San Diego Toreros (1:0, 0:0 PFL) • Central Washington Wildcats (0:0, 0:0 Lone Star)
Saturday, September 7, 2024 • 1:00 p.m. PST
Torero Stadium (6,000) • San Diego, California
Live Streaming • ESPN+ | Live statistics • USDToreros.com
Social • Facebook.com/USDFootball • Twitter.com/USDFootball • Instagram.com/USDFootball
SAN DIEGO — After opening its 2024 season last Saturday with a thrilling 27-21 victory over Cal Poly in front of a sold-out crowd at Torero Stadium, the San Diego football team (1-0, 0-0 PFL) will look to maintain its undefeated record Saturday afternoon when it hosts Central Washington (0-0, 0-0 Lone Star) at 1 p.m. at Torero Stadium.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, with Jack Cronin (Voice of the Toreros) providing commentary and Braden Surprenant (analyst). Live stats are available on USDToreros.com.
A win would give San Diego its first 2-0 start in a full season (excluding the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season) since 2011.
ALL TIME SERIES AGAINST CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Saturday afternoon’s contest will be the first-ever meeting between the Toreros and Wildcats on the football field.
LAST TIME
• The San Diego football team recorded three interceptions, including two for touchdowns, in a 27-21 win over Cal Poly last Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,792 at Torero Stadium.
HOW TO BEAT THE MUSTANGS
• Senior Aidan Lehman scored the first points of the season with a 35-yard field goal, capping a 15-play, 85-yard run in the first offensive quarter of the season.
• The defense strengthened on the next attack. Senior Trey Ortega caught a deflected ball, defended by Matt Ballentineand made it 38 yards to the finish for San Diego’s first touchdown of 2024, giving them a 10-0 lead with 4:20 left in the opening quarter.
• With 18 seconds left in the first half, Cal Poly cut the deficit to three with a 2-yard touchdown pass.
• On the fourth play of San Diego’s opening drive of the second half, Colombo intercepted a pass but dropped the ball right into the hands of a Mustangs defender who used it for a 35-yard fumble return touchdown to give Cal Poly its first lead, 14-10, with 13:07 remaining in the third quarter.
• The Toreros were able to stop the Mustangs’ rise when Eric Haney He intercepted a pass with 8:57 minutes left in the third quarter.
• Two games later and after two penalties from the Mustangs, Senior Logan Ging hit it from one yard out and put San Diego back in the lead 17-14 with 7:32 minutes left in the third quarter.
• The Toreros’ defensive movement continued Saturday night as Ballentine made the team’s second pick-six of the night, this time from 40 yards out, to extend USD’s lead to two possessions, 24-14 with 13:37 left in the final quarter.
NOTEWORTHY
• quarterback Grant Sergeant led the Torero offense by completing 15 of 24 passes for 139 yards
• Run back Matt Colombo recorded 15 carries for 88 yards with three catches for 14 yards.
• Recipient Cole Monach The team had five pass catches for 43 yards.
• In the meantime, Ja’seem Reed led the team with 56 receiving yards on three catches, including a 41-yard pass.
• Ortega’s interception was the first of his college career and also his first defensive touchdown.
• Ballentine, who intercepted a pass last year against Cal Poly, recorded his second interception and first defensive touchdown at the Division I level.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
• In the Toreros’ win over Cal Poly on Saturday night, the USD defense secured the victory by making two pick sixes and an additional interception, scoring 14 of their 27 points on defense.
• Trey Ortega got the first pick-six from 38 yards away with 3:14 left in the first quarter before Matt Ballentine scored the other from 40 yards with 13:37 left in the fourth quarter. Both defensive touchdowns gave USD a 10-point lead.
• The other interception came from Eric Haney With 8:57 minutes left in the third quarter, the Mustangs’ momentum (0:1, 0:0 Big Sky) was stopped.
• In addition, the Torero defense recorded 41 total tackles, including five tackles for loss totaling 24 yards, as well as four total pass breakups.
A SPECIAL VICTORY AMONG FLAMES
• San Diego’s thrilling win over Cal Poly on Saturday night marked the third time since 2016 that the team has defeated a scholarship opponent.
• It was also just the third night soccer game USD has hosted since 2016 and the Toreros’ first since 2022, when they defeated La Verne 58-0. Kickoff began at 6 p.m.
MATT BALLENTINE VOTED PFL CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• After sealing the San Diego football team’s thrilling 27-21 victory over Cal Poly with a decisive pick-six on Saturday night, Matt Ballentine was named PFL Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the Pioneer Football League announced Sunday afternoon.
• The Toreros clung to a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter when Ballentine intercepted a pass at the Cal Poly 40-yard line and returned it for a touchdown, extending USD’s lead to 24-14. He also made two pass defenses and a tackle, leading a San Diego defense that forced three turnovers and turned two of those gains into defensive touchdowns.
