ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University football team won its fifth game in a row with a 26-3 victory over SCIAC newcomer Azusa Pacific on Saturday. Three interceptions and another strong rushing game led the Panthers to the road victory.
Chapman ran for 276 yards to control the clock and the game. Fischer Huss led the ground effort with 162 yards on 16 carries. He also caught three passes and 33 yards. Huss gained all but 12 yards on the Panthers' opening eight-play, 54-yard drive and finished the drive with a six-yard run into the end zone.
The Panthers' ground game continued to be a strength as Eli Brandt ran for 52 yards on six carries with a touchdown and Andrew Latu ran for 34 yards.
In the passing game, Brandt was 17-for-23 for 159 yards and a touchdown toss to Kash Henjum.
Chapman extended its lead in the second quarter with a 10-play, 99-yard drive that ended in the end zone. In the second half, Chapman's final two drives ate up nine minutes on the clock as both went for more than 75 yards and ended with a pair of field goals from Carson Nichols.
The Panthers' defense had its most takeaways of the season with three interceptions. Raegan Palmer picked off a juggled pass in the end zone. Tyler Boynton grabbed a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage for his first interception. Miles Grossman made a leaping interception in the red zone to end a late APU scoring threat.
The defense held APU to less than 50 yards of offense in the first half while opening up a 20-3 lead. A pair of turnovers helped APU keep the score close until late in the game. In the end, Chapman outgained APU 441-174 and held APU to less than 100 yards of passing.
The Panthers return home next week for a matchup with fellow SCIAC undefeated team, CMS. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
