Webber International at Azusa Pacific

Saturday (Nov. 4)

Cougar Stadium, 6 p.m. (PDT)

Records:

Azusa Pacific – 2-6

Webber International – 5-3

THIS WEEK: Though the luster of this game has somewhat dimmed since the signing of the game contract last winter, there still remains a broad appeal about once NAIA playoff hopefuls Azusa Pacific and Webber International locking horns for the first time ever when the Warriors drop in on the Canyon City Saturday (Nov. 4) for a 6 p.m. game. It’s a unique NAIA match-up, pitting rare east-coast and west-coast programs against each other.

RADIO: The Azusa Pacific-Webber International game will be broadcast live on Internet radio through Azusa Pacific’s student-run station KAPU. Listen to Alex Charles, Matt Sperrazza and Brian Soash call all the action live, beginning at 5:45 p.m.

TICKETS: Tickets for the Azusa Pacific-Webber International game are $5 for adults, $3 for students with ID and free for children 12 years of age and under. All tickets can be purchased the day of the game at the stadium entrance gate.

ABOUT WEBBER INTERNATIONAL: Located about 90 miles east of St. Petersburg, and 60 miles south of Orlando, Webber International is an NAIA school in Babson Park, Fla., that primarily features a business education. Though the university is about to celebrate its 80th anniversary, this is just the fifth season of Warrior intercollegiate football. The gridiron sport made its campus debut in 2002, and the Warriors quickly established themselves as a possible NAIA postseason participant. In fact, the Warriors appeared in the NAIA Coaches Poll for the first time late in the 2005 season before 3 forfeit losses ended their hopes for a postseason bid. Like Azusa Pacific, WIU does not have a conference affiliation and thus uses some ingenuity to assemble its schedule, which paved the way for the 2 programs to meet this week

SERIES NOTES: This is the first-ever meeting in any sport between Azusa Pacific and Webber International. WIU is the fifth of what will be 6 first-time foes for the Cougars this season. Along with Webber, Azusa Pacific met for the first time this season Malone, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Dixie State and next week’s opponent – Southern Nazarene.

EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI: Azusa Pacific is 6-2 all-time vs. teams east of the Mississippi River. The 2 losses came this year at the hand of NCAA Division III Top-10-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater and Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

vs. NAIA: Azusa Pacific is the only NAIA school in California that sponsors football and is 1 of only 2 west of the Rockies (Southern Oregon is the other). Opportunities to play NAIA members are relatively rare. Since 1998, the Cougars are 20-13 vs. NAIA foes. They have won 7 of their past 11 verdicts vs. NAIA teams with 3 of the losses coming to playoff teams.

TOUGH FOES: The task at hand has not been easy for the Cougars. Azusa Pacific’s first 7 opponents are a combined 40-10 this season (38-4 when tossing out Southern Oregon). Three teams – San Diego, Wisconsin-Whitewater and Whitworth (all 8-0) – are still undefeated, and 4 foes are currently ranked in the top 10 of their respective association polls.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Azusa Pacific is 40-9 in Cougar Stadium since 1999, with 3 of the 4 losses coming at the hands of nationally-ranked teams. Since the opening of Cougar Stadium, Oct. 18, 1986, Azusa Pacific is 65-36 against the scenic foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: This year Azusa Pacific will travel over 15,000 miles to play its 6 road games. In fact, the Cougars were on the long, long road at the outset of the season with 5 of their first 6 games all away from the friendly confines of home. Since the season started back on Sept. 1, the Cougars have been to San Diego (their closest road game of the season), Canton, Ohio; Whitewater, Wis.; Spokane, Wash.; and most recently Ashland, Ore. They conclude the campaign next week with a first-ever trip to the Oklahoma City suburb of Bethany, Okla.

ABOUT THE COACHES: Former defensive coordinators and first-year head coaches Victor Santa Cruz of Azusa Pacific and Webber International’s Kelly Scott match their somewhat parallel careers this Saturday.

Santa Cruz, 34 and a former 4-year linebacker at the University of Hawaii, was named Azusa Pacific’s ninth head coach Dec. 14, 2005, after spending the previous 5 seasons on the Cougar staff. He came to Azusa Pacific in 2001 after spending 5 seasons as an assistant for at El Camino High in Oceanside, Calif. Santa Cruz has been the overseer of the Cougar defense the past 2 years, including the 2004 squad that ranked among the best defensive units in the NAIA that season.

Midwest native Kelly Scott, the lone remaining member of Webber International’s inaugural coaching staff of 2002, was named the Warriors’ head coach on Dec. 6, 2005, taking over for Rod Shafer, who returned to the high school ranks following last season. Scott began his coaching career in Indiana with a stop in South Carolina before moving on to Florida where he coached for 9 seasons at Lake Wales (Fla.) High School before joining the WIU staff 6 years ago.

LAST WEEK: Azusa Pacific scored 21 consecutive points midway through the first half and cruised on in for 38-20 victory over first-year NCAA Division II member Dixie State. Junior Trent Sakioka returned a punt 69 yards for the Cougars’ first TD and then used nifty returns deep into Rebel territory to set up Azusa Pacific’s next 2 touchdowns. Quarterback Chris Lamkin and running back Marcus Lampkin enjoyed their best games of the season, together accounting for 312 of Azusa Pacific’s 347 yards worth of total offense. The Cougar defense settled in and pounded the Rebels throughout the second half, limiting Dixie State to just 57 yards total offense over the final 30 minutes, including a mere 2 in the fourth quarter alone. Defensive end Casey Roel led the Cougar charge with a career-high 7 tackles, including a hand in 4 of the Cougars’ 8 quarterback sacks.

Despite the loss of 4 players earlier in the week, including starting QB J.B. Hill, Webber International had little trouble dispatching of winless NCAA Division II member Chowan University of North Carolina, posting a 28-0 road victory. Senior QB Dedrick Sykes completed 10-of-17 passes for 182 yards and 1 TD to lead a Warrior offense that tallied 318 yards on the day.

SETTLING INTO HIS OWN: It’s no accident that Azusa Pacific QB Chris Lamkin wears No. 4. The junior signal-caller out of San Clemente, Calif., has a similar style in play to that of future NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre. A former third-string QB, Lamkin moved into the starting rotation because of injuries to other Cougar QBs, and he has responded with a fearless, albeit sometimes risky, all-out brand of play that has put an electric charge into the Cougar offense. In his 2 games as a starter, Lamkin has been adept at throwing the ball and running with it. He has led Azusa Pacific to 55 points (the Cougars tallied 69 points through the first 6 games). He has completed 16-of-26 (.615) passes for 231 yards and 3 TDs. Yes, he has thrown 4 interceptions, put he has also thrived with some rather impressive courage, leading a Cougar option game that has allowed him to rush for 110 yards on 28 carries, scoring another TD.

AMONG THE BEST: Senior RB Marcus Lampkin has clearly proven himself to be among the best backs in Cougar football history. The 5-foot-9 former 29 Palms High standout is coming off his best game of the season, rushing for 160 yards on just 18 carries against Dixie State. In the second half alone he rushed for 122 yards on only 8 carries. He had runs of 35, 35, and 31 yards to go along with an 11-yard TD scamper. In his 29-game career, Lampkin has rushed for 1,901 yards. He needs just 99 more yards over the final 2 games to become only the sixth Cougar ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a career. Last year, Lampkin tied Cougar legend Christian Okoye’s single-game school rushing record with 248 yards in Azusa Pacific’s comeback victory over Valley City State (N.D.).

HERE COME THE SACKMASTERS: Heading into this season, Azusa Pacific owned a well-earned reputation as a relentless, pursuing defense. In 2004 the Cougars accumulated 55 quarterback sacks (second best in the NAIA) in 14 games (3.9 avg./game), and came back last year to tally 28 in 10 games (2.8 avg.). The Cougars had been struggling this season until last week when Casey Roel and Travis Bengard led a Cougar defensive unit that swarmed for 8 sacks of Dixie State QB Danny Southwick, the most by an Azusa Pacific defense since that 2004 squad registered 9 sacks at Western New Mexico. Thanks to their breakout performance against Dixie State, the Cougars now have 20 sacks in 8 games (2.5 avg.) on the season. For the season senior DE Josh Zeno tops the team with 6 sacks followed by Roel with 5.5 and Bengard with 3.5.

BY THE NUMBER: The Cougar offensive line has allowed just 3 sacks on 156 pass plays this season ... Sophomore WR Jon Davis, who had never played football in his life until last year, is Azusa Pacific’s leading receiver this season with 25 catches for 272 yards (10.9 avg.) and 3 TDs ... Led by linebackers Scott Ellis and Clint Shamblin, who each top the team with 59 tackles on the season, the Cougar defense has allowed just one opposing back to rush for 100 yards this season (Southern Oregon’s Shane Van Zant tallied 107) ... Thirteen Cougar seniors will play in their final home game Saturday against Webber International, including Ellis, who has played in more games than any current Cougar, 40 to be exact, starting the past 32 in a row.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Like Azusa Pacific, Webber International is an NAIA independent which gets its games where it can. The Warriors have played a challenging schedule to date, winning 5 of 8 contests. The Warriors knocked off Shorter (13-6), Campbellsville (36-0), Edward Waters (27-10), Concordia of Alabama (45-3) and Chowan (28-0). Their setbacks came at the hands of NCAA Division II Top-25-ranked Carson Newman (44-0), NAIA No. 7-ranked Walsh (14-3) and NCAA Division II West Alabama (49-20).

Defensively, the Warriors have been reputable, limiting their foes to just 213 yards of total offense each outing. They’ve surrendered just 13 TDs to date and produced a pair of shutouts. Opponent’s aerial games are being shot down by a Warrior secondary that is allowing just 77.9 passing yards a game.

Offensively, Webber International was being paced by QB B.J. Hall, who was averaging a team-high 119 yards of total offense each game until his dismissal from the squad last week. In his place, senior Dedrick Sykes has returned to the starting position that he held for the first 2 games. Sykes has completed 25-of-57 passes on the season for 326 yards and 2 TDs. Sophomore Rainer Rackley leads the rushing attack, averaging 55 yards a game and 4.1 yards a carry which has resulted in 5 TDs.

SANTA CRUZ SAYS: “Everybody on the team is excited right now,” said Cougar coach Victor Santa Cruz. “They’re grateful for their hard work to have bore some fruit. More importantly though, this is still a hungry group. It’s not about high and lows for these guys, but rather this is about who we are becoming day in and day out. The good football teams are defined by their hard work and their attention to detail. It’s about how we play not who we play, and our guys are beginning to understand that. We’re excited to go play another game, excited that it is an NAIA opponent, but the unfortunate thing is that we are running out of games to play.

“As a team, we now understand the offensive system. Obviously, we’ve changed the offense when I took over, and it takes time to get 11 guys on the same page to the point that we’re going to be very productive. Every week we’ve been trying to tweak our scheme to fit what our personnel can do well. The Humboldt State game was a real turning point in the guys understanding the system, and against Dixie State, our running game was clicking.

“The whole team fed off one another’s success as the game unfolded. These guys are hungry to win and it showed in that fourth quarter.

“There is a fearlessness to Chris (Lamkin) that you enjoy. He is really having fun playing the game. The system fits him well and fits his talents well. He’s been a good decision-maker in the running game. He is a hard-working guy, unassuming, and there is a looseness about him that makes everyone confident about what we are doing on offense.”