THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Cal Lutheran football team shut out Pomona-Pitzer in the second half, and added a goal line stand, as the Kingsmen prevailed, 28-24, over the Sagehens Saturday night in William Rolland Stadium.
The Kingsmen defense made stop after stop in the second half forcing the Sagehens into two turnover-on-downs, one interception, three punts and a missed field goal. The win moved CLU to 2-1 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and tied them for second with Redlands and Chapman. Overall, Cal Lutheran got back to .500 and are 3-3.
The offense scored 14 unanswered points in the second half, with a touchdown in each quarter. The Violet and Gold put up 189 yards in the two quarters and scored a touchdown through the air and on the ground.
The game-winning touchdown came with 2:05 left to play as quarterback Eli Peters eluded a tackler and dumped the ball off to Chris Anderson. The running back did the rest as Anderson broke multiple tackles and raced in from 16 yards out to give CLU the lead.
The Cal Lutheran defense followed up the game-winning touchdown with the game-clinching goal line stand. With Pomona-Pitzer at the three-yard line with a first and goal, Ty Lozano exploded through the offensive line and stopped the Sagehen running back at the line of scrimmage.
The defense stood tall on second down as well as Tecoy Porter recorded a pass break up. Third down then pushed Pomona-Pitzer's offense backward as Ethan Pulley and Mason Evans combined for a tackle for loss. With the Sagehens at the seven-yard line on fourth down, an incomplete pass ended the game.
The Kingsmen offense kept the ball moving and accounted for 411 total yards. They were 6-of-11 on third-downs. CLU averaged 6.6 yards per play and did not allow a sack during the game.
Cal Lutheran defense's held the Sagehens to 27% on third-down conversion (4-of-15). Pomona-Pitzer did go 3-of-5 on fourth-down conversions for the game. However, the Kingsmen made the two big stops in the fourth quarter, including the last drive, and forced the Sagehens into turnover-on-downs twice.
Pulley led the defense with 17 total tackles. A week after racking up 22 against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. He recorded nine solo tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one pass break-up and one quarterback hurry.
Lozano was next with eight tackles, including five solo and two tackles for loss. He came up with a clutch sack in the fourth quarter which was a nine-yard loss for Pomona-Pitzer. He also added an interception in the first half.
Evans was big defensively and came up seven tackles, including the tackle for loss that helped seal the win. JD Lang was big in the secondary and recorded four pass break-ups. JW Windsor and Christian Sanchez also came up with clutch plays and recorded a tackle for loss and an interception, respectively.
Peters kept the offense moving and accounted for 254 all-purpose yards. He threw two touchdown passes and was 13-of-20 for 161 yards. He also ran the ball 16 times for 93 yards.
The Kingsmen ran for 250 yards on the day. Jabar Byrd rushed for 69 yards and scored a touchdown. Anderson put up big numbers in the second half and totaled 68, 30 coming off a huge run in the fourth, as he averaged 8.5 per carry. Kayden Clements rushed for the final 20 yards and a touchdown.
Ty Riley led the team with four catches and had 27 yards. Michael Magana and Anderson hauled in the touchdown passes from Peters. Magana's only pass of 27-yards was a beauty to the back left corner of the end zone. Anderson's touchdown was a catch and run, breaking multiple tackles, from 16 yards out.
Pomona-Pitzer scored the first points of the game and kicked a field goal. Cal Lutheran answered on the ensuing drive as Clements rushed in from one-yard out. Pomona-Pitzer added a late touchdown in the first and took a 10-7 led into the second quarter.
The lead switched, again, as Peters connected with Magana for a 27-yard score. The Sagehens answered right back and took a 17-14 lead. With 26 second left in the half, Pomona-Pitzer made it 24-14.
The Kingsmen took care of business in the second half. Byrd cut into the lead with a three-yard rushing touchdown and CLU only trailed 24-21. With 2:05 left, Cal Lutheran made its final move on offense as Peters found Anderson for a 16-yard receiving touchdown. The Kingsmen defense did the rest as CLU held on and won 28-24.
Cal Lutheran stays at home and host Chapman next week for homecoming. The Kingsmen take on the Panthers, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in William Rolland Stadium.
Interview with Ethan Pulley and Eli Peters:
Box Score: CLU 28, PP 24
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Release byRyan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
