SAN DIEGO — Adam Criter ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns, freshman
Thomas Bailey returned an interception 52 yards for another, and San Diego celebrated homecoming with a 38-13 Pioneer Football League win over Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon at Torero Stadium.
The Toreros (3-4, 2-2 PFL) evened their league record and allowed their fewest points of the season, holding Valparaiso (3-4, 2-2 PFL) without a touchdown after the first quarter. San Diego also kept the ball for 34:17 and has won the time-of-possession battle in all seven of its games.
San Diego scored before its offense crossed midfield.
Emiliano Salazar's 54-yard punt was fielded at the Valparaiso 1, and
Thomas Nunes dropped the Beacon returner in the end zone for a safety two minutes into the game. The Toreros then went 56 yards in 12 plays, extending the drive when the Beacons jumped offside on fourth-and-5, and Criter scored from the 5 for an 8-0 lead.
Valparaiso answered with an eight-play, 73-yard drive, and an 8-yard run made it 8-7 with 2:21 left in the first quarter. Criter broke loose on the second play of the next possession, going 63 yards up the middle to the Valparaiso 6 — the longest run by a Torero this season — and
Omar Mbakwe scored from the 2 on third-and-goal with 21 seconds left in the quarter for a 15-7 lead.
Early in the second quarter,
Tim Hays knocked the ball loose on defense after a catch, and
Ezekiel Swayne recovered at the San Diego 40.
Yosei Takahashi later returned a punt 48 yards to the Valparaiso 46, setting up Salazar's 31-yard field goal for an 18-7 lead with 1:39 left in the half.
San Diego got the ball back at its own 22 with 1:06 to go and covered 55 yards in nine plays.
Dom Nankil ran 31 yards on third-and-10, Criter converted a third-and-2 with 3 seconds left, and Salazar made a 40-yarder as time expired for a 21-7 halftime lead.
The Beacons opened the second half with a 12-play drive that took 7:05, and a face-mask penalty gave them first-and-10 at the San Diego 12. Valparaiso lost 7 yards from there, and after
Jae'Von Reels broke up a pass on third-and-17, before Valpo kicked a 36-yard field goal to make it 21-10.
The Toreros' next scoring drive covered 66 yards in 10 plays and spanned the third and fourth quarters. A chop-block penalty wiped out a Criter run and left San Diego facing first-and-25 at the Valparaiso 27, but Nankil found
Elijah Taylor deep down the left side for 24 yards to the 3, and Criter scored on the next play to make it 28-10 with 13:44 to play.
A 40-yard field goal pulled Valparaiso within 28-13, and Nankil answered with a 34-yard completion to Taylor on second-and-13 that set up Salazar's season-long 47-yarder with 8:04 left. On the Beacons' following possession,
Jaden Williams and Bailey shared an 8-yard sack, just before Bailey picked off a pass on the next snap at the San Diego 48 and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown with 6:05 to play. It was the Toreros' second interception return for a score this season, after CJ Castille's 42-yarder against Davidson on Oct. 3.
Shaun Aletor earned a sack on third down on Valparaiso's last possession, and freshman
Zamar Reese carried four times for 23 yards as San Diego ran out the final 4:51.
Criter averaged 6.8 yards on his 20 carries, and Mbakwe added 48 yards and a touchdown on 16 as San Diego outrushed Valparaiso 255-55. Nankil completed 14 of 25 passes for 140 yards without an interception and ran for 44 yards, and Taylor's six catches for a game-high 82 yards moved him past
Cole Monach for the team lead with 534 receiving yards this season.
Ruben Lopez led San Diego with seven tackles, Hays added five, and Aletor had 1.5 tackles for loss, including his sack.
Ian Harrison forced a fumble and broke up a pass as the Toreros held Valparaiso to 233 total yards and won the turnover battle 2-0. Salazar went 3-for-3 on field goals and has made all 64 extra points he has attempted in his career.
San Diego now leads the all-time series versus Valparaiso 23-7 and has won 11 straight home meetings, a run that dates to 2002. The Toreros also won last year's game 43-27 at Valparaiso.
UP NEXT
San Diego plays at Dayton in a PFL game on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 9 a.m. PT at Welcome Stadium, with radio coverage on USDToreros.com.
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