CANTON, Ohio – Bad thumb or not, Rudy Carlton was sharp.

The junior quarterback, who tore ligaments in his left thumb last week, came back this week to complete 10-of-14 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the NAIA’s No. 11-ranked Azusa Pacific to a 31-6 victory over Malone College at the famed Fawcett Stadium of the NFL Hall-of-Fame.

The victory is not only Azusa Pacific’s first of the season, squaring the Cougars’ record at 1-1, but it is the first coaching win for new head coach Victor Santa Cruz.

“The victory means more for the program than it does for me,” said Santa Cruz. “Winning football games does not come easy, and the guys worked hard this week in preparation for the game. They deserved this one.”

Wearing a brace around his left wrist and thumb, Carlton removed all question about the injury on his non-throwing hand on the Cougars’ first play from scrimmage, hooking up with the speedy Nathaniel Nasca for a 78-yard touchdown bomb to give Azusa Pacific a quick 7-0 lead.

“They came out in the defense we thought they would, and we felt we could go deep on their safeties,” said Carlton. “It wasn’t a good ball but Nate did a great job of going after it and then taking it to the end zone.”

Early in the second quarter, Carlton connected with Jon Davis on an 11-yard corner fade touchdown to cap an 8-play, 50-yard drive that put the Cougars 14-0. Azusa Pacific scored on 3 of its first 5 drives, stretching out to a comfortable 21-0 halftime lead after Donny Lee scored his first touchdown as a Cougar, barreling over from a yard to highlight a 10-play 59-yard drive.

“We played great as a unit,” said Carlton, who was 8-for-10 in the first half for 167 yards. “The O-line did a phenomenal job, the running backs picked up the blitzes, and everyone made my job very easy.”

The rest was up to the Cougar defense which thumped a Malone offense that had motored all over the Fawcett Stadium turf the week before in a 25-7 win over Trinity International. Led by linebackers Clint Shamblin and Travis Bengard, the Cougars limited Malone to just 157 yards of total offense. They hounded Pioneer quarterback Brad Reifsnyder, who misfired on 21-of-32 pass attempts and accounted for just 98 yards through the air while being sacked 4 times, including twice by Bengard.

“We were too physical and too fast for them,” said Shamblin. “Our speed was frustrating them at every turn, and we did what we were supposed to. It was as simple as that.”

The Pioneers managed just 59 yards total offense through its first 8 possessions and 29 plays, collecting just 3 first downs in the process. At one point, Malone ran 20 consecutive plays without gaining a first down. In addition, they couldn’t cross their own 40-yard line until midway through the third quarter, and by that time they were already down 28-0. It was too late.

“Today we showed glimmers of our 2004 defense,” said Shamblin, comparing this defensive unit to what many consider to be the best in program history. “I’d love to get back to us playing defense like we did back then.”

Marcus Lampkin, who rushed for 82 yards on 26 carries, added 2-yard touchdown dive midway through the third quarter, and freshman Ben Hansen connected on a 43-yard field goal, the first of his collegiate career, to round out the Cougar scoring.

Malone averted the shutout on a Reifsnyder six-yard TD run around left end late in the third quarter.

“This is a huge confidence booster for us,” said Carlton. “It’s good to get a win under our belt, but I think we’re still just scratching the surface of what this team can do.”

The Cougars finished with 319 yards worth of total offense. Carlton spread his 10 completions amongst 7 different receivers with Todd Wilson getting the most action with 3 catches for 44 yards.

With the victory, Azusa Pacific improves to 5-0 vs. the Mid-State Football Association, generally regarded as one of the top football conferences in the NAIA. Additionally, the Cougars have won 9 of their past 13 games played outside their native California border.