Author: Alex Nieves
When senior quarterback Tommy Edwards went down for the season with an elbow injury last week, there were serious questions about the state of the quarterback position — and of the team as a whole — for the Occidental football squad.
With Bryan Scott’s (first-year) orchestration of Occidental’s 38-30 comeback win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) on Saturday, some of those questions may have been answered.
Scott finished the contest completing 19 of 38 passing attempts for 222 yards and one touchdown, the first of his young collegiate career.
But in spite of Scott’s strong offensive performance, the Tigers found themselves in an early hole, as the Stags built a 22-7 lead heading into the locker room for halftime. However, entering the third quarter, Occidental came back to life and outscored CMS 17-0 to take a lead into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers’ ball-hawking defense catalyzed the comeback, forcing the Stags to commit three turnovers, all of which directly resulted in points for the black and orange. Sophomore Shay Mueller deflected a pass off a CMS receiver’s heel and into the arms of fellow defensive back Teran Mawhinney (junior), who took the interception 42 yards for a score.
Occidental took the lead for good after a fumble recovery set up running back Kwame Do (sophomore) for an 18-yard scamper to the house, giving the Tigers a 24-22 advantage. Do posted a career-high 145 rushing yards in the game.
Scott later added some insurance with a five-yard touchdown run after cornerback Matthew Malos (junior) picked off a pass and returned it 62 yards.
Do added yet another 18-yard touchdown run with 1:56 minutes left in the fourth quarter, giving Occidental a 38-22 lead and effectively icing the game. CMS would score and convert a two-point conversion to cut their deficit to eight with 37 seconds remaining, but a failed onside kick put a wrap on the contest.
Junior wideout Samuel Stekol recorded another triple-digit receiving performance and was instrumental in Scott’s debut. The 6-foot-3-inch target finished the game with 105 yards on six receptions and added a touchdown catch early in the first quarter.
The Tigers’ defense received a boost with starting middle linebackers Ross Fiegener (junior) and Matt Matulaitis (senior) both in the lineup for the first time since week one. Fiegener led the squad with a game-high 13 tackles, while Matulaitis was close behind with 12.
The black and orange (2-2 overall, 1-1 SCIAC) will be back at Jack Kemp Stadium on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m., when they will host their homecoming game against the undefeated Chapman Panthers.
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