Oct. 9, 2010
Final Stats | Photo Gallery
San Diego, Calif.- The University of San Diego football team had their comeback attempt fall short for the second week in a row as the Toreros dropped a 21-20 contest to Dayton in a Pioneer Football League game at Torero Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
San Diego (1-2 PFL, 1-5) had an opportunity to take the lead in the final minutes of the game when Dayton kicker Nick Glavin missed a 37-yard field goal with three minutes remaining, giving USD the ball at their 20-yard line. After advancing to the USD 31-yard line, quarterback Mason Mills extended the drive with a 13-yard pass to Godfrey Smith on a fourth-and-10. The Toreros offense could not convert their second fourth-down, though, four plays later as Mills and Smith could not connect once more, stalling the drive with 48 seconds left.
The Toreros took their first lead of the game in the early going of the fourth quarter when quarterback Sam Scudellari, who relieved starter Mills for one drive, tossed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Doyle with 13:08 remaining to make it 20-14. Scudellari drew the Dayton defense in with a fake handoff, reversing the play the other way on a roll-out to find the wide-open Doyle.
Dayton quickly jumped back ahead on the subsequent drive, however, when they scored a touchdown on a 73-yard drive that consisted of three plays. The opening play of the drive, a 41-yard connection between Steve Valentino and Justin Watkins, provided the quick spark the Flyers needed to move the ball into USD territory. Two plays later, Valentino found Anthony Papp from 16 yards out, placing Dayton in lead 21-20 with 11:52 left in the game.
The eventual game-winning touchdown for Dayton was their only score in the second-half as the Toreros defense held the Flyers offense, which came into the game averaging 399 total yards and scoring over 37 points per game, to 287 total yards. Loka Kanongataa led all Toreros with nine tackles, including a tackle for a loss, 0.5 sacks, and two quarterback hurries.
After surrendering a touchdown to Dayton on their opening-drive of the game, the Toreros were forced to start their third drive of the game from their two-yard line. Facing virtually the entire playing field, the USD offense marched down the field with the help of big plays from a 24-yard rush from Justin Fontenberry and a fourth-down conversion by Phil Morelli with his three-yard run in Dayton territory.
The long 14-play drive was later capped by a touchdown reception from John McGough to tie the game at seven. Mills scrambled free to find McGough for the 19-yard touchdown pass as Mills was inches from being sacked to the ground before he escaped and found McGough in the endzone.
Stanley Shurson was perfect in his two field goal attempts, making a 29-yarder in the final seconds of the first half and a 36-yard field goal with 4:54 left in the third quarter.
Mills and Scudellari combined to complete 30 of their 43 total passes with Mills going 27-for-38 for 221 yards. Morelli led all USD rushers with 60 yards on 19 attempts.
USD will look to snap their two-game losing streak when they travel to Poughkeepsie, New York where they will face Marist College (1-2 PFL, 2-3). Kickoff is set for 9 a.m. PST.
