Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – Junior Drew Lewis (Turlock, Calif.) led the Purple & Gold Saturday providing a spark for the Whittier College Football team but it wasn't enough as Whittier would fall 70-16 at Memorial Stadium.

Whittier remains winless on the season as they drop to 0-8, 0-6 SCIAC, while Redlands remains on top of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Standings at 7-1, 6-0 SCIAC.

Lewis set the Poets up with great field position all day returning four kickoffs for a combined 132 yards averaging 33 yards a return with a long being of 43.  He also had two receptions for eight yards and rushed nine times for 29 and a touchdown.

UR got on the scoreboard first blocking a Poets punt into the endzone before recovering it for the go ahead touchdown.  The Bulldogs would come down and add another score on their next possession that put them in front 14-0.  But Lewis would help Whittier cut the deficit to one as he would cap off a six-play, 64-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown.  During the series, Matthew Valencia (Commerce, Calif.) found Steven Short (Seattle, WA) down the seam for a 50-yard hook-up that set WC up for their first points of the game.

In the second, UR opened the game up adding 28 points.  Whittier's Eric Voss (Temecula, Calif.) would connect on a 29-yard field goal that got the Poets within 11 but that's as close as they would get as the Bulldogs would go into the break leading 42-10. 

Whittier was shutout in the third being outscored 21-0 and would add a touchdown in the fourth with Lucas Leppke (Santa Clarita, Calif.) hauling in a tough grab from Valencia but that score wouldn't be enough as Whittier would fall in a lopsided contest. 

Valencia finished 12-19 for 163 yards and a touchdown.  Miguel Redmond (San Jose, Calif.) led the rushing attack with 24 rushes for 70 yards, while Short had two grabs for 57 yards.  Bryson Sanders (Manteca, Calif.) also had a good day with five catches for 47 yards averaging 9.4 yards per catch.

Isaiah Guerrero (Riverside, Calif.) led the Poets on defense with 13 tackles (8 Solo/5 Assisted), while Gregorio Verdugo (San Diego, Calif.) totaled 10 tackles (3 Solo/7 Assisted).  Rico Duenas (Napa, Calif.) was big up front finishing with seven tackles, a sack for a seven yard loss and 1.5 tackles for losses.           

Whittier wraps up their 2016 campaign next Saturday, November 12 as they host the University of La Verne on Senior Day beginning at 1:00pm.