Valparaiso University

The Valparaiso University football team saw its effort to extend its winning streak thwarted by Pioneer Football League preseason favorite San Diego, as the host Toreros prevailed 38-13 on Saturday in San Diego.
 
How It Happened

• The Valpo defense forced a punt on the game's first possession, but the first big swing took place on the punt, which was taken at the 1 before the Valpo returner retreated into the endzone and was tackled for a safety.
• The defense was right back on the field after the safety, and that drive resulted in Adam Criter's 5-yard touchdown run. San Diego went for two, and fumbled the ball on the 2-point play with Gabe Batres (Fairfield, Calif. / Angelo Rodriguez) recovering, so it remained 8-0.
• The Valpo offense finally touched the ball with 7:13 left in the first quarter, and quarterback Rowan Keefe (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) had pinpoint accuracy on that first drive. He found Devin Yeats (Hampshire, Ill. / Hampshire) for 24 yards for a big play, and later he connected with Marty O'Keeffe (Orland Park, Ill. / Brother Rice) for 15 yards to push the ball down to the 8-yard line. Cedric Benning III (Baltimore, Md. / Episcopal [Dickinson]) ran it in from eight yards out, and Valpo was very much back in the game at 8-7 with 2:21 left in the first.
• Criter had a 63-yard burst on the ensuing San Diego drive, putting the ball at the Valpo 6-yard line. Omar Mbakwe finished that drive with a 2-yard TD run that made it 15-7 through one quarter.
• Valpo lost a fumble early in the second quarter, then the teams exchanged punts. San Diego kicked two field goals in the final 1:33 of the first half, with Emiliano Salazar hitting from 31 and 40, the latter coming as the half expired.  
• Valpo had the first possession of the second half and went on a 12-play, 56-yard drive consuming 7 minutes, 5 seconds. Keefe found Chris Gundy (Smithfield, Va. / Smithfield) for 25 yards for the biggest play of the drive. Luke Scoma (Bellevue, Wash. / Bellevue) hit a 36-yard field goal to make it 21-10 through three quarters.
• A key roughing the pass penalty on 3^rd-and-7 from the Valpo 42 extended San Diego's next drive, and they eventually found the end zone when Criter ran it in from three yards out. Both kickers made fourth-quarter field goals, Scoma from 40 yards out and Salazar from 47, but USD sealed it with a pick six to account for the final score.

Inside the Game

• The Valpo defense played better than the score would indicate, with Anthony Feltrinelli recording a team-high nine tackles, Nic Lendino (Naperville, Ill. / Neuqua Valley) notching seven and the defensive line trio of Alex Goworowski (Chicago, Ill. / Saint Patrick), Garrett Risley (Sacramento, Calif. / Jesuit [Northeastern]) and Emmanuel Olojo (Chicago, Ill. / Niles West) accounting for six apiece.
• The Beacons notched seven tackles for loss from seven different players plus a pair of sacks, with Max Samuel (Edina, Minn. / Edina) and Batres recording sacks.
• Scoma had a good day kicking the football, going 2-for-2 on field goals with makes from 40 and 36 while also booting three of his five kickoffs for touchbacks.
• Keefe went 15-of-27 through the air for 178 yards and was the team's leading rusher with eight carries for 21 yards.
• Benning's 8-yard TD was his third score of the season.
• Freshman Will Orlando (Avon, Ind. / Brownsburg) averaged 53.5 yards per punt on four attempts, a season best. That featured a career-long punt of 71 yards, Valpo's longest punt since Ben Niesner hit one 72 yards on April 17, 2021 vs. San Diego.
• Yeats had a team-high 70 receiving yards on four catches, while Gundy also hauled in four balls for 54 yards.
• San Diego ran 74 offensive plays to Valpo's 50, outgaining the Beacons 395-233 including 255-55 on the ground.

Up Next
Valpo will return home to host Presbyterian at noon CT on Saturday, Oct. 24. It's the annual Breast Cancer Awareness game with tickets available on tickets.valpoathletics.com.