AZUSA PACIFIC at SAN DIEGO

Friday (Sept. 1), Torero Stadium, 7 p.m.

2006 Records:

Azusa Pacific – 6-4

San Diego – 11-1

THIS WEEK: It’s a decade of “San Diego First” or, considering your point of view, perhaps “Azusa Pacific First.” For the tenth consecutive year, Azusa Pacific and University of San Diego kick off the new first football season when the 2 Southern California powers meet Friday (Sept. 1) at Torero Stadium in San Diego for a 7 p.m. kick off.

RADIO: The Azusa Pacific-San Diego game will be broadcast live on the radio at 1700-AM throughout the San Diego area and can be heard on the Internet at www.usdtoreros.com. Jack Murray will call the game while former USC and San Diego State head coach Ted Tollner provides the color analysis.

TICKET PRICES: Tickets for Friday’s game at Torero Stadium can be purchased over the Internet or by calling the San Diego ticket office at 619-260-7550. Tickets are $12 for reserved section, $10 for General Admission and $8 for students/child.

DIRECTIONS: From Azusa Pacific: Take the 210 east to the 57 south. Merge onto the 5 south and go 86 miles toward San Diego. Take the Sea World Drive exit (No. 21). Turn left and cross over the freeway, turning right on Morena Blvd. Turn left on Linda Vista Road. The university will be on the left at the top of the hill.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: For only the third time in program history Azusa Pacific is playing a Friday game. Two years ago, Azusa Pacific hosted Valley City State (N.D.) on Friday, Nov. 12, 2004, to accommodate the Vikings’ travel wishes to be home by Sunday. The Cougars proceeded to post their largest margin of victory ever, pasting Valley City State, 68-6. Prior to that, the Cougars played on Friday, Oct. 20, 1967, beating the freshman team of Cal Poly Pomona, 55-28.

SERIES NOTES: Azusa Pacific leads the all-time series with San Diego, 21-17, and has taken 6 of the past 8 meetings. However, the Toreros thumped Azusa Pacific last year, 30-6 in San Diego for their largest margin of victory over the Cougars since 1994 (49-21).

At Torero Stadium, USD leads 11-10 following last year’s victory. Still, the Cougars have won 3 of the past 5 meetings in San Diego.

San Diego head coach Jim Harbaugh is 1-1 vs. Azusa Pacific, falling to the Cougars, 24-17, in his collegiate debut in 2004 before leading the Toreros to last year’s convincing win in San Diego.

Typically a close game that comes down to the final drive of the contest, 7 of the past 10 Azusa Pacific-San Diego meetings have been decided by 10 or less points. Overall, 21 of the previous 38 meetings reached verdicts of 10 points or less.

LIDLIFTERS: All-time Azusa Pacific is 20-21 in season openers, but since 1980 the Cougars are a fine 17-10 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 7-4 is season openers. Overall, Azusa Pacific is 8-16 in season-openers on the road.

ABOUT THE COACHES: San Diego native Victor Santa Cruz is making his collegiate head coaching debut Friday night. The sixth-year Cougar staff member and former defensive coordinator was named Azusa Pacific’s ninth head coach Dec. 14, 2005, taking over for Peter Shinnick, who resigned after 7 years to become the head coach of the newly-established program at North Carolina-Pembroke. Santa Cruz, 34, is seeking to become only the third Cougar coach ever to win his opening game. A former 4-year linebacker at the University of Hawaii, Santa Cruz came to Azusa Pacific in 2001 after spending 5 seasons as an assistant for legendary prep coach Herb Meyer at El Camino High in Oceanside, Calif. Santa Cruz prepped at Rancho Buena High in Vista, Calif.

Former Michigan great and 15-year NFL veteran Jim Harbaugh begins his third year as the USD mentor. Harbaugh came to San Diego in 2004 after spending the previous 2 seasons as the quarterback coach for the Oakland Raiders. He has amassed an impressive 18-5 record in 2 seasons.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Azusa Pacific is ranked No. 11 in the2005 NAIA Coaches Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Cougars have appeared in 48 consecutive NAIA Polls dating back to Sept. 17, 2002.

San Diego is ranked No. 1 in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Preseason Poll. It’s the first time in program history that USD has been top-ranked in the nation. The Toreros received 12 of 20 first-place votes and easily out-distanced No. 2 Dayton.

ABOUT THE COUGARS: Azusa Pacific returns 45 players from last year’s 6-4 team that advanced to the first round of the NAIA playoffs. Amongst the list are 14 starters, including 8 on offense. The Cougars’ entire starting offensive front returns intact as does the starting backfield. On defense, 3 outstanding starting linebackers are back, as is a sterling backer who missed all of 2005 with an injury. Under Santa Cruz’s direction, Azusa Pacific has collected one of its best freshman classes in program history, and several rookies are expected to make an impact.

Heading the list of offensive returnees are senior RB Marcus Lampkin (926 rushing yards, 5.0 avg/c, 7 TDs in 2005), junior QB Rudy Carlton (91-191-5 for 1,242 yards, 8 TDs in 2005) and All-American candidate senior OT Keith Ornales (6-3, 290).

On defense, senior preseason All-American Scott Ellis (92 tackles in 2005) leads a parade of outstanding linebackers including sophomore Travis Bengard (87 tackles, 10 for loss in 2005), and junior Clint Shamblin (46 tackles, 8 for loss in 2005). Sophomore Kenny Simmons, who came on strong during the Cougars’ 2004 playoff run to the NAIA semis (40 tackles, 9 for loss in 2004).

TOP NEWCOMERS: High on Victor Santa Cruz’s list of newcomers who should have an impact on the Cougar fortunes this year are transfers Jordan Farrell (WR, Sacramento State), James Webster (TE, Saddleback CC), Trent Sakioka (WR/PR, Santa Ana CC), Shaun Kemp (DE, Western State) and Tommy Musa (CB, Southwestern Oklahoma State).

ROAD WARRIORS: No one in the NAIA, perhaps in all of non-Division I football, travels this year as much as Azusa Pacific. The Cougars journey over 7,500 miles during their 10-game schedule, including the longest road trip in program history. The Cougars make first-ever trips to Ohio (Malone College, where they’ll will pay in Fawcett Stadium, home of the NFL Hall of Fame game), Wisconsin (NCAA Division III runner-up Wisconsin-Whitewater), Oklahoma (Southern Nazarene University), Washington (Whitworth College) and Oregon (Southern Oregon). Their trips to Ohio (longest road trip ever) and Wisconsin are on consecutive weeks

FIRST-TIMERS: Azusa Pacific’s 10-game schedule also features 6 first time opponents. It begins the second week of the season with NAIA member Malone, followed by back-to-back games with NCAA Division III members and conference mates Wisconsin-Whitewater and Wisconsin-La Crosse. Also new to the schedule are Dixie State College of Cedar City, Utah, a first-year NCAA Division II program, and NAIA affiliates Southern Nazarene of Bethany, Okla., and Webber International of Babson Park, Fla. Whitworth College of Spokane, Wash., is back on the schedule for the first time in 7 years. The only real constants on the Cougar slate are San Diego, Humboldt State and Southern Oregon.

POSTSEASON SIGHTS: Azusa Pacific has advanced to the NAIA playoffs 6 of the past 8 seasons, beginning with the 1998 championship season. The Cougars, who also advanced to the semifinals in 1999 and again in 2004, are looking for a program-first fourth straight postseason bid this season.

BY THE NUMBER: Since it’s 1998 NAIA national championship season, Azusa Pacific is 65-24 (.703) on the gridiron, which includes a 34-10 record over the past 4 seasons ... Marcus Lampkin needs just 44 yards to move into tenth place on Azusa Pacific’s all-time rushing chart with 1,376 yards in his career.

ABOUT TOREROS: San Diego opens the 2006 as a favored team, one expected to do very well in it’s own conference – the Pioneer Football League – and on a national level.

The Toreros enter Saturday’s game with an 8-game winning streak carrying over from last year. USD was 11-1 in 2005, losing only to Princeton, 20-17, on the road during the fourth week of the season. Along the way, the Toreros picked up their first win over Azusa Pacific in 4 seasons, a convincing 30-6 decision in San Diego.

Under third-year coach Jim Harbaugh, USD returns 47 players, including preseason All-American junior QB Josh Johnson, who in 12 games last year threw for 3,256 yards and 36 TDs while completing an impressive 70-percent of his passes. Also back are junior DE Eric Bakhtiari (62 tackles, 15 for loss), junior C Jordan Paopap and senior LB Kyson Hawkins (64 tackles, 12 for loss).

Last year, behind Johnson and Paopao, San Diego averaged a whopping 42.6 points and 485.2 yards a game. The San Diego attack does not merely rest on Johnson’s shoulders, but also under his feet. He rushed for 379 yards last year and averaged 4.4 yards a carry. He received ample running support from HB J.T. Rogan, who returns to the backfield as well after rushing for 944 yards and averaging 5.1 yards a carry as a 2005 freshman.

Beyond its current 8-game winning streak, USD has won 16 of its past 17 games dating back to Oct. of 2004. Against Azusa Pacific Friday night, San Diego hopes to kick off its 50th season of football by claiming its 14th straight win at home. USD has not lost in Torero Stadium since Princeton claimed a 24-17 victory Sept. 25, 2004.