Box Score | Coach Buckley's Postgame Comments (Video)
FOREST GROVE – Pacific rolled up 598 yards of total offense and scored four fourth quarter touchdowns to move to 2-0 for the first time since 1969 Saturday night, recovering from a slow start to blow past Occidental, 67-30, in the Boxers' 2013 football home opener at Lincoln Park Stadium.
After allowing the Tigers the first 10 points of the game, the Boxers used a balanced attack to score eight touchdowns. Pacific's two quarterbacks amassed 384 yards passing and the team rushed for 236 yards, the most since the program's return in the 2010 season. The teams combined for 1,008 yards of total offense.
The 67 points is the most scored in the modern history of the program and the second most in school history behind the 118 points scored against George Fox in 1923. The win is also the first at home since the Boxers beat Puget Sound 44-25 on Oct. 29, 2011.
"With Occidental having a new staff and coordinators on both sides of the ball, it took us a little time to figure out what they were doing," said Pacific Head Coach Keith Buckley. "The guys came out after halftime and adjusted really well. We are obviously very happy and pleased with our progress."
Wide receiver Jordan Fukumoto (Jr., Mililani, Hawaii) made a stellar return to Lincoln Park Stadium after missing most of the 2012 season due to injury, making seven catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback T.C. Campbell (Jr., Kaimuki, Hawaii) completed 9 of 15 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns while P.J. Minaya (Sr., Wahiawa, Hawaii) completed 8 of 14 passes for 157 yards and three for three touchdowns.
Deven McKinney (Jr., Spanaway, Wash.) led the Pacific rushing attack, carrying 10 times for 125 yards, including a 49-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
"We want to be balanced, and we want to be able to run the ball effectively, which set us up to throw the ball effectively," Buckley said. "We had great offensive balance tonight."
Tommy Edwards led a pass-heavy Occidental attack, completing 34 of 63 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, but was picked off three times. Samuel Stekol caught seven balls for 69 yards and Devin Bullock caught six balls for 60 yards and a touchdown. Kawme Do led the Tigers on the ground, rushing 13 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. Occidental (0-1) finished the night with 410 yards of total offense.
At the onset, it looked as if Occidental would build early momentum with two interceptions of Minaya on the Boxers' first two drives. The first resulted in a 27-yard Marc Kuzbari field goal at the 12:40 mark. The second was converted into a 4-yard Cordell Harris scoring reception that gave the Tigers a 10-0 lead just four minutes into the game.
The Boxers came back to life on the next possession, with Minaya completing a five-play, 62-yard drive with a 21-yard scoring pass to Jakob Lawrence (Jr., Sherwood, Ore.). Occidental came right back with a 67-yard scoring drive, culminating with Edwards finding Devin Bullock for a 28-yard touchdown pass for the 17-7 lead with 5:20 to go in the first.
Pacific opened the second quarter with a one-play drive as Campbell connected with Fukumoto for the sixth longest pass play in school history, a 74-yard scoring bomb that brought the Boxers within 17-14.
Craig Bailey (Sr., Fairfield, Calif.) kick-started Pacific's next drive with his third interception of the season and a 75-yard return, the second longest in school history. Bobby Ladiges (Jr., Escalon, Calif.) needed just three rushes to cover five yards and put Pacific up 21-17 with 11:54 left in the half.
Occidental took the lead back with 4:08 left in the half as Edwards' pass to Samuel Crizer capped a nine-play, 65-yard drive to make it 23-21. Pacific added 10 points to close the half, with Campbell connecting with Fukumoto again for a 32-yard scoring pass with 2:44 left. Moses Villareal-Gomez (Jr., Stockton, Calif.) added a 32-yard field goal on the Boxers' final drive to make it a 31-23 halftime lead.
Pacific scored the only points of the third quarter on their first drive of the second half, with Minaya finding Fukumoto for a 42-yard touchdown pass at the 8:25 mark. Occidental had their only third quarter opportunity on their next series, but Kuzbari's 35-yard field goal went wide right.
The Tigers pulled back to within 38-30 to start the fourth quarter, with Do's two-yard rush completing a seven-play, 44-yard drive. But the Boxers broke the game wide open with four touchdowns in the final 15 minutes. McKinney opened the flurry when he took advantage of a wide-open field to run 49 yards for the score at the 11:30 mark. After an Occidental three-and-out, Campbell hooked up with Brian Taylor (Sr., Lewiston, Ore.) for a 53-yard scoring strike that put the Boxers up 53-30 with 8:38 left.
Kasey Dukes (Sr., Wahiawa, Hawaii) intercepted Edwards on the first play of the Tigers' next drive and Minaya found Caleb Roher (Jr., Gresham, Ore.) on the very play for a 30-yard touchdown pass. Kamana Pimental (So., Kaneohe, Hawaii) closed the game out with a four-yard scoring rush with 2:07 to go.
Pacific's defense was solid for the second straight week, sacking Edwards five times and making ine tackles for loss. Tim Hastie (Sr., Auberry, Calif.) led Pacific the way with eight tackles while Jack Perez (So., Petaluma, Calif.) added seven. Ross Fiegener led Occidental's defense with 11 tackles while Teran Mawhinney had 10.
Pacific will play their next two games on the road, beginning with a non-conference matchup next Saturday at Menlo. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. A live audio webcast of the game can be heard at GoBoxers.com and the game can be heard in Washington County on 1360 AM KUIK. Occidental returns to Los Angeles for their home opener, hosting Austin on Saturday.
BOXER BYTES: Pacific's 598 yards of total offense fell just short of the single game record of 607 yards set last year against Lewis & Clark…Pacific's first two wins in the 1969 season came in a 34-0 win over Eastern Oregon and a 21-13 victory over Western Oregon...The Boxers' three interceptions give the team five in their first two games of the season. The Boxers had eight total for the 2012 campaign.
Boxers Come Alive At Home, Cage Tigers In 67-30 Rout
/seasons/2013/boxscores/20130914_mwer.xml
2013
Occidental
30
Pacific
67
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occidental (0-1) | 17 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 30 |
| Pacific (2-0) | 7 | 24 | 7 | 29 | 67 |
Sep 14, 2013