ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University football team fell 38-21 to visiting Redlands on Saturday in the SCIAC-opener for both teams. Redlands improved to 2-1 while Chapman fell to 0-2 overall.
Amir Adams had his second 100-yard receiving game to start the season and Hunter Headlee had 10 tackles to lead the defense.
The Panthers stumbled in the second half after building a 21-14 lead to start the game. After Gio Ursino's 8-yard touchdown run with 3:51 left in the second quarter, the Panthers were not able to put any more points on the board as Redlands scored 24 unanswered points to end the game.
James Crowell caught an 18-yard TD pass to open the scoring and the Panthers pulled off a trick play with Nathaniel Espinoza finding a wide open Amir Adams for a 76-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Adams went on to catch four passes for 128 yards.
With a 21-14 lead and 50 seconds left in the first half, the Panthers were forced to punt but an unsportsmanlike conduct after a 38-yard punt put Redlands on Chapman's 41 yard line to start a drive. Three plays later Tyler Tremain found Evan Aguon for his second touchdown of the night to tie the game at 21-21 just four seconds before halftime.
Tremain ended the game with four touchdowns on 270 yards passing, completing 17-of-26 attempts. Redlands was able to consistently move the ball on the ground in the arms of Tony Williams, Jr., who had 131 yards on 24 carries and one TD. Redlands ran the ball 38 times as a team for 184 yards.
As momentum shifted just before halftime, the Bulldogs took advantage when they received the opening kick of the second half by putting together a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took six and a half minutes to go up 28-21 for their first lead of the night. Williams ran in the touchdown from seven yards out.
The Panthers went three-and-out on their first two drives of the third quarter while the Bulldogs scored again on a 3-play, 50-yard drive to go up 35-21.
In the fourth quarter, Redlands chewed up 7:40 with a 14-play drive that put three more points on the board after a 34-yard field goal.
Isaiah Woods had 17 carries for 94 yards before leaving the game with an injury in the third quarter. Gian Lagemann had three catches for 77 yards. Espinoza and Tyler Pacheco combined to go 12-for-25 through the air for 244 yards.
The Panthers head on the road next week for their first-ever SCIAC Surf Division matchup as they take on Cal Lutheran at 7 p.m.
