MidValleySports.Com

Andrew Elfers goes airborne and over the top for a score against South Dakota Mines!

By Tim Peterson

(Glendora)- Andrew Elffers ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more and Kurt Scoby rushed for 197 yards as Azusa Pacific rolled to a 56-27 win over South Dakota Mines Saturday night.

The Cougars racked up 378 yards on the ground and 570 total yards on the night. Elffers has started the last two games and APU has scored 117 points in the two victories.

Elffers completed 6 of 13 for 192 yards and the two TDs while rushing for 98 yards on 16 carries. Samuela Fanula also scored twice and rushed for 68 yards.

“We’re really clicking offensively. We’re getting some guys back from injury so its really good to see the chemistry happening there,” said Azusa Pacific Coach Victor Santa Cruz. “The new guys aren’t new anymore and they’re getting the system figured out.”

Azusa Pacific scored first on a four-yard run by Andrew Elffers. APU put together a drive after stopping South Dakota Mines on fourth down.

On the next possession, the defense made its mark as Taliuaki Suliafu blocked a punt and Aaron Berry scooped it up and rumbled 19 yards into the end zone to give the Cougars a 14-0 lead.

South Dakota Mines responded as Anthony Wright went three yards for a score to get the Hardrockers on the board and cut the APU advantage to 14-7.

APU gets defensive with South Dakota Mines

Elffers fired his first TD of the night on the next series with a 31-yard bullet for a touchdown to Blake Robertson. The score was set up by a 68-yard run by Scoby.

Elffers gave the coaching staff a heart attack on his next touchdown as he went up and over the top of a defender and into the end zone for a four-yard score. He took off from the two yard line and landed across the goal line. Scoby set up the score with a 30-yard run as the Cougars went up 28-7.

“That’s a college quarterback’s dream right there. I was just trying to get in the end zone,” Elffers said.

The Hardrockers took advantage of a Fanula fumble and cashed it on for a touchdown. Devin Nixon capped a drive with a five-yard run to slice the APU lead to 28-14.

The Cougars had one more strike left before halftime. Elffers threw his second touchdown of the night – a 57 yard strike to Ethan Zeidler with 1:31 left in the first half to increase the Cougs margin to 35-14.

The Hardrockers attempted a fake field goal at the end of the half but it failed as quarterback Trent McKinney was tackled for a loss.

Scoby already had 133 yards at the break and Elffers has thrown for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

South Dakota Mines tried to keep pace with a score on the first drive of the second half when McKinney kept the ball and scored on a six-yard run, but the Cougars scored on the next three drives to put the game away.

Samuel Fanua found pay dirt on a six-yard run and Elffers snuck in from the one on the following series to open the fourth quarter make it 49-21. On the drive Scoby surpassed the 1000 yard mark on the season.

“Producing a 1000 yard rusher is outstanding. We love running the ball here and tonight we saw how with the spread offense we create a lot of holes for the running game,” Santa Cruz said.

Fanua later got his second of the night for the final Cougars score.

Jake Sullivan, who replaced McKinney at quarterback, rushed for a late TD for the Hardrockers for the final score of the night.

With the win Azusa Pacific improved to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the GNAC. South Dakota fell to 5-3 and is also 2-2 in conference.