LOS ANGELES — Cal Lutheran shutout the Occidental Tigers in the first half and coasted to a big 55-21 win to start Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play on Saturday afternoon.
It was the conference opener for both teams and the Kingsmen got back to .500 with a record of 2-2. The Tigers dropped their SCIAC home opener and are 1-2 overall.
The first string defense was impeccable as the Kingsmen held the Tigers to negative 61-yards in the first half. CLU only allowed two completions, two first downs and OXY was 0-for-10 on third-down conversions.
Cal Lutheran made big play after big play, starting with a sack by Trey Brown to force the Tigers a 3-and-out punt on their first possession, and it set the tone for the game.
The defense came from everywhere as Caleb Casimere, Obasi Dees, Tony Gutierrez, Connor McDermott, William Kelly, Garrett Long, Kerner Mark, Brandon Monroe, John Moore, Tecoy Porter, Randal Voutt, Jamon Ward and many more helped preserve a first-half shut out as they made key plays.
For the second time this year, the Kingsmen were up 38-0 at the half as the defense shut down OXY in all aspects and even caused two safeties. For the game, CLU recorded 11 tackles for loss, forced three fumbles and tallied two sacks.
The Cal Lutheran offense took advantage of the big plays from the defense and used it as momentum. The Violet and Gold compiled 246 yards and four rushing touchdowns in the first half. They totaled 15 first downs and scored on six of their seven possessions.
Running backs Jackson Taylor and Morris Jackson both ran for two touchdowns, all in the first half. Taylor tallied 16 attempts for 83 yards and had a 5.2 average while Jackson recorded 48 yards and a 3.7 average. The Kingsmen converted another touchdown in the second half as Stetson Stallworth scored his first touchdown with the Kingsmen, a 1-yard run.
Christian Antezana recorded 13 points on the day as CLU's kicker did not miss an opportunity. He was 4-for-4 on extra points and 3-for-3 in field goals as he converted from 26, 36 and 20-yards. Morgan Salzwedel got two chances on extra points in the second half and made both.
The Kingsmen controlled the game from the get-go. Cal Lutheran scored the first 41 points of the game which stretched over 35 minutes. Capping off the Kingsmen scoring was an 89-yard kick return by Marcus Ramirez with 1:57 left in the game, which put the Kingsmen over the 50-point mark.
CLU totaled 326 yards on the day with 193 coming on the ground. On the other side, the Violet and Gold held Oxy to 3.7 yards per play and just 25 rushing yards.
Cal Lutheran returns home with momentum as the Kingsmen host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday, for homecoming, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 55, OXY 21
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
