Sept. 29, 2007
Final Stats
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The University of San Diego Torero football team (4-0, 1-0 PFL) rolled past the Butler University Bulldogs (4-1, 0-1 PFL) in their Pioneer Football League conference opener Saturday afternoon from the Butler Bowl. The Torero victory is their 16th consecutive PFL regular season win, and their 7th straight PFL road win.
"My hats off to our guys," said Ron Caragher, USD football head coach. "I told them to stay focused, execute and have fun. We knew they (Butler) would be pumped up because they won a huge overtime game last week and they had a lot of momentum going. Our plan was to come here and take control early. We came out of the gates fast, and Josh is playing as well as he has ever played. But we are much more than just Josh. Our line was excellent, our backs played hard, and the defense turned in an outstanding performance. This wes a good trip for us."
The Toreros scored 21 points in both the first and second quarter. Wide receiver John Matthews caught a 22-yard and 78-yard pass in the first quarter alone. He followed in the second quarter with a six-yard touchdown pass to lift San Diego to a 42-3 lead going into halftime. The Toreros finished off the game with two more touchdowns in the second half for a 56-9 final.
Quarterback Josh Johnson completed 25-for-30, racking up 406 passing yards with six touchdowns throws and one touchdown run himself. In the game Johnson became the school's all-time career leader in passing yards (7,801 yards) and attempts (853), and added on to his current records for completions (590) and TD passes (86). John Matthews recorded six catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns which all came in the first half. His three touchdown receptions in a game are a new personal best for the junior receiver.
Besides Johnson's big day, JT Rogan finished with 115 yards rushing on 14 carries. In addition to Matthew's huge day, Wes Doyle caught a team-best 7 balls for 99 yards and 2 scores, TE Mitch Ryan pulled down four balls for 87 yards and a score, and Godfrey Smith and Kenny Stivers each tallied three catches.
Defensively the Toreros were once again paced by seniors Eric Bakhtiari (7 tackles; 2 sacks) and Ronnie Pentz (7 tackles). Vincent Atofau and Taber LeMarr each chipped in with 5 stops, while Jared Forrester, Tyler Evans and Ben Hannula each contributed four stops.
The USD football team returns to action on the road next Saturday, October 6th, when they travel to Valparaiso for a 1 pm contest at Brown Field.
