Cougar D-Line working hard.
(Glendora)- It was another brutal night for Azusa Pacific. Against Western Oregon they battled injuries, youth, turnovers, and came up short for the fifth time this season in a 20-7 loss to the Wolves.
“The most frustrating thing is that we’ve got 21 season-ending injuries,” APU head coach Victor Santa Cruz said. “That kills your timing, it throws off your rhythm.”
Offensively the Cougars continued to struggle going 0 for 15 on third down conversions, rushing for only 53 yards, losing two fumbles, and was unable to register a first down until their fifth possession.
Nick Owens, in his first start since the opener with U.C. Davis, went 22 of 36 for 186 yards and a late touchdown pass to Wade Struiksma. The strike came from 20-yards out with 1:35 to play and prevented the shutout.
Western Oregons tarted early, three minutes into the contest, when quarterback Cody VanAppen hit Tyrell Williams on a slant pass. The sophomore receiver turned it up field and went 35-yards through the Cougars secondary to paydirt.
In the second quarter, after the Cougars turned the ball over at midfield, it took the Wolves two plays to cover 49 yards for their next score. This time VanAppen kept the ball on a 36-yard scoring run and it was 14-0 Western Oregon at the break.
The second half saw Owens shake some of the rust off of his game and the Cougars go downfield more with the ball. However, the inability to convert on third down and the Wolves run defense contributed to the stalling of each drive.
Kelly Morgan padded the Western Oregon lead with a pair of field goals before Owens connected with Struiksma for APU’s lone score.
Santa Cruz remains upbeat: “I’m really excited. Our defense seemed to develop a swagger, and we did seem to develop a rhythm offensively. I know what we are doing, I know we’re doing the right thing, which is why I’m excited.”
Western Oregon is now 2-2 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, 2-3 overall. APU drops to 0-4 in the GNAC, 0-5 overall.
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