Sept. 20, 2005

GAME #4: The USD Toreros (3-0) will look to continue their winning ways when they travel to Princeton, New Jersey, to take on the Princeton Tigers (1-0) this Saturday, September 24th, in a 1:00 p.m. (EDT) contest at Princeton Stadium. San Diego has opened the 2005 campaign with three straight wins, including last Saturday's 17-14 come-from-behind win against the Yale Bulldogs. It marked USD's first win against an Ivy League opponent in six tries, and San Diego also becomes the first PFL team to defeat an Ivy League opponent. A live audio feed for Saturday's game will be available at www.goprincetontigers.com.

SERIES RECORD: The Princeton Tigers won the only meeting of the series last season in San Diego, 24-17 on Sept. 25th, 2004... it was Princeton's first ever trip to California, and first game ever against a team from the Golden State... the Tigers jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter before USD's rally came up a touchdown shy... with Saturday's win over Yale, USD improves to 1-5 against Ivy League members (1-2 vs. Yale, 0-1 vs. Brown, Penn and Princeton).

HEAD COACH Jim Harbaugh: Harbaugh is his 2nd season after a 7-4 mark in his rookie year. He heads into the Princeton game with a 10-4 record and eight- game winning streak. Prior to being named USD's 11th head coach, he spent two seasons in the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders. He spent 15 years in the NFL with five different teams - Chicago (1987-1993), Indianapolis (1994-97), Baltimore (1998), San Diego (1999-00) and Carolina (2001). A 1987 first round draft pick by the Chicago Bears, Jim played in 117 NFL games with 140 starts. For his career he completed 2,305 of 3,918 passes for 26,288 yards with 129 touchdowns. In 1995 he led Indianapolis to the AFC Championship game; was voted to the Pro Bowl; was named the 1995 Comeback Player of the Year and the AFC Player of the Year; and was runner-up in the NFL MVP voting. A 1986 graduate of Michigan, Jim was a 3-year starter for legendary coach Bo Schembechler. In his senior year in '86, Jim guided Michigan to a No. 2 national ranking while earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors and finishing 3rd in the Heisman race. Jim and his wife, Miah, have three kids - Jay, James, and Grace.

PFL NORTH STANDINGS/SCHEDULE: SAN DIEGO (3-0), Dayton (3-0), Valparaiso (1-2), Drake (1-2), Butler (0-3). SEPT. 24TH SCHEDULE: USD at Princeton (1 p.m.), Butler at Jacksonville (12:30 p.m.), Davidson at Valparaiso (1 p.m.), Austin Peay at Drake (2 p.m.), Dayton at Morehead State (7 p.m.).

TOREROS MOVE UP TO NO. 2 IN THE SPORTS NETWORK MID-MAJOR POLL: The USD Toreros, on the strength of their 17-14 win over Ivy League member Yale, moved up two spots in this week's The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10 Poll. The Toreros trail PFL-foe Dayton (3-0), but rank ahead of Monmouth (2-1), Duquesne (2-1), Morehead State (3-0), Wagner (3-0), Drake (1-2), Robert Morris (1-1), Marist (2-1), Central Conn. State (1-2). The poll includes only I-AA Mid-Major Teams of the PFL, MAAC, and NEC.

TOREROS MAKE PROGRAM HISTORY WITH 17-14 WIN OVER YALE: The USD football team (3-0) made program history with their come-from-behind 17-14 win over the visiting Yale Bulldogs (0-1) of the Ivy League. It marked the first time a USD team had bested an Ivy League opponent in six tries, and USD also becomes the first PFL team to defeat an Ivy League program. Arguably the program's biggest victory ever, the Toreros needed to overcome a 14-0 deficit to accomplish this feat. The entire Torero squad fought for 60 minutes and were the better team in the 2nd half when it counted. -- continued -- "This (win over an Ivy opponent) has never been done before, so it is history," stated a happy Jim Harbaugh following the win. "Nobody in the PFL has done it and our guys wanted to be the first to do it. They believed they could and they played with a lot of passion for 60 minutes. That was a great college football game!" In the first quarter both teams battled to a 0-0 tie with Yale driving late in the quarter. The Yale Bulldogs completed their scoring drive just 1:45 into the 2nd quarter when QB Jeff Mroz connected with TE Dave Miller for a 2-yard score that culminated a 13-play, 77-yard drive with 13:15 left in the half. On the ensuing drive, USD went 3-and-out as QB Josh Johnson fumbled on a 1st-and-10 from the San Diego 38. Yale's Lee Driftmier recovered on the SD 39, and the Bulldogs marched to the SD 6 where kicker Alan Kimble missed wide left from 23-yards out. Yale added a 9-yard TD run by RB Mike McLeod with just 0:32 seconds left to push their lead to 14-0. On the ensuing kickoff, USD's Jon Matthews returned it 61 yards to the Yale 37 with :21 ticks left. QB Josh Johnson connected with WR Wes Doyle on consecutive passes of 14 and 11 yards, before he misfired with :07 seconds left. Sophomore kicker Hutch Parker gave the Toreros a big boost heading into halftime with his 29-yard field goal for the 14-3 score. In the second half, USD kept plugging away offensively, and the defense came up huge by not allowing the Bulldogs to score a single point. The Toreros took the opening kickoff to the 2nd half and marched down the field in 14 plays with Parker nailing his second field goal, this time from 34 yards at the 9:28 mark. He closed out the 3rd period with a 39-yarder with 00:31 seconds left to pull the Toreros to within 14-9 heading into the final period. A key defensive play came with 9:23 to go when senior captain and defensive back Philip Bretsch intercepted Mroz at the Yale 39 and returned it 20 yards to the Yale 19. "We were in man coverage and I saw the quarterback throw," said Bretsch. "Tyler Evans tipped it and I was right there to pick it off. We were all just flying to the ball." An excited Bretsch added, "Our coaches said to go out and make history, and we did!" On USD's drive, Josh Johnson connected with JT Rogan on the first play for 13 yards to the six yard line. Yale was called for pass interference and a personal foul on different plays, putting the ball on the 2-yard line. After Johnson rushed for no gain, he connected with JT Rogan for a 2-yard score with 6:37 to go, then added the all- important 2-point pass conversion to WR Nick Garton. It was USD's 17th straight unanswered points against the Bulldogs. The Torero defense turned away Yale on its next two possessions, then USD ran out the final 1:50 of the game to seal the victory. The evenly contested game saw both clubs finish with 311 yards of offense. USD's Johnson completed 22-of-34 passes for 198 yards and 1 touchdown (18-for-23 in the 2nd half for 159 yards and1 TD). Running back JT Rogan finished with a team-best 63 yards, running behind USD's offensive line led by senior guard Josh Sanders. The freshman back also led all receivers with 7 catches for 47 yards and 1 score. Hutch Parker came up huge with 3 important field goals from 29, 34 and 39 yards - his only miss came from 34 in the 4th period. Senior WR Adam Hannula hauled in 5 receptions for 44 yards to become USD's all-time career receiving leader with 191 catches (moving ahead of Dylan Ching's 189; '96-99). Defensively the Toreros got a game-high 14 tackles (5 solo) from junior linebacker Kyson Hawkins, followed by fellow backer Tyler Evans (11 stops, 1 forced fumble, and 1 tipped pass that Philip Bretsch intercepted). Ronnie Pentz chipped in with 9 stops, 1 forced fumble and 1 QB sack, while Bretsch added 8 tackles.

JOSH JOHNSON NAMED co-PFL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore Josh Johnson (Oakland, Calif.) turned in his third straight solid outing and was rewarded by being named the co-PFL Offensive Player of the Week... in the team's 17-14 upset win over Yale, the 6-3 quarterback completed 22-of-34 passes for 198 yards and the game-winning TD pass with 6:37 remaining... he did most of his damage in the 2nd half where he finished 18-for-23 for 159 yards and 1 touchdown... his 2-yard TD pass to JT Rogan gave USD its first lead of the game at 15-14 , then he converted the 2-point conversion pass to WR Nick Garton for the final 17-14 tally... Johnson also chipped in with 33 yards rushing on 14 carries attempts.

TORERO TIDBITS: With its 3 wins to open the 2005 campaign, USD has now strung together 8 straight victories dating back to last season... you have to go back to the 1980-81 seasons for a longer streak which was 12, the current school record... USD won its final 3 games in 1980, then opened the '81 campaign with 9 straight wins before dropping the last game of the season to Saint Mary's (31-12)... USD's 3-0 start marks just the third time since 1990 that the Toreros have accomplished this feat; the other two years were 2001 and 1990... in 1989 the Toreros began the season with 5 staight wins; the school record for wins to open a season is 9 (1981).

Adam Hannula NEW USD CAREER LEADER IN RECEPTIONS: Senior receiver Adam Hannula, with 5 receptions in USD's 17-14 win over Yale, moved into the No. 1 Torero record slot for career receptions with 191... he jumped ahead of Dylan Ching (189; '96-99), and with 2,545 receiving yards and 25 TD receptions, he is closing in on Ching's other two marks - 32 TD receptions and 3,111 receiving yards. 3-GAME STATISTICAL LEADERS: Through three games the Toreros are being led by QB Josh Johnson (66-97 for 658 yards and 6 TDs), RB JT Rogan (89.3 yards per game), WRs Adam Hannula (17 catches for 162 yards) and Nick Garton (14 for 136 yards, 2 TDs), kicker Hutch Parker (6-8 FG; 10-10 PAT), punter George Villa (38.9 ave.), LB Kyson Hawkins (26 tackles, 6 for loss), LB Ronnie Pentz (21 tackles), LB Tyler Evans (15 tackles, 1 forced fumble), DB Philip Bretsch (15 tackles, 1 int.), DB Chase McBride (13 tackles, 5 pass breakups) and DB Adam Burke (13 tackles). The Torero team and players also rank among the statistical leaders against their PFL counterparts - as a team USD is 1st in scoring defense (6.7), pass offense (229 yards/game), kickoff returns (28.3 yards/g), turnover margin (+2.0), QB sacks by (8) and red zone defense (60%). USD players that rank among the top-5 in PFL statistics include JT Rogan (4th in receptions pg, 4.22; 4th in all-purpose yards, 133.7; 5th in rushing, 89.3 ypg), Josh Johnson (1st in passing, 219.3 ypg; 3rd in pass efficiency, 141.3), Adam Hannula (t-1st in receptions per game, 5.67; 2nd in receiving yards, 54.0), Nick Garton (3rd in receptions per game, 4.67; 4th in receiving yards, 45.3; 3rd in punt returns, 6.0), Chase McBride and Philip Bretsch in interceptions per game (0.33), and Hutch Parker (1st in scoring, 9.3 ppg; 1st in field goals, 2.00 made pg; 1st in PAT kicking percentage, 1.000; 2nd in field goal percentage, 0.75).

SCOUTING THE PRINCETON TIGERS: The Princeton Tigers opened up the 2005 season on the road last week and came away with a 23-21 victory over Lafayette... the Tigers used a 16-play, 59-yard drive that used 9:25 of the clock in the 4th quarter to help seal the win... Princeton jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead, then held off Lafayette's 2nd half rallly... kicker Derek Javarone's 37-yard field goal in the 4th was the difference... Javarone converted on two 2nd quarter field goals from 22 and 25 yards... Jay McCareins sparked the defense in the same quarter when he returned an interception 75 yards for a score... QB Jeff Terrell made his 1st start a memorable one as he completed 19-of-28 passes for 197 yards...RB Rob Toresco carried the ball 16 times for 79 yards... besides McCareins, the defense was paced by Justin Stull, Abi Fadeyi and JJ Artis, all with 8 tackles... 6th year head coach Roger Hughes returns 32 lettermen and 17 starters from last year's squad that finished 5-5 (3-4 Ivy; t-4th).

USD-PRINCETON 2004 RECAP: These two teams met on Sept. 25, 2004 in Torero Stadium with Princeton coming away with a 24-17 victory to improve to 2-0; the loss dropped the Toreros to 1-3. Princeton was playing a team from California, and a game in the Golden State, for the first time. They jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter with their 2nd & 3rd scores being helped by Torero turnovers. USD battled back with two scores before intermission to pull to within 21-14. With just over 5 minutes left in the half, Torero freshman Derek Hinkley blocked a Princeton punt and USD took over on the Tiger 5-yard line. Two plays later Evan Harney (139 yards rushing on 32 attempts) busted in for his 5th TD of the season. USD's 2nd score came with 00:14 seconds left as Todd Mortensen scored from 1-yard out on a QB keeper. In the 2nd half, both squads traded FGs with Princeton's Derek Javarone converting from 27 yards in the 3rd period and San Diego's John Koker bombing one from 46 yards at the 14:05 mark in the 4th. The difference in the game was in USD's 5 turnovers (3 fumbles lost, 2 interceptions) to Princeton's one (fumble lost). Offensively for the Toreros, RB Evan Harney finished with a season-best 139 yards and 1 TD on 32 attempts. QB Todd Mortensen finished 14-of-33 for 188 yards and connected with WR Michael Gasperson five times for 73 yards. Defensively the Toreros received an outstanding effort from LB Kyson Hawkins (14 tackles; 8 solo). Both Ronnie Pentz (7 tackles, 2 pass breakups) and Philip Bretsch (7 stops) also contributed with solid efforts on the defensive side of the ball. Princeton was paced by QB Matt Verbit (12-22 for 185 yards), RB Jon Veach (90 yds on 16 carries) and LB Justin Stull (13 tackles, 1 forced fumble).

TOREROS HELP VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA: On Friday, Sept. 9th, head coach Jim Harbaugh, along with members of the team and coaching staff, helped collect donations for victims of Hurricane Katrina... the Toreros joined NBC Channel 7/39 news members Kimberly King and Jim Laslavic on "San Diego Street Scene" as they collected donations downtown near the NBC Studios. THANK YOU USD FOOTBALL!

TRI-CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED: Torero players picked three of their senior teammates to represent them as 2005 Team Captains - wide receiver Nick Garton, defensive back Philip Bretsch, and honorary captain Evan Harney.

PRESEASON PFL COACHES POLL: The Toreros are picked 3rd in the PFL Preseason Coaches Poll - 2004 champion Drake is the top pick for the North Division as they received 5 first place votes - the Bulldogs are followed by Dayton, San Diego, Butler & Valparaiso.

UP NEXT: The Toreros play their second straight road contest with a Sept. 24th contest in the bay area against Menlo College... the game will be played at San Jose City College with kickoff slated for 12:30 pm.