SAN DIEGO — An 87-yard overtime scoop-and-score saw the Toreros win in walk-off fashion in a thrilling 27-21 victory over Presbyterian at Torero Stadium Saturday afternoon.
In the opening drive of overtime, the Blue Hose got to the three-yard line before senior defensive back Trey Ortega delivered the game-ending blow on the Presbyterian back that forced a fumble and allowed junior defensive back Ruben Lopez to scoop the ball up and run it 87 yards back for a touchdown to secure the victory for San Diego.
Senior wide receiver Josh Heverly came up big for USD offensively as he hauled in a pair of touchdown passes from Grant Sergent, including a clutch 26-yard game-tying touchdown reception with 13 seconds remaining to force overtime. Fellow senior wideout Ja'seem Reed totalled 99 receiving yards and a touchdown on ten catches.
Defensively, the Toreros — now tied for the lead as FCS team with the most defensive touchdowns (four) — utilized a pair of huge defensive plays, including a recovered a muffed punt in the third quarter in addition to the game-winning forced fumble in overtime.
Senior linebacker Giovanni Iovino led the way for the USD defense with 10 total tackles (three solo), with Eric Haney (nine total tackles, four solo), Nick Murray (eight total tackles), and Jagger Pagano (eight total tackles) just behind. As a team, the Toreros had nine tackles for loss, including three sacks.
With the win, San Diego remains undefeated at home and gets back in the win column, moving to 3-2 overall, 1-1 in PFL play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both sides' defense held firm in the opening quarter of play, forcing multiple punts to end the first quarter with goose eggs on both ends.
A 50-yard rushing touchdown from Presbyterian to start the second quarter gave them the first score of the game, making it 7-0 Blue Hose with 11:47 left in the first half of play.
USD responded immediately with a six-minute drive that ended with an eight yard pass from Sergent to Reed to allow the Toreros to tie the game up at seven with five minutes left before the break.
The Blue Hose scored a 23-yard passing touchdown with 7:42 left in the third quarter to retake their seven point lead at 14-7.
USD was again answered, using good field position off a muffed punt as Sergent threw another eight yard game-tying touchdown pass, this time to Heverly, knotting the game up at 14 apiece with 2:40 left in the third quarter.
Presbyterian opened up the fourth quarter with a 19-yard rushing touchdown to give them a 21-14 advantage with 10 minutes left to play.
After a long drive that ended scoreless with 1:48 left on the clock, the USD defense came up clutch to stop the Blue Hose from ending the game and get the ball back to the offense with just 41 seconds left.
On second and 15 with eight seconds to go, Sergent found Heverly once again with a perfect ball that fell right into his hands in the endzone, tying up the game at 21-21 to force overtime.
Presbyterian began overtime with the ball and got all the way to USD three-yard line before a massive hit from Trey Ortega forced a fumble that Ruben Lopez ran back for an 87-yard walk-off scoop and score to give his team a 27-21 victory.
UP NEXT
After the team's second bye-week, the Toreros look to remain perfect at home as they host Marist on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2 pm in the home comforts of Torero Stadium. The PFL matchup with the Red Foxes will be streamed live on ESPN+ as coverage can also be found on social media @USDFootball.
