Stags remain unbeaten with 31-21 win over Chapman

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team continued its best start in eight years and left Chapman University in its rear-view mirror on Saturday night - another victim in the Stags' 4-0 start this season. Claremont led nearly from start to finish, defeating the visiting Panthers 31-21 at Zinda Field and snapping Chapman's three-game winning streak over the Stags.

Claremont's defense entered the game ranked among Division III's best in several statistical categories, but it was the offense that did most of the damage en rout to the Stags' fourth straight win.

In fact, the Chapman offense scored as many points (21) as Claremont has allowed in a game this season and limited the Stags to just one quarterback sack.

It took awhile for the Claremont offense to get going. The Stags took a 7-0 lead on their second possession of the game - a 12-play, 85-yard drive - thanks to a 12-yard touchdown run by senior RB Spencer Clark. But Claremont was limited to just a 40-yard field goal the rest of the first half. It would have been two field goals but the Chapman defense blocked a 42-yard attempt early in the second quarter.

Chapman (1-3) hoped a late first half touchdown would swing the momentum in its favor heading into the locker rooms. With time winding down in the half, junior QB DeShawn Wilkins connected with junior WR Mike Lambesis on 43-yard scoring pass with just 34 seconds remaining, cutting the Stags' lead to 10-7 at halftime.

But the momentum swing never took hold. Claremont came out in the third quarter and scored a pair of touchdowns by sophomore RB Peter Kimmey, from 50 yards and 9 yards out. Kimmey finished with 116 yards rushing and three TDs. Meanwhile the Chapman offense committed two turnovers in the quarter - an interception and a fumble - and the Stags took a comfortable 24-7 lead into the final frame. The Panthers coughed up the ball four times in the game, two of which lead to Claremont scores.

The Panthers rallied in the fourth quarter, getting another touchdown catch from Lambesis. This time, junior QB Bret Visciglia connected with Lambesis on a 24-yard scoring pass to get Chapman within 10 points at 24-14 with 9:05 to go in the game. Lambesis made three catches for 71 yards.

However, the Stags chewed up nearly 7 minutes off the clock in their final possession, marching 68 yards for another touchdown by Kimmey and putting the game out of reach.

Chapman scored once more before the game ended. Senior RB Akio Lloyd scored from 45 yards out on a pass from Visciglia to make the final score 31-21 in favor of the unbeaten Stags. Lloyd was limited to just 23 yards rushing but did become just the sixth player (fifth running back) in Chapman history to rush for over 1,000 yards in his career. Junior RB Al White led the Panthers with 83 yards on the ground.

The Panthers will try to get back in the win column next Saturday as they travel to Whittier College and hope to spoil the Poets' homecoming in a battle between a pair of 1-3 teams. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/fball/2010-11/files/cu-cms.htm