Undefeated teams clash when football hosts Redlands

Chapman takes on Redlands in a SCIAC matchup of undefeated teams on Saturday. The Panthers come into the game 3-0 while the Bulldogs will travel to Orange to put their 4-0 record on the line.

 

The Panthers are 6-16 against Redlands in the 25-year history of the program but are 3-4 since joining the SCIAC in the 2012 season. The Panthers have won their last two home games against Redlands, taking a 27-13 win in 2015 and a 45-26 win in 2017 on the way to a SCIAC title.

 

Redlands is the second ranked team to visit Chapman Stadium this season. The Bulldogs started the season unranked in the D3football.com and AFCA polls but jumped into the rankings after beating No. 11 Linfield on the same night that Chapman beat No. 10 Whitworth. The Bulldogs have risen to No. 15 in D3football.com's poll and No. 17 in the AFCA poll. The Panthers are receiving votes in both polls but have yet to crack the top-25. Chapman was 0-19 against ranked teams entering the season but now has a chance to for a second win on its home turf.

 

Chapman continued to dominate the ground game through its third game of the season. The Panthers ran for 284 yards, putting them over 200 yards on the ground in all three games this year. On the defensive end, the Panthers are one of the stingiest teams in the SCIAC and the country. In fact, Chapman has given up just 128 rushing yards on the year – over 100 yards short of its lowest single-game total. The Panthers' 909 yards on the ground are just 40 yards shy of last year's season total. The running game will be the focus between Redlands and Chapman as the teams come into the game ranked 1-2 in the SCIAC both offensively and defensively in rushing yards per game. Chapman holds the offensive edge while Redlands holds the defensive edge.

 

With successful games throughout the season, both Chapman and Redlands have dominated the time of possession in the box score. Chapman ranks fifth in the nation while holding the ball for 35:42 on average but rank third in the SCIAC. Redlands' average TOP of 35:52 is third in the nation and second in the SCIAC. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps holds the national lead with an average time of possession of 37:40.

 

Junior Dillon Keefe is putting together a special year with a packed stat line. The outside linebacker is the Panthers' leading tackler through the first three games. He also leads the team with 3.5 sacks so far as well as seven tackles for loss. His 2.3 TFLs per game average ranks ninth in Division III. He leads the defense with four pass breakups this season and hauled in his first career interception last week. He has forced a fumble, blocked a punt and picked up a blocked punt for a 34-yard return.

 

Freshman Marcos Reyes ran into the end zone three times last week to push his total to a team-leading five rushing TDs. He is one of five freshmen in all of Division III with five rushing touchdowns on the year. Reyes is part of a multi-faceted running attack that features four different players with at least 50 yards per game.

 

Whittier was able to get out of the backfield more than the previous two opponents in the run game but still accumulated just 88 rushing yards. The Panthers dragged down Miguel Avina for four sacks, dropping their season average to 4.67 per game. That average still ranks fifth in the nation. The Panthers front seven will go up against a stingy offensive line from Redlands that has allowed just four sacks in four games.

 

The Panthers special teams units have made impacts on every game this season. The Panthers have a blocked punt in all three games. Against Pacific, the kickoff unit recovered several kicks that were simply chipped high in the air. Freshman Owen Tapia has boomed a school record length punt and Chapman ranks second in Division III in net punting with an average field position flip of just under 41 yards. Tapia's 44.8 yards per punt this year ranks fifth in Division III.

 

In the 25 seasons since reviving the football program, the Panthers have never strung together four consecutive winning seasons. That all can change this year with at least five wins. Chapman has posted a winning season in each of the last three seasons and six of the last seven, making it the winningest stretch in Panther history. The Panthers need just two more wins to make history after a 3-0 start to the season.

 

The Bulldogs are coming off an upset win over Linfield three weeks ago and a 38-17 SCIAC-opening win over Pomona-Pitzer. The Bulldogs have the No. 2 defense in the SCIAC in terms of yardage and the No. 1 rushing defense at just 26.5 yards per game. Nathan Martinez ranks fifth in the nation in completion percentage. He throws for 231 yards per game and runs for another 46.5 yards per game. The defense has already hauled in nine interceptions this season – led by three from Jeff Hector – while Martinez has only thrown one. The Bulldogs average turnover margin of +3 per game is tops in Division III.