Strong rushing attack gives Chapman 29-17 win over Whittier
WHITTIER, Calif. – With a seven point lead near the end of the third quarter, junior RB Al White scored on a 42-yard run which gave the Chapman University football team a two-touchdown lead en route to the 29-17 win over Whittier College on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. Chapman is now 11-3 all-time against Whittier as they avenged last year's Homecoming loss to the Poets.
White's run which came on a draw play on third and long, gave Chapman a 24-10 lead with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Chapman's defense extended the lead to 26-10 with a safety at the 8:50 mark of the fourth quarter marking its first safety since a 33-14 win over La Verne in 2008. On Chapman's next possession after the safety, sophomore kicker Mauricio Alfonso capped a nine play, 36 yard drive with a 37-yard field goal which pushed the lead to 29-10.
Whittier (1-4) answered with a 22-yard touchdown pass from junior QB Alesana Sausau to senior WR Josh Ollison narrowing Chapman's lead to 29-17 with 1:56 remaining in the game. The Panthers then recovered the ensuing onside kick to secure the win. Sausau who picked apart the Chapman defense last season was limited to 110 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception to go along with 60 yards on the ground.
On the first drive of the game, junior WR Mike Lambesis continued his strong play of late, giving Chapman a 7-0 lead with 9:05 remaining in the first quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass from junior QB Bret Visciglia. Lambesis who had one-career touchdown before last week's win over Claremont now has three touchdowns in the last two games. Lambesis had a game-high eight catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.
After a promising drive deep into Chapman territory just minutes into the second quarter, Whittier had the opportunity to narrow the score to 7-3 only to come up empty as sophomore K Eric Cejudo missed the short field goal. Chapman then marched down the field and pushed their lead to 14-0 on a 1-yard run by freshman QB Michael Lahey. The Folsom, Calif. native was Chapman's leading rusher with 83 yards on 16 carries and also completed all three of his pass attempts.
The Poets got on the board with 2:59 remaining in the second quarter on a 28-yard touchdown run by sophomore RB Kimble Tillman making the score 14-7. Chapman then answered with a 39-yard field goal by Alfonso, the longest of his career. With Whittier driving just before halftime and in Chapman territory, senior DB Peter Antone picked off Sausau with 59 seconds left in the quarter to end the threat giving Chapman a 17-7 lead at the break.
The Panthers had their best offensive game of the season with 363 yards of total offense and most importantly, no turnovers. Once again Chapman had its running game going as they ran for 217 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to Lahey's 83 yards rushing, White had 62 yards on seven carries and senior RB Akio Lloyd had 83 yards on seven carries. Visciglia also had a solid game completing 14-of-22 passes for 114 yards. Sophomore DB Nick Nugwynne led the defense with seven tackles while senior LB Brian Kaltenecker and junior LB Erick Mueller each had a sack.
by Chris Watts
Sports Information Assistant
Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/fball/2010-11/files/cu-wc.htm