THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Cal Lutheran football team was looking for its second straight comeback, but the Kingsmen came up short and were defeated by the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) defending champion, Chapman Panthers, 33-29 on Saturday night in Rolland Stadium.
The Kingsmen dropped to 3-4 on the year and are 2-2 in SCIAC play. They are currently tied for fourth in conference play.
Quarterback Eli Peters recorded the most yards and passing attempts in his collegiate career. He was 22-of-33 for 259 yards and two touchdown passes. He was a dual-threat and also ran for 81 yards and a score.
Running back Chris Anderson ran for 124 yards and averaged 8.9 yards per carry. He scored one touchdown, which he rushed in from 53 yards out.
Wide receiver Ty Riley hauled in five passes and tallied a career-high 92 yards, which included a 66-yard touchdown catch. Rexford Demazeliere caught one pass on the day and it was a 29-yard touchdown reception.
Ty Lozano and Ethan Pulley led the defense with 10 tackles each. Pulley added 0.5 tackles for loss and had one quarterback hurry.
Mason Evans was next with nine tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and added an interception. JW Windsor recorded seven tackles, including one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Obasi Dees led Cal Lutheran with three pass breakups and Zion Brown, JD Lang and Christian Sanchez each added two more.
Chapman got on the board early and often and was up as much as 19-0 in the first half. Cal Lutheran got on the board in the second quarter as Peters found Demazeliere for a 29-yard touchdown with 9:22 left in the half. That was all the scoring in the first half as Chapman led 19-7 going to the second half.
CLU answered quickly in the second half. Peters rushed for a 50-yard touchdown and the Kingsmen were only down 19-14. With 3:56 left in the third, Riley caught a 66-yard touchdown pass and the Violet and Gold took the lead. Peters completed the two-point conversion pass to Pierce McLurkin and CLU was up three, 22-19.
The teams then went back and forth the rest of the way. After Chapman took back the lead, CLU was there with an answer too. With 12:01 left in the game, Anderson took the ball to the house for a 53-yard touchdown run. The Panthers didn't back down and scored a touchdown with 4:07 left and had the 33-29 lead. Cal Lutheran had its chance at the end, but a turnover-on-downs ended the Kingsmen's final chance.
Cal Lutheran is back on the road and travels to Redlands for the Smudge Pot game. The Kingsmen and Bulldogs play Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.
Box Score: CU 33, CLU 29
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
