SAN DIEGO — San Diego sent off its 25 seniors in style on Saturday afternoon, defeating Butler by a commanding 29-7 margin at Torero stadium on Senior day for its final home game of the 2025 season. 

After finding themselves down 7-6 in a mud fight in the fourth quarter, the Toreros scored 23 unanswered points in the last 11 minutes of the game. Seniors Josh Heverly, Cole Monach, Matt Colombo, and Adam Criter led the way for USD, scoring three touchdowns and combining for 380 yards of total offense between the four. 

The Toreros honored 25 graduating senior student-athletes prior to the game, in addition to one graduate assistant: DL Malachi Cooper, CB Jake Higgins, WR Josh Heverly, RB Adam Criter, captain/RB Matt Colombo, captain/SAF Ruben Lopez, WR Bradley Schlom, SAF Trey Sena-Ortega, RB James Scott, CB Ezekiel Swayne, WR Ben Moseley, LB Jerry Rangel, TE Dylan Lawson, TE Travis Plugge, LB Mo Vanderweil, OL Nick Struempf, OL Jack D'Ambra, OL Evans Bowling, TE Zane Fullmer, TE Peyton Smith, DL Brian Coburn, DL Evan Niemi and DL Jack Hemmert.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• With just over two minutes left to go until the end of the first quarter, Colombo had an explosive 43-yard run to set up the Toreros in the red zone, where sophomore kicker Emiliano Salazar scored the first points of the game, a 35-yard field goal to make it 3-0 heading into halftime. 
• A clutch fourth down stop from the Torero defense in the third quarter set the stage for a 46-yard strike from Dom Nankil to Heverly, putting Salazar in position for his second field goal of the game, this time a 32-yarder to make it 6-0 with 4:39 left in the game. 
• Butler scored a 10-yard touchdown to make it 7-6 heading into the final quarter. 
• The San Diego defense forced a Butler punt with 10:58 in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs long snapper sailed it over the punters head and into the endzone as the punter dove on it, giving USD an 8-7 lead with two points and the football. 
• Colombo and Monach single-handedly drove the ball 58 yards down the field on the ensuing drive (on both of their senior days), with Monach hauling in back-to-back chunk plays to allow Colombo to claim the eight yard rushing touchdown, giving San Diego the lead back at 15-7 with eight minutes to play. 
• Heverly captured a 43-yard touchdown pass from Nankil to add another touchdown with 6:35 to go, making it 22-7 in favor of the Toreros.
• Criter put the icing on the cake with a four-yard touchdown rush to make it 29-7 with 30 seconds left on the clock, his 11th score of the season.  

NOTABLE

• The San Diego defense allowed no points in the first half, the lowest since it played Southern Utah earlier in the season (also allowed zero first half points). 
• The Torero Defense held the visiting Bulldogs to a 1-for-5 conversion rate on fourth down.
• Sophomore linebacker Nate Fischer led the San Diego defense with nine total tackles (seven solo), one interception and one forced fumble. 
• Monach recorded a season-high 119 receiving yards on four receptions (29.8 yards-per-reception). 

UP NEXT
The Toreros will conclude their 2025 regular season on Saturday, Nov. 23, when they travel to Deland, Fla. to take on Stetson. Kickoff at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium is set for 10 a.m. PST and the game will be streamed on ESPN+ while Voice of the Toreros Jack Cronin will be calling the action over the radio air waves on USDToreros.com/watch.