Josh Scurlock '08 threw his second touchdown
pass of the day midway through the third quarter to give Whittier
College a 20-10 lead, but 28 unanswered points gave Chapman
University a 38-20 victory in Orange, Calif., on October 13.
Their second loss in a row drops the Poets' record to 2-3.
The Panthers (3-2) started the scoring on the opening drive of the
game with a 27-yard field goal to take the early 3-0 lead.
The Poets answered on their first possession, taking the lead when
Anthony Pomponio '09 carried the ball seven yards
into the end-zone. The extra point was missed, leaving
Whittier with a 6-3 edge with 7:48 left in the first quarter.
Neither team scored again in the quarter; Chapman missed a 37-yard
field goal and the Poets turned the ball over with a fumble.
In the second, Scurlock had a pass intercepted in the opening
minutes and on the ensuing Panther possession, Eric Marty found
Brandon Koller for a three-yard touchdown pass to give them a 10-6
lead. Once again, the Poets answered with a touchdown of
their own. Pomponio scored for the second time in the game,
this time on the receiving end of a two-yard pass from Scurlock
with 8:51 remaining in the first half. The 13-10 score line
would hold up as the teams headed into the locker room at
halftime.
In the second half, the Poets forced a Chapman fumble that was
recovered by Brent Barstow '09 to give
Whittier's offense a short field to work with. They took
advantage, using just two-plays to travel 36 yards, ending with a
nine-yard touchdown pass from Scurlock to Shawn Briggs
'08. The extra point gave the Poets a 20-10 lead
with 9:26 left in the third. It would be the final scoring
drive for the Poets in the game, and they gained just 84 yards from
that point on. They found the end-zone at the end of the
third with a six-yard touchdown pass that capped a six-play,
91-yard drive to cut Whittier's lead to three as the quarter came
to a close.
A three-and-out for the Poet offense to start the fourth quarter
gave the ball back to Chapman. They marched 62 yards down the
field on ten plays and scored on a 19-yard touchdown pass to take a
24-20 lead. Once again Whittier was unable to move the ball
and on the next Chapman possession, a 60-yard strike from Marty to
Harrison Dull extended their lead to31-20. Their final
scoring drive ended with 1:16 left in the game after a two-yard
rushing touchdown from Ian Galanis. The score remained 38-20
as the final whistle blew.
Scurlock was 24-for-41 passing for 200 yards and two
touchdowns. He also threw one interception. Pomponio
was the leading rusher for the Poets, gaining 61 yards on 15
carries and a touchdown. He also caught six passes for 45
yards and a touchdown. Briggs was the leading receiver with
eleven receptions for 116 yards and a score.
Defensively, the Poets were led by Brandon Wilcox
'11 who recorded six tackles and a half of a
sack. Sean MacNeil '09 finished with 5.5
tackles and a sack.
The Panters were led by Marty, who threw for 303 yards and four
touchdowns. Dull was on the receiving end of three of those
touchdown passes, and made ten receptions for 216 yards.
Galanis was their leading rusher with 56 yards and a touchdown on
14 carries. On he defensive end, Kaeo Kane finished with
eleven tackles and a pair of sacks.
The Poets return to conference play on October 20, when they travel
to the University of La Verne. The game is scheduled to
kick-off at 1pm.
