REDLANDS, Calif. — The Cal Lutheran football team suffered its second straight loss as the Kingmen fell to the Redlands Bulldogs by a final score of 51-23 on Saturday night in Ted Runner Stadium.
The Kingsmen dropped to 3-5 on the year and are 2-3 in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play.
The big difference in the game was rushing yards. Cal Lutheran, which averaged 215 rushing yards per game, was held to only 42. Redlands on the other hand, ran for 308 yards. Redlands also tallied 26 first downs, compared to CLU's 16.
The Kingsmen had their chances early and the game remained very close for almost all of the first half.
Cal Lutheran got on the board first after Ethan Pulley intercepted a pass and took it the house for a 51-yard interception return. It is his second pick-six of the season. His other one came in the first game of the season, in a win against Pacific Lutheran.
Redlands would answer back a few possessions later and then took a 10-6 lead after a field goal. CLU place kicker Christian Antezana then showed off his big leg and drilled a 49-yard field goal to make it a one-point game. The 49-yard boot is his new career-long.
The drastic change in the score came from 5:20 left in the second quarter to 14:12 in the fourth. Redlands scored 31 unanswered points, including four consecutive touchdowns, and were up 41-9.
Cal Lutheran scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but weren't able to overcome the deficit and fell to Redlands 51-23. The final scores for the Violet and Gold came from the air. Eli Peters found Pierce McLurkin for a 31-yard score and Hayden Smith connected with Kanoa Iwasaki from three yards out.
The Kingsmen defense had a tough Redlands' offense to deal with. Ty Lozano and Ethan Pulley led the defense with 15 tackles apiece. They both recorded 0.5 tackles for loss and Pulley added the interception return for a touchdown.
Mason Evans was the third Kingsmen with double-digit tackles and had 13. He also added 0.5 tackles for loss. Anthony Rios-Carlsen and Izayah Mora both tallied eight tackles.
Caleb Casimere and JW Windsor were both there for seven stops. Casimere's tackles included 1.5 tackles for loss. Windsor had one tackle for loss and added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Offensively, Peters get the start under center. He was 15-for-30 for 179 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also had 13 rushing attempts for 23 yards. Smith also saw time and was 5-for-11 with 80 yards a touchdown pass.
Ty Riley led the receiving core with six grabs for 87 yards. McLurkin was next with four for 48 yards. Marcellous Lewis and Rexford Demazeliere both added big catches and they were for 45 and 40 yards, respectively.
Dominick Grimm did the punting for the Kingsmen and had a successful day. Three of his seven punts landed inside the 20. He had a long of 45 and averaged 36.6 per attempt. Antezana made his only field goal attempt, the 49-yard kick, and he was 2-for-3 on point after attempts.
The Kingsmen return home Saturday for Senior Day. Cal Lutheran hosts La Verne at 1 p.m. in William Rolland Stadium.
Box Score: UR 51, CLU 23
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Release byRyan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director