Big night from Espinoza leads football to 42-41 win

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – A touchdown for a touchdown. A pick for a pick. In the end of an offensive slugfest, the Chapman defense made the one stop it needed as the Chapman University football team snuck out of Thousand Oaks with a 42-41 victory over Cal Lutheran.

After Cal Lutheran scored a touchdown to make it 42-41 with 29 seconds left, the Kingsmen went for the win with a two-point conversion. The pass into the back of the end zone was just out of the receiver's reach and the Panthers jumped on the onside kick to end the game in victory formation.

The quarterback play on both sides stole the show as Nathaniel Espinoza threw for 444 yards – the third-most in Chapman history. For Cal Lutheran, Nick Lasher threw for 387 yards. Espinoza was 21-of-32 with three TDs through the air and another one on the ground. Lasher was 28-for-42 with four TDs.

Espinoza's favorite target was Wyatt Hardin for the second week in a row as the two connected eight times for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Spencer Corona caught six passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers outgained the Kingsmen 551-433 on 12 less plays as the offense fired on all cylinders.

Lasher was able to move the ball through the air for the Kingsmen but the Panthers took away the run game almost entirely. Cal Lutheran had just 46 yards rushing on 31 attempts. Tanner Mendoza led Chapman's attack on the ground, running the ball 10 times for 58 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth. The Panthers ended the game with 107 rushing yards on 30 carries. The longest run of the night on either side was just 12 yards.

Through the air was a different story, Espinoza had a 22-yard TD strike to Corona and followed that up with a 69-yard touchdown to Hardin. In the third quarter, he found Hardin again for a 16-yard touchdown toss.

Despite the back-and-forth nature of the game, Chapman never trailed. The Panthers scored first and had a response every time Cal Lutheran struck back to tie it up. When the Kingsmen tied the game at 14-14 with less than two minutes left in the first half, Espinoza moved the offense methodically down the field. With two seconds on the clock, he trotted into the end zone for a five-yard score and a 21-14 lead at the half.

Cal Lutheran appeared to capture all momentum out of the gate with a big return and a TD just three plays later. Chapman responded.

Mendoza and Isaiah Woods combined for 39 rushing yards on the next drive and Espinoza was 3-for-3 for 36 yards. Woods finished off the drive as he got to the edge and up the sideline for a 9-yard touchdown run.

Cal Lutheran used a 15-play, five-plus minute drive to tie the score at 28-28, scoring on a fourth and goal from the one yard line. A 52-yard completion from Espinoza to Corona was the key to a quick response for Chapman. The Panthers needed just four plays to make 35-28.

The Kingsmen methodically moved down the field again. This time, they took over seven minutes to tie the game at 35-35 with a one-yard run.

Cal Lutheran looked like it took the upper hand when Jalani Blade picked off Espinoza on third and 16 but Ryan Haith returned the favor when he intercepted Lasher on fourth and two just four plays later.

The Panthers did not waste the opportunity. They ran the ball six times with Mendoza to cover the last 34 yards and end up in the ed zone with a 42-35 lead and just 1:33 to go. Lasher led an 11-play drive that took just over one minute and capped it with a 31-yard touchdown to Dallas Martin to make it 42-41.

As the Kingsmen went for the two-point conversion, Lasher rolled out to his right but couldn't connect with Martin on the run and the Panthers held on for the victory.

The game featured over 800 combined passing yards as the two quarterbacks traded blows. Alexander Terriquez made 10 tackles while Kade Jordan and Joshua Williams each had a pair of tackles for loss.

The Panthers take their longest road trip of the season next week for the NWC/SCIAC Challenge matchup with George Fox. Chapman takes its first-ever trip to Newberg, Ore. for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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