DES MOINES, Iowa — San Diego ran for 305 yards and scored on eight straight possessions on Saturday afternoon, pulling away for a 40-17 win at Drake Stadium that gave the Toreros their first victory over the Bulldogs since 2022.
The Toreros (5-5, 4-3 PFL) won back-to-back games for the first time this season and earned their first Pioneer Football League road win of the year in their road finale. Drake (3-7, 3-4 PFL), the three-time defending league champion, had won the previous three meetings by a combined 10 points, two of them on field goals as time expired.
Adam Criter carried 30 times for 172 yards and a touchdown, and freshman Zamar Reese added 88 yards and a 52-yard scoring run as San Diego set season highs for rushing yards and carries. Emiliano Salazar made a season-high four field goals, all from 40 yards or longer, and the defense stopped Drake on fourth down on four straight second-half possessions. The Toreros turned those stops into 20 points.
Trailing 3-0 after Drake turned an interception into a 34-yard field goal late in the first quarter, San Diego answered with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took 6:37. The Toreros converted two fourth-and-1s on the march — Reese for 3 yards and Criter for 4 — and Omar Mbakwe scored on a 4-yard run with 9:54 left in the half.
Tim Hays intercepted a pass on the first play of Drake's next possession, setting up Salazar's 43-yard field goal, and Criter capped a nine-play, 71-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run 37 seconds before halftime. San Diego led 17-3 at the break after holding the ball for 23:22 of the first 30 minutes and limiting Drake to 73 yards.
Drake opened the second half with an 11-play, 68-yard touchdown drive, scoring on fourth-and-9 to pull within 17-10. Criter answered with a 42-yard run to the Drake 28, and Salazar's 42-yard field goal made it 20-10.
On Drake's next possession, Shaun Aletor and Mason Charles stuffed a fourth-and-1 run at the San Diego 44, the first of the four stops, and Salazar hit from 41 yards with 21 seconds left in the third quarter. Drake reached the San Diego 15 on its next drive, but Jack Munro hurried a fourth-down throw that fell incomplete, and five plays later CJ Ceron hit Cole Monach on a short pass over the middle that Monach turned into a 66-yard touchdown and a 30-10 lead.
River Abenroth's first-down sack helped force another turnover on downs at the Drake 35, and Salazar's 40-yarder made it 33-10. After a fourth stop at the San Diego 39, Reese broke loose on third-and-1 for his 52-yard touchdown with 2:18 left. Drake scored on a 17-yard pass with 8 seconds to play.
Ceron completed 9 of 17 passes for 148 yards, and Monach finished with five catches for 102 yards, his third 100-yard receiving game of the season. The 66-yarder was his team-leading eighth touchdown catch of the season. Christopher Hall caught three passes for 40 yards, Mbakwe ran 12 times for 33 yards, and Criter's 172 yards pushed his team-leading season total to 918.
Hays had a team-high eight tackles to go with his interception, Abenroth recorded both of San Diego's sacks among his four tackles, and Ian Harrison and Ruben Lopez broke up two passes apiece. Munro added two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup, and Drake finished 4-for-15 on third down with 263 total yards, 74 of them on the ground.
Salazar's field goals came from 43, 42, 41 and 40 yards after a 41-yard miss on the opening drive, and he went 4-for-4 on extra points for 16 points. He has made all 76 extra-point attempts of his career. San Diego held the ball for 38:02 and has won time of possession in all 10 of its games this season.
UP NEXT
San Diego is off next week, then closes the regular season against Stetson on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m., which will be Senior Night at Torero Stadium.
