ORANGE, Calif.— Cal Lutheran football held its ground in the first half, but the Chapman Panthers scored 21 unanswered points in the second and walked away with a 44-6 win Saturday night.
The loss puts the Kingsmen in a big hole and they are now 2-2 in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play, 3-4 overall. Chapman remains undefeated at 6-0 and 4-0 in conference and is in the driver's seat for a SCIAC championship.
It was a tough game for Cal Lutheran, in all categories, as Chapman showed why they were undefeated. The Panthers defense held the Kingsmen to just two rushing yards, only nine first downs and just 3-for-13 on third-down conversions.
The lone bright spot on the night for the Kingsmen was James Holland as he caught five passes for 106 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. He has recorded 100-plus receiving yards in three of the six games he has played in.
CLU quarterback Cesar De Leon was kept quiet as he was 18-of-31 for 236 yards and the lone touchdown to Holland. He was on the run all game long and sacked six times for a loss of 41 yards. The Panthers also shut down the run games, which was led by Jackson Taylor with 34 yards on six carries.
Defensively, Jamon Ward tallied 11 tackles, 10 of which were solo. Ethan Pulley and Connor McDermott were next with nine tackles each and McDermott's tackles included two for a loss. Zion Brow nwas all over the field and tallied seven tackles, including a sack and tackle-for-loss, a pass break-up and a quarterback hit.
Chapman opened the game with two touchdowns in the first quarter and one early in the second for a quick 20-0 lead. CLU tallied its only score of the game with 14:42 in the second quarter as Holland caught the 75-yard touchdown pass from De Leon. Chapman scored once more in the second and took a 23-6 lead into the half.
It was all Panthers in the second half as they scored three touchdowns, shut the Kingsmen out and won the game 44-6.
After two games on the road, Cal Lutheran is back home for its next game. The Kingsmen host the Redlands Bulldogs for the Smudge Pot Game on Nov. 2 at 7:05 p.m.
Box Score: CU 44, CLU 6
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
