barely missed. Today, God was not a Lutheran.

Great win for Oxy, which is now 7-0 and 4-0 SCIAC, with home games remaining against Pomona and Whittier. CLU is 5-2, 3-1; the Kingsmen have La Verne at home and finish at Redlands.

Nice to get a chance to visit on the sidelines with scandihoovian, D O.C., Browneagle and TGP. Also had a good time relaying updates to Growler.

OxyBob

i remember seeing the 4 and 10 from the 28 on the scoreboard from my disadvantaged-vantage point and thinking Oxy was nuts not kicking the FG and going for it (although a 43 yarder is by no means an automatic in d3).

huge 1st down conversion.  ob is dead on in that it was the play of the game.

[scandihoovian]

Ouch!

That was a tough one.  Crazy back and forth game in the first half.  All of CLU's points came on big plays, and Oxy hung tough, converting a big interception return into a TD, scoring on a nice, tough run up the middle and collecting a safety after a bad snap to the punter.  There was a moment of foreshadowing at the end of the half.  CLU stopped Oxy back around their own 25 and was hoping to get it back in position to put some points on the board.  Instead, Groh nailed a beautiful punt that went out on about the 7. 

Turns out, Groh was just warming up, because his punts kept CLU pinned deep throughout the second half.  The consistently tough field position seemed to turn up the heat on the Kingsmen offense (another safety on a fumbled snap near the end zone), and the Oxy D did their part as well.  Up until the final drive, CLU had a tough time moving the ball.  As Bob pointed out, Oxy had a few good drives in the second half but were unable to convert anything big.  Goltz's scramble was huge - if Oxy hadn't gotten the first it would have been CLU ball around the 30-35 and 5 minutes left and the score tied at 21.

It was a very exciting last 2 minutes.  With about 28 seconds left CLU had a 2nd and 10 on the 21, and one timeout left. Toilolo scrambled for 9 and was tackled on the 12, with 20 seconds on the clock.  I think there was a moment there where the offense was trying to figure out if they should spike it, but then realized that would have brought up fourth down and they'd have to kick anyway at that point, so by the time the timeout was called there was only 5 seconds left and they had to kick it.  [Homer Mode]  I have it on good authority from many CLU fans, including my 11 year old son who was standing behind the goal posts, that the kick was good  [/Homer Mode]  The sudden deluge only added to the craziness of the whole situation, it seemed like every time it poured (there were random showers every 15 minutes during the first half) it had an impact on the game.

Tough loss for the Kingsmen, hopefully they'll finish strong against ULV and Redlands.  Great win for Oxy.  They maintained the upper hand in the field position game in the second half and it paid dividends.  Goltz may feel he had a tough game, but I thought he played well, especially when it mattered most, against a very good defense.

Always nice to visit with Bob.  Very nice to meet D.O.C., TGP and BE.  It was not quite the classic of 2006, but still a very exciting game between two good teams playing their hearts out.  Good luck to the Tigers the rest of the way.

[Sabretooth Tiger]

I was eating oysters at Ghiradelli Square overlooking the bay, getting phone updates in the 4th quarter  . . . wow . . . sorry I missed it . . .

So . . . any of the Kingsmen faithful seen both the Willamette game and Oxy?  Thoughts?  I know that it was the season opener and it ain't over 'til it's over . . . . but have been wondering whether anyone has any impressions as to the comparison between the Bearcats and Tigers?

It was a deluge up hear too . . . but not every 15 minutes . . . just a deluge.

[D O.C.]

Questions about how many time-outs CLU had at the 22 second mark. Only one would sort of explain their confusion and lost 17 secs.
I am of the opinion the properly named deluge did effect the CLU FG attempt.
It looked like a spitball as it approached the posts; a foot wide left. I would have had a much better look but some 11 year old kid was bugging me ( )

[Sabretooth Tiger]

Second question . . . who was carrying the ball for Oxy?  Haller?  Fiorito?  Hook?

O-line healthier than last week?

[D O.C.]

Haller.

Your 45 is not healthy again and possibly sit out next two weekends.

Hey, that field was in pretty good shape by the way.

[coco]

No one is on the In-game updates page.

Does anyone have a score on the Whittier game?