Nov. 11, 2005

GAME #11: The USD Toreros (9-1), the No. 1 ranked I-AA Mid-Major team, will take on No. 6 ranked Marist College (6-3) in a non-conference tilt this Saturday, November 12th, at 1:00 pm at Torero Stadium. Jack Murray (play-by-play) and Rick Hill (color analyst) call the action that can be heard via the internet at www.usdtoreros.com. San Diego owns an 11-game Torero Stadium winning streak, and has also won their last six games.

SERIES RECORD: The Toreros lead the overall series 1-0, having won the only previous meeting back in 2003 by the score of 47-0.

SENIOR TRIBUTE: The Toreros will pay tribute before kickoff to 11 seniors playing in their final home regular-season game - Philip Bretsch, Adam Burke, Alex Duk, Nick Garton, Adam Hannula, Evan Harney, Matt Koller, Dustin Owen, Josh Sanders, Adam Ullrich and George Villa.

PFL CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE: USD will host Morehead State (3-0 PFL; 8-2), the PFL South division winner, on Saturday, Nov. 19th at Torero Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 4:00 pm. Tickets are available now at the Jenny Craig Pavilion ticket office (619) 260-7550.

HEAD COACH Jim Harbaugh: Harbaugh is his 2nd season after a 7-4 mark in his rookie year. With this year's 9-1 record, he heads into the Marist game with a 16-5 two-year mark (14-1 over last 15 games). Prior to being named USD's 11th head coach, he spent two seasons in the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders. He spent 15 years in the NFL with five different teams - Chicago (1987-1993), Indianapolis (1994-97), Baltimore (1998), San Diego (1999-00) and Carolina (2001). A 1987 first round draft pick by the Chicago Bears, Jim played in 117 NFL games with 140 starts. For his career he completed 2,305 of 3,918 passes for 26,288 yards with 129 touchdowns. In 1995 he led Indianapolis to the AFC Championship game; was voted to the Pro Bowl; was named the 1995 Comeback Player of the Year and the AFC Player of the Year; and was runner-up in the NFL MVP voting. A 1986 graduate of Michigan, Jim was a 3-year starter for legendary coach Bo Schembechler. In his senior year in '86, Jim guided Michigan to a No. 2 national ranking while earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors and finishing 3rd in the Heisman race. Jim and his wife, Miah, have three kids - Jay, James, and Grace.

TOREROS RETAIN #1 IN MID-MAJOR POLL: USD (9-1) is the unanimous No. 1 team in The Sports Network Mid-Major Top 10 for the 4th straight week. The Toreros picked up all 26 first place votes. USD is followed by Dayton (9-1), Duquesne (6-3), Central Connecticut (6-3), Morehead State (8-2), Marist (6-3), Drake (5-4), Jacksonville (4-3), Stony Brook (5-4), and Monmouth (5-4). The mid-major poll includes only I-AA teams from the PFL, MAAC, and NEC.For the 3rd straight week USD received votes for the I-AA Top-25 poll with 29 points, up from 25 the previous week. The Toreros also kept their No. 1 rating in Don Hansen's Weekly Football Gazette and with Dopke.com. USD ranks 49th this week in the Sagarin Rating for all I-AA schools, but is listed 15th in the Bradley-Terry Rankings and 41st in the I-AA.org rating.

PFL NORTH STANDINGS/SCHEDULE: SAN DIEGO (4-0 PFL; 9-1), Dayton (3-1; 9-1), Drake (2-2; 5-4), Valparaiso (1-3; 2-8), Butler (0-4; 0-10). Nov. 12th Games: USD vs. Marist (1 pm), Missouri-Rolla at Butler (1 pm), Waldorf at Drake (1 pm), Valparaiso at Aurora (1 pm).

TOREROS DEAL CHAPMAN 60-12 LOSS: The USD Toreros dealt the visiting Chapman Panthers a 60-12 defeat to improve to 9-1 on the season. It was USD's 6th straight victory and its 11th straight win in games played at Torero Stadium. The nine wins also ties a USD single season record matching the 1981 club that finished the year at 9-1. Senior WR Adam Hannula hauled in 6 passes for 101 yards and 1 TD - an 8-yarder from Josh Johnson in the 3rd quarter that makes him USD's all-time leader with 33 career TD receptions. Chapman came out ready to play as they began the game with a 16-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off by a Chase Twedell 13-yard run. The Panthers' drive took up 9:11 on the clock and gave the visitor's a 6-0 lead. USD answered 3 ½ minutes later when RB Kevin Herron busted loose for a 35 yard TD sprint at the 2:20 mark. The quarter would end with USD ahead 7-6. It was all USD over the next two periods as they totaled 18 points in the 2nd quarter and 21 more in the third. Senior WR Nick Garton hauled in a 10-yarder from Johnson at the 13:41 mark; Jon Polk scored on a 5-yard run at 5:37; and Hutch Parker converted on a 25-yard field goal. The third period saw Theo Nikolakopulos score on a 2-yard run; Adam Hannula haul in the record-breaking 8-yard TD at the 8:09 mark; and senior TE Matt Koller catch a 4-yard TD pass from Johnson. Koller was playing against his younger brother, Brandon, for the first time in a college game. The 4th quarter saw Torero running back Josh Denton sandwich two touchdown runs of 22 and 2 yards around Chapman's Max Nikolenko's 2-yard TD burst. For the game USD totaled 533 yards of offense (304 passing, 229 rushing), while the USD defense stuffed out Chapman most of the night, holding them to 186 yards (127 rushing, 59 passing). Johnson finished 19-of-27 for 255 yards and 3 TDs in less than three full quarters. Besides Hannula, Nick Garton caught 5 balls for 52 yards and Wes Doyle and Matt Koller each caught 3 balls. Jon Polk (67 yards, 1 TD), Kevin Herron (65 yards, 1 TD), Theo Nikolakopulos (34 yards, 1 TD), and Josh Denton (26 yards, 2 TDs) led the ground attack. Freshman quarterback KC Patterson connected with WR Kenny Stivers late in the game for 49 yards down to the Chapman two that set up Denton's final score. Defensively USD was paced by linebackers Jared Forrester (9 tackles; 3 for loss) and Hanner Hart (8 tackles), DE Eric Bakhtiari (7 tackles), LB Tyler Evans (7 tackles), Colin Murphy (6 stops), SS Philip Bretsch (6 tackles), CB Josh Brisco (6 tackles) and NG David Greer (5 tackles).

TOREROS CONTINUE TO RANK IN I-AA TOP-25 STATISTICS: The USD Toreros rank in 19 different I-AA statistical categories with the offense leading the way with 10: 1st in scoring offense (42.20) and 3rd-down efficiency (53.1%), 2nd in total offense (479.5), 4th in turnovers lost (12), 6th in pass efficiency (167.0 rating), 7th in 4th-down conversions (76.5%), 10th in kickoff returns (22.88),12th in pass offense (286.1), and 19th in passes had int. (6) and fumbles lost (6). The Torero defense ranks 3rd in scoring defense (13.0), 4th in pass efficiency defense (91.63 rating), 5th in total defense (253.80), 7th in pass defense (140.6), 8th in kickoff return yardage (15.41), 9th in 3rd-down defense (28.5%), 16th in rush defense (113.2) , 20th in turnover margin (+0.7), and 25th in passes intercepted (12). Individually Josh Johnson ranks 3rd in points responsible for (21.0), 5th in pass efficiency (169.8), and 11th in total offense (289.4) and passing (21.3 completions per game), JT Rogan ranks 25th in all-purpose yards (129.4 ypg), Adam Hannula ranks 16th in total receiving yards (811), 20th in receptions per game (5.8), and 24th in receiving yards per game (81.10).

HOW USD STACKS UP AGAINST PFL FOES: The Torero team and players also rank among the statistical leaders against their PFL counterparts - as a team USD ranks 1st in rushing defense (113.0), scoring defense (13.0 ppg), total defense (253.6 ypg), pass defense (140.6), pass offense (286.1 ypg), total offense (479.5), scoring offense (42.2 ppg), pass efficiency (167.0 rating), kickoff returns (22.9), first downs (250), pass defense efficiency (91.7 rating), red zone defense (71.4%), sacks by (21), sacks against (9), 3rd-down conversions (53.1%), and possession time (32:41). USD players that rank among the top-5 in PFL statistics include JT Rogan (3rd in rushing, 94.0 ypg and all-purpose running, 129.4; 4th in scoring TDs, 11; 5th in points, 6.6 ppg); Josh Johnson (1st in passing, 257.4 ypg; 1st in total offense, 289.4 ypg; 1st in pass efficiency, 169.8), Adam Hannula (1st in receptions per game, 5.8; 2nd in receiving yards, 81.1), Nick Garton (3rd in receptions per game, 4.8; 4th in punt returns, 7.7), Hutch Parker (1st in scoring, 7.8 ppg; 2nd in field goals, 0.90 made pg; 2nd in PAT kicking percentage, .96.2; 51x53), Eric Bakhtiari (3rd in tackles for loss, 0.95), Kyson Hawkins (2nd in tackles for loss, 12), Adam Burke (3rd in passes defended, 0.90 pg), and Eric Stern (4th in QB sacks, 0.40 per game).

10-GAME STATISTICAL LEADERS: Through 10 games the Toreros are being led by QB Josh Johnson (213-304 for 2,574 yards and 30 TDs), RB JT Rogan (940 rushing yards, 7 TDs; 35 catches for 298 yards & 4 TDs), WR Adam Hannula (58 catches for 811 yards and 8 TDs), WR Nick Garton (48 catches for 567 yards and 8 TDs),PK Hutch Parker (78 points; 9x14 FG and 51x53 PAT kicks), P George Villa (40.0 punting average), LB Kyson Hawkins (60 tackles; 12 for loss; 8 games only), SS Philip Bretsch (51 stops, 2 interceptions), DE Eric Bakhtiari (44 tackles; 11 for loss, 3.5 QB sacks), and CB Josh Brisco (4 interceptions).

Adam Hannula NEW CAREER LEADER: Senior receiver Adam Hannula caught an 8-yard TD pass from Josh Johnson in the Chapman game to become USD's all-time leading receiver with 33 TD receptions... he now owns all three career receiving marks, including receptions (232) and yards (3,293)... the previous record-holder was Dylan Ching ('96-99) - 189 catches for 3,111 yards and 32 TDs ... during his Torero career (41 games) Adam has caught at least 1 pass in every game; caught at least 1 TD in 23 games; and caught 5 or more balls in 29 games. TORERO TIDBITS: Over the past 15 games the Toreros have gone 14-1 with the only loss being a hard-fought 20-17 loss at Ivy League member Princeton... the 14 wins in a 15-game stretch is a first for Torero football, as is the Ivy League win over Yale (17-14)... senior WR Nick Garton is also moving up the Torero record charts - with his 5 receptions for 52 yards vs. Chapman, he is 3rd overall for career receptions (145), receiving yards (2,103), and TDs (25)... with his 3 TD passes against Chapman, Josh Johnson moved into a tie for 2nd for USD's single season mark with 30 - the record is 35 by Eric Rasmussen (2003)... his 213 completions ranks 2nd (234 is record; Todd Mortensen), and his 2,574 passing yards is currently 3rd (2,982 yards is record; Rasmussen)... Saturday USD will go for its 12th straight win at Torero Stadium.

SCOUTING THE MARIST RED FOXES: Marist (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), with a record of 6-3 and No. 6 ranking for mid-majors, is coming off a 28-27 win over Iona... sophomore RB Obozua Ehikioya led the way with 2 rushing scores... for the year he has rushed for 815 yards and 12 TDs... QB James Luft has passed for 1,779 yards and 13 TDs... WR Guy Smith has 38 catches for 551 yards and 5 TDs... Andrew Sperl paces defense with 66 tackles... head coach Jim Parady (14th year) returns 22 starters from last year's 3-6 club... Marist is a I-AA member of the MAAC.... they finished in 2nd place this season with a mark of 3-1, falling only to league champion Duquesne.

WIN OVER YALE A FIRST FOR USD & PFL: USD's 17-14 come-from-behind win over the Yale Bulldogs on Sept. 17th was the Toreros' first win over an Ivy League opponent in six tries... it also marked the first time a PFL team has beaten an Ivy opponent... in the win USD overcame a 14-0 deficit to record the historic victory... redshirt freshman back JT Rogan hauled in a 2-yard TD pass from QB Josh Johnson with 6:37 to go for the game-winner.

Josh Johnson HONORED BY SAN DIEGO HALL OF CHAMPIONS: USD sophomore QB Josh Johnson (Oakland, CA) was recognized by the San Diego Hall of Champions as one of their Amateur Stars of the Month for September. The sophomore quarterback from Oakland Tech led the Toreros to a 3-1 start in September, including the program's first win over an Ivy League school with a 17-14 come-from-behind victory on Sept. 17 against Yale at Torero Stadium. Johnson was named the Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the Pioneer Football League for his performance against Yale when he was 22-of-34 passing for 198 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He finished the month completing 90-of-143 passes (62.9 percent) for 959 yards and eight touchdowns. He also rushed for 11 yards and one touchdown in 39 attempts. USD also beat Azusa Pacific and Southern Oregon before defeating Yale and losing at Princeton, 20-17.

TRI-CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED: Torero players picked three of their senior teammates to represent them as 2005 Team Captains - wide receiver Nick Garton, defensive back Philip Bretsch, and honorary captain Evan Harney. Harney, USD's two-time All-America running back, was lost for the season just prior to the start of football camp after suffering head injuries in a freak accident. Over the past two seasons, the 6-1, 215 lb. running back from Fallbrook, California, rewrote USD's record book for rushing by totaling 2,809 yards and 35 touchdowns on 588 attempts.

2005 PRESEASON PFL COACHES POLL: The Toreros are picked 3rd in the PFL Preseason Coaches Poll - 2004 champion Drake is the top pick for the North Division as they received 5 first place votes - the Bulldogs are followed by Dayton, San Diego, Butler & Valparaiso.

2005 PFL CHAMPIONSHIP SITE: The 2005 PFL Championship will be hosted by the PFL North Champion on November 19th. It is the 5th PFL Championship since the beginning of the divisional era in 2000. The PFL North is undefeated in the four previous championships.

PFL TO RETURN TO SINGLE-DIVISION FORMAT IN 2006: The Pioneer Football League will return to a single-division, round-robin format in 2006, the conference announced on Sept. 7th. The league voted this summer on the move back to a single-division format, which the league used in its first eight seasons. The change resulted from the league's reduction to eight members for the 2006 campaign - Austin Peay leaves the conference at the conclusion of the 2005 season. The final round-robin schedule will provide seven league games annually for all teams with alternating seasons of four home/three road games and three home/four road.

UP NEXT: USD will play host to Morehead State (Morehead, Kentucky) in the 2005 Pioneer Football League championship game with kickoff slated for 4:00 p.m. (PST). Tickets are on sale now and can be ordered by calling the USD ticket office at (619) 260-7550.