The University of Redlands football team embarked upon the 2016 season with an in-region showdown against Trinity University (TX) in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday night. After trailing early, the Bulldogs battled until the bitter end to pull within one touchdown but simply ran out of time to complete the comeback in a 27-34 loss to the Tigers.
Overall, Redlands converted 22 first downs, as compared to Trinity's 16, and racked up 444 yards of offense, which was more than 100 yards better than the Tigers.
During the first half, the Maroon and Gray struggled to break into the end zone and mustered a 24-yard field goal by junior kicker Nathan Hierlihy (Redondo Beach, CA).
Down 3-20 to start the third quarter, Redlands moved the ball into Hierlihy's range for another field goal, which cut the deficit to two touchdowns. Graduate student quarterback Paul Avila (Santa Maria, CA) orchestrated the drive, finding junior wide receiver Cole Blackburn (Sammamish, WA) for 34 of the 58 yards on three passes. Blackburn finished the night with a team-high 144 yards on 13 catches.
Through three quarters, Avila put together a 21-for-27 showing for 205 yards but, unfortunately, his effectiveness was not reflected on the scoreboard.
After Trinity made it 27-6, Redlands responded with a touchdown on the ensuing drive that was set up by freshman Joe Guzman's (Santa Maria, CA) 76-yard kick-off return to the Tigers' 16-yard line. With junior quarterback Mitch Kidd (Salinas, CA) now under center, Redlands broke through to the end zone for the first time of the night. Junior running back Alex Andrighetto's (Portola Valley, CA) 12-yard carry led to Kidd's four-yard scoring scamper.
Big defensive plays by junior linebacker Mitch Shepherd (Seattle, WA) and company forced the Tigers to punt and allowed Redlands to put seven more points on the board. Kidd connected with the receiving corps on back-to-back passes, culminating in a 13-yard touchdown catch by freshman tight end Blake Roy (Wahougal, WA).
Trailing by a score of 20-27 with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter, a comeback was clearly doable. The Bulldog defense continued to do work, with senior defensive lineman Jack Rulon (Huntington Beach, CA) and junior defensive back Dustin Nascimento (Aiea, HI) leading the effort to minimize Trinity's scoring chances.
However, both offenses seemed to stall under the pressure of the stingy defenses, leading to two scoreless drives each.
Unfortunately, a Redlands turnover led to Trinity's final touchdown and forced the Bulldogs to score twice in the remaining nine minutes. Now with graduate student quarterback Tyler Shreve (Highland, CA) in the game, the Maroon and Gray worked to move the chains with three big first downs. First, he found junior wide receiver Kyle Kabeary (Indio, CA) for 24 yards, before hitting junior wide receiver Christian Guzman (Desert Hot Springs, CA) for 17. Now at the Trinity 36-yard line, the veteran quarterback connected with Blackburn on an eight-yard strike for a first down. Two plays later, the Shreve-Guzman combo worked again, this time for 26 yards into the promise land for the touchdown.
Redlands successfully executed the on-side kick to get the ball back for one last chance. After a 36-yard completion to C. Guzman to the Trinity 17-yard line, the comeback was within the Bulldogs' sights. But the Tiger defense halted the visitors' efforts in the final four plays, forcing Redlands to turn the ball over on downs.
Overall, Blackburn led the air attack, while C. Guzman posted an impressive average of 18.4 yards per catch on his five. Shreve finished with a 5-for-10 showing for 111 yards through the air.
Defensively, Nascimento tallied a team-high 11 tackles, while Shepherd offered eight hits, including two for a loss of 27 yards.
Redlands (0-1) looks to bounce back during the bye week, as the team prepares for a rematch against George Fox University (OR) on September 17 at 7 p.m. in Ted Runner Stadium.