SAN DIEGO – Anthony Lawrence threw for a season-high 434 yards and completed three touchdown passes to lead San Diego to a 36-34 victory over Dayton on Saturday afternoon.
The Toreros (4-2, 3-0 PFL) extended their home PFL win streak to 32 games in front of a rowdy crowd at Torero Stadium to cap the 2018 Homecoming and Family Weekend. They now also hold the longest active home winning streak in the FCS with 19 games.
The Flyers (3-4, 2-2 PFL) took the early lead, 7-0, scoring on a 46-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Jack Cook to Ryan Skibinski with 5:30 to play in the first quarter. It was the first time the Toreros trailed in PFL play this season.
With 34 seconds left in the quarter, Lawrence found
Christian Brooks for 11-yards. Brooks put the Toreros on the board, diving over the right pilon and into the end zone. The PAT by
Aedan Johnson was blocked and the Flyers maintained the lead, 7-6.
Dayton answered on a quarterback keeper from nine yards out to start the second quarter and make it 14-6. But the Toreros answered quickly, taking their next drive 62 yards in one minute and 24 seconds to pull within a point. Lawrence found
Michael Armstead for 27 yards before connecting with
Cooper Hagmaier on a 33-yard touchdown pass.
San Diego would take the lead after a muffed punt by Dayton was recovered by
Kim Mahoney on the 2-yard line.
Emilio Martinez punched it in to give the Toreros a 20-14 lead. USD went into halftime, leading 23-14 after Johnson's field goal split the uprights as time expired.
The teams traded possessions for the majority of the third quarter before Dayton made it a one-score game with a 28-yard touchdown pass with 4:19 remaining in the period.
The Toreros scored on back-to-back drives to start the fourth quarter. Martinez broke free for 29-yards and his second touchdown of the day before Lawrence threw a 74-yard touchdown strike to
Michael Bandy to give San Diego a 36-21 lead.
Martinez finished the day with 18 carries for a season-high 123 yards and two touchdowns. He also had five catches for 52 yards. Bandy added 201 yards on 11 catches and his career-long 74-yard touchdown reception.
Dayton would score back-to-back touchdowns to make it 36-34, but their two-point conversion was broken up by
Kama Kamaka with 2:44 remaining in the contest. With two minutes to go, Lawrence rushed for 19 yards on 2nd-and-8 to ice the victory.
The Torero defense was lead
Jack Michael who was credited with a season-high 11 tackles, tying his career high.
David Tolbert and
Daniel Tolbert added eight tackles apiece.
Anthony Lawrence was 29-of-44 for 434 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He added 35 yards on the ground, and finished the day with a career-high 469 total offensive yards. Lawrence moved into second place all time in San Diego history with 97 career touchdown passes.
The Toreros head on the road next week when they face Butler on Saturday at 9 a.m.
