Azusa Pacific at San Diego
Saturday (Sept. 6)
Torero Stadium, 7 p.m.

2002 Records:

Azusa Pacific – 9-1

San Diego – 5-5

THIS WEEK: Nationally-ranked Azusa Pacific, which is coming off its finest regular season in program history, kicks off the 2003 season and its 39th year of intercollegiate football on Saturday (Sept. 6) when the Cougars visit the University of San Diego for 7 p.m. kickoff in Torero Stadium on the campus of USD. It’s the seventh consecutive year that Azusa Pacific and San Diego have kicked off a new season against each other and the fifth time in San Diego.

SERIES NOTES: By winning 4 of the past 5 meetings, Azusa Pacific leads the all-time series with San Diego, 19-16. However, in Torero Stadium USD is 10-9 vs. Azusa Pacific, which includes a rather decisive 34-13 verdict over the Cougars in their last visit to San Diego in 2000. In fact, dating back to 1989 the Cougars have dropped 5 of their past 8 games at Torero Stadium.

From 1976 to 1988 Azusa Pacific won 13 of 14 meetings from the Toreros to take a 14-7 lead in the series. USD rebounded by taking 8 of the next 9 games, including 6 in a row from 1992 to 1997. The Cougars seemingly turned the tide in their 1998 NAIA championship season by downing the Toreros, 14-10, to spur the current 4-1 Cougar run.

Typically a close contest, 14 of the previous 35 meetings have been decided by a TD or less, including 3 of the past 5 contests.

Cougar coach Peter Shinnick is 3-1 vs. USD, while Torero mentor Kevin McGarry is 3-4 vs. Azusa Pacific.

LIDLIFTERS: All-time Azusa Pacific is 18-20 in season openers, but since 1980 the Cougars are a fine 15-9 in lid-lifters. They lost their first 9 season openers until ironically they knocked off San Diego, 15-7, to start the 1974 campaign. Against San Diego, the Cougars are 5-3 is season openers, including last year’s 41-25 verdict in Azusa. Overall, Azusa Pacific is 7-15 in season-openers on the road.

LAST MEETING: In 2002 season-opener, Azusa Pacific used big plays and a rebuilt defense to post one of its most impressive wins in 3 years, thumping San Diego, 41-25, before a capacity crowd of 2,825 in Azusa. The Cougars scored 6 touchdowns, 5 of which covered 20 or more yards on the play, including a trio of scores that went for more than 40 yards. And the Cougar defense, which managed 8 sacks all of last year, registered y6 take-downs of Torero QB Mike Rasmussen, including 3 by defensive end Nick Tavaglione, and harassed a USD offense, which just a year before had torched the Cougars for 34 points.

Led by senior QB Luke Winslow (15-for-21 for 225 yards and 3 TDs), the Cougars piled up 460 yards worth of total offense, their second-best effort on the season (544 yards vs. Chapman). The Cougars led 14-10 at the half and then blew the game open with 21 third-quarter points to assume a 35-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Toreros scored a pair of TDs to pull to with 10 at 35-25 with less than 2 minutes remaining, but Ryan Allen, who opened the game’s scoring with a 23-yard TD reception from Winslow, closed the scoring by returning USD’s attempt at an onside kick 45 yards for the game’s final TD. Nate Farris, who the year before had just 1 reception for the entire season, had a game-high 6 vs. San Diego for 137 yards, thanks to a 78- and 28-yard TD strikes from Winslow.

THE LAST VISIT: In 2001, the last time Azusa Pacific made the trek to San Diego, the Toreros beat up the Cougars, 34-13, for the Toreros largest victory at home over the Cougars since 1981. In his first collegiate start, Torero QB Eric Rasmussen played like a seasoned veteran, completing 14-of-19 passes for 186 yards while converting 9-of-13 third down plays in the game. Trailing 13-10 early in the second quarter, Azusa Pacific failed on a fourth-and-1 situation at their own 41-yard line. USD took over and scored a pair of TDs in a matter of 3 minutes to scoot out to a 27-10 cushion and never allowed the Cougars back into the game. The victory snapped USD’s 3-game losing streak to Azusa Pacific and was the Toreros’ first at home over the Cougars since 1997.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Azusa Pacific head coach Peter Shinnick, son of former Baltimore Colt linebacker and UCLA All-American Don Shinnick, begins his fifth season at Azusa Pacific. He has fashioned a 28-13 record to date and only Cougar Hall-of-Famer Jim Milhon (1978-94) has won more game at Azusa Pacific (81). Shinnick led Azusa Pacific to the 1999 NAIA semifinals and put the Cougars back in the NAIA playoffs in 2000. Known for an offensive flare, Shinnick’s teams have averaged 32 points and over 400 yards a game the past 4 seasons.

Veteran Torero Kevin McGarry is in his 28th season with USD football, his eighth as the head coach. The tenth coach to direct the Torero program since its 1956 inception, McGarry has carved a 34-36 record at the USD helm.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Azusa Pacific is ranked No. 12 in the NAIA Coaches Preseason Top 25 Poll that was released Aug. 26. For the Cougars, it is the highest ranking in the NAIA coaches’ poll since they were ranked No. 5 on Sept. 5, 2000. A new poll will be released Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m.

In the Football Gazette 2003 preseason polls, Azusa Pacific is ranked No. 7 in the NAIA, while San Diego is also ranked No. 7 in the NCAA I-AA Mid-Major Poll. In the Sports Network Poll, USD is ranked No. 9.

ABOUT THE COUGARS: Azusa Pacific returns 18 starters, including 10 on defense, from last year’s 9-1 team that was inexplicably demoted down the NAIA Coaches’ Poll and jilted from the postseason before the playoffs ever started despite winning its final 4 games of the season.

Heading the list of returnees on defense are All-Americans Nick Tavaglione (DE, 6-0, 260, Sr., Riverside, Calif./Poly HS) and Anthony Diggs (DE, 6-1, 230, Sr., Lancaster, Calif./Palmdale HS), who combined for 30 tackles for loss last year, including 16 QB sacks. Steve Holte (LB, 6-1, 225, West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley HS), who a year ago became the first freshman in Azusa Pacific history to lead the team in tackles (59) and Peder Moore (DT, 6-1, 225, Jr., Anacortes, Wash./Anacortes HS) are expected to be standouts again for a defense that yielded just 3 TDs over the final 13 quarters of the 2002 seasons. Speedster Dominique Degammmont (FS, 6-0, 205, Sr., Santa Ana, Calif./Tustin HS), who a year ago ignited a 21-point third quarter vs. USD by returning the second-half opening kickoff 87 yards for a TD, spearheads what could be the best Cougar secondary since the 1998 championship season.

On offense the Cougars return all the playmakers from a unit that averaged 34.8 points and 400.4 yards a game in 2002, save one – the quarterback. Otherwise RB Ben Buys (6-1, 235, So., Englewood, Colo./Denver Christian HS), TE Jo Jo Herrera (6-1, 255, Jr., Sun City, Calif./Paloma HS) and WRs Nate Farris (5-11, 170, Sr., Norwalk, Calf./Brethren Christian HS) and Ryan Allen (5-11, 190, Sr., Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian HS) are all back to be aided by an offensive line that averages 6-foot-3, 293 pounds across the starting front.

A year ago Buys led a ground game that averaged 176 yards a game and 4.7 yards a carry by chipping in his own 95 yards each contest and 5 yards a run. He tallied 16 TDs, thanks to a pair of 4 TD games, second only to Christian Okoye’s single-season school record of 21 (1986). Farris, who led the receiving corps with 9 TDs last year, averaged a whopping 25.5 yards on his 24 grabs, scoring 7 TDs that covered 40 yards or more in length. Allen, who may not be able to go against USD because of an injury, is Azusa Pacific’s hard-nosed receiver, who tallied most of his 33 catches last year over the middle.

AND AT QB: With the graduation of Azusa Pacific’s all-time leading passer Luke Winslow (school records of 6,610 passing yards, 51 TDs, 490 completions, .596 completion percentage), 3 Cougars staged an intense and long battle through the spring, summer and into 2-a-days to determine the new Cougar signal caller for the 2003 campaign. Combined, the trio of junior Eric McClenahan (6-0, 220, Jr., Glendale, Calif./Loyola HS), sophomore Sean Davis (6-4, 205, So., Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) and redshirt freshman Rudy Carlton (6-3, 185, Fr., Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge HS) were a combined 15-for-34 for 160 yards in 8 brief appearances off the bench over the past 2 seasons. None had any extensive collegiate experience or had appeared in the first half of any game of the collegiate careers. In the early going, none of QBs had an advantage over the other, but by the time 2-a-days ended last week, Davis got the nod, edging out Carlton in the final intersquad scrimmage. A year ago, David surpassed McClenahan on the depth chart by the fourth game of the season and in reserve duties went on to complete 3-of-4 passes for 29 yards in 3 games. Carlton, who is quite athletic and still may see time against USD, has yet to take a live snap on the college level.

ABOUT THE TOREROS: San Diego returns 54 players and 14 starters from last year’s 5-5 team that finished second in the northern division of the Pioneer Football League. The Torero offense, which a year ago averaged nearly 30 points and 410 yards a game, is once again in the good hands of senior QB Eric Rasmussen, last year’s team MVP, who completed 61% of his passes for 2,470 yards and 25 TDs. In 2 previous games against Azusa Pacific, Rasmussen torched the Cougars by completing 36-of-55 (.655) passes for 440 yards and 5 TDs.

With 7 starters back the Torero defense should be improved over the one that surrendered 31 points a game last year. Senior LB Andy Guzenski, the team defensive MVP last year who had 9 tackles in the game against Azusa Pacific, is the top returnee.

SHINNICK SAYS: “We’re really excited to get going,” said Cougar Coach Peter Shinnick. “With have so many starters back who have worked hard in the off-season to get into the position we’re currently in. There is a lot of excitement to see how this team, season and in particular this game with San Diego works out.

“With so many starters back and with how they finished last season, I think our defense is going to be our strength at the start. However, we’re going to have a good ground game with Ben Buys running the ball on offense. And really, since being named the starter last week, Sean Davis has done a great job at quarterback in practice. Plus he has a lot of returners on offense helping him and making sure he succeeds.

“San Diego has great quarterback returning in Eric Rasmussen. He has been extremely good against us. Other than the last 2 games, last year when we got up and them and the year before when they got up on us, this has been a very tight game. It’s great a rivalry and great match-up. I’m sure San Diego is coming after us a little irritated that we beat them last year, so I expect this to be a tremendous game.”

CONNECTIONS: Azusa Pacific’s 99-man roster features 8 players from the San Diego area who will be returning home this weekend. Those Cougars include: DB Damaro Wheeler (sr., San Diego, Calif./Kearny HS), WR Patrick Carroll (San Diego, Calif./San Diego HS), OL Steve Mejia (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS), DB Evan Fisher (Julian, Calif./Julian HS), LB Brandon Williams (fr., Oceanside, Calif./El Camino HS), WR Josiah Clark (jr., El Cajon HS/Eastlake HS), DL Kenny Simmons (fr., Lemon Grove, Calif./San Diego HS), NG Jesse Stolebarger (jr., San Diego, Calif./Horizon HS)

DIRECTIONS TO GAME: Take Interstate 5 south to San Diego. Exit Sea World Drive and turn left over the freeway. Turn right on Morena Blvd (first light). Turn left on Napa Street. Turn left on Linda Vista and go up the hill. Turn left on Santa Ana onto the USD campus. Turn at first right … stadium on the right.