ORANGE, Calif. – After 5 consecutive weeks of high-intensity, nail-biting games that came down to the final minute of play, Azusa Pacific finally got a breather, and with it came a breath of fresh air as well.

Behind the running of true freshman Alex Peltier and another superb effort by one of the nation’s top defenses, Azusa Pacific ran away from Chapman University to post a 30-3 victory and successfully bounce back from last week’s fall to No. 1-ranked Carroll College

Making his first-ever collegiate start in place of the injured Ben Buys, Peltier jump started a Cougar ground game that had produced just 129 yards the 2 previous weeks combined by rushing for a hefty 211 yards on 33 carries (6.4 avg.) to become only the eighth Cougar ever to eclipse 200 yards in a game. Peltier entered with just 62 rushing yards on the season. Tonight, however, was his coming out party as he set the standard for most rushing yards ever by Cougar freshman.

“I was pretty nervous before the game,” said Peltier who will likely start at least the next 2 games while Buys recovers from an assortment of injuries which includes surgery to his hand. “This was a good game for me to get my first start. The offensive line played very well. It was ridiculous how big the holes were at the beginning of the game. By the time the first series ended, I felt like I had settled down.”

Peltier rushed for 32 yards on his first 3 carries to help Azusa Pacific motor downfield after Chapman had taken a 3-0 lead on the game’s opening possession. The Cougars’ first drive appeared to have stalled out at the Panther 20-yard line. However, Mike Betancourth’s 37-yard field goal was blocked and holder Jon Miller scooped up the loose ball and ran 15 yards into the end zone for an unorthodox touchdown and 7-3 Cougar lead.

Since Peltier continued to collect real estate in huge chunks, Chapman turned its defensive focus on the 5-foot-9, 195-pound rookie out of Santa Fe Christian High in the San Diego area. In response, Azusa Pacific went to the air, and just before halftime the Cougars drove 74 yards in 5 plays with junior QB Sean Davis accounting for all the yardage by rushing for 26 yards once and then completing 3-of-4 passes for another 48 yards, including a 16-yard TD strike for senior WR Paul Silva’s first-ever touchdown.

Betancourth added a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter. The Cougars put the game on ice with a pair of fourth-quarter TDs, the first coming on a Peltier 1-yard leap over the middle on the first place of the quarter, and the second coming on Davis’ 2-yard naked-bootleg.

“It took until the third quarter for us to be where I wanted to be,” said Cougar coach Peter Shinnick, “but this was a real nice win following last week’s game with Carroll. Alex stepped up and did a great job, and the o-line found their feet and helped keep the ball moving tonight.”

For the second consecutive week, the Cougar defense did not yield a touchdown and has now gone 10 quarters without allowing the foe into the end zone.

“To be honest, the touchdown streak is not our focus,” said junior LB Steve Holte, whose second-quarter interception, his first pick of the year, thwarted a Panther drive inside the red zone. “Any points being scored disappoint us, touchdowns and field goals disappoint us. Still, this was a huge landmark, to come back and play this well after last week’s game is a confidence booster for us.”

Azusa Pacific held Chapman’s winged-T offense to 228 yards, 114 each in passing and rushing. The Cougars forced 4 turnovers, including freshman CB Cameron Tucker’s first-ever interception that set up Davis’ TD. Additionally, the Cougars allowed the Panthers across the midfield stripe just 4 times, forcing a punt and 2 turnovers on 3 of those possessions.

Meanwhile, Azusa Pacific’s offense enjoyed its best outing of the season, piling up 509 yards worth of total offense, 286 on the ground and 223 through the air. Before giving way to back-up Eric McClenahan, Davis completed 13-of-24 passes for 144 yards and rushed 7 times for 46 yards. Silva and Miller each had 3 receptions to lead a balanced set of Cougar receivers.

The victory is Azusa Pacific’s third straight over Chapman and the sixth in the past 7 meetings. The Cougars improve to 5-1 on the season while Chapman falls to 3-2.