San Diego no longer has an NFL team, but football is still strong in the city.
The San Diego Toreros (3-0, 2-0 Pioneer Football League) will try to break the Football Championship Subdivision record for consecutive victories against conference opponents when they face Davidson (3-1, 2-0) on Saturday.
The Toreros tied Duquesne’s mark of 39 consecutive league victories two weeks ago with a 27-13 triumph over Butler. Quarterback Mason Randall threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, leading an offense that outgained the Bulldogs 475-247.
Duquesne set its mark in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference from 1999-2006. San Diego’s last PFL loss was a 13-12 setback at Dayton on Oct. 10, 2015.
A victory against the Wildcats would tie Nebraska for the second-longest conference winning streak in Division I history, and leave the Toreros four games shy of tying Oklahoma’s record of 44, established from 1952-59.
San Diego coach Dale Lindsey said Wednesday he only learned of the streak recently and that if his players are aware of it, “they didn’t hear it from us.”
Lindsey said the streak is not the coaching staff’s priority, saying, “Our focus is always on the current game.”
BREAK UP THE KEYDETS
Virginia Military Institute is 5-0 for the first time since 1960 and got there after a wild finish in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a 36-31 victory over Wofford.
The Keydets led 30-24 after Jerry Rice’s 28-yard field goal with 1:58 to play, but the lead lasted just 15 seconds because Wofford quarterback Jimmy Weirick connected with Landon Parker for a 75-yard touchdown pass on the next play.
That left the game in the hands of redshirt freshman quarterback Seth Morgan. He made his first career start because Reece Udinski, who became the school’s career passing leader a week earlier, was sidelined with an injury.
Morgan needed just 63 seconds to drive 79 yards and capped the winning drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jakob Herres, their third TD connection of the game. The victory boosted VMI to No. 10 in the STATS Perform FBC Top 25.
Morgan threw for 375 yards. Herres caught 15 passes for 207 yards.
The victory also ensured that the Keydets will have their first winning season since 1981.
“I’ve had more than my fair share of close games throughout my time here at VMI,” said coach Scott Wachenheim, whose record at VMI is 16-45. “Fortunately we’re finding a way to make one more play than our opponents.”
The Keydets will host East Tennessee State (3-1, 3-1) on Saturday.
FRANTIC FINISH
Weber State looked like they were about suffer another loss.
Northern Arizona’s Keondre Wudtee had capped a 95-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Lumberjacks a 23-22 lead with 17 seconds remaining on Saturday. A penalty against NAU moved the ball to the 50 after the ensuing kickoff, and two incompletions by backup quarterback Randall Johnson had the Wildcats down to their last play with 0:02 on the clock.
Johnson made the most of it, hitting tight end Justin Malone with at least six defenders around him in the end zone for an unlikely 28-23 victory.
FOR THE RECORD
Kody Wilstead threw for 282 yards and tied the Dixie State record with five touchdown passes in the Trailblazers’ 60-0 victory against Fort Lewis. … Eastern Washington set a school record for yards (447) and points (45) in a half in its 62-10 victory against Cal Poly. Eric Barriere threw three touchdown passes and Gunner Talkington threw for two more for the Eagles (3-1, 3-1 Big Sky Conference).
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