ORANGE, Calif. — The Chapman University football team (2-1, 1-0 SCIAC) dominated the ground game with 290 rush yards in a 35-10 victory over the La Verne Leopards (2-1, 0-1 SCIAC) to start SCIAC play.
It was a team effort with five rushers with over 30 yards. Andrew Latu led the Panthers with 12 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown. Fischer Huss was not far behind recording nine carries for 60 yards. Ryan McKevitt and Viggo Anderson each reached the end zone in a second half, where Chapman outscored La Verne 21-0.
With the running backs carrying the load, Eli Brandt only threw the ball 17 times but still had 131 yards and two touchdowns — both in the first half. The Chapman quarterback has now tossed two touchdowns in back-to-back home games to start the season.
Brandt continued his consistent connection with Jason Bruce as the Chapman wide receiver had five catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Brendon Manzano also found the end zone in the second quarter with a 11-yard catch to give Chapman the 14-10 lead.
Chapman's defense shut out La Verne in three of the four quarters. La Verne only put points on the board in the second quarter. Brian Rudden had a 30-yard-scramble for the team's lone touchdown. Then, Jacob Cuevas kicked a 27-yard field goal.
La Verne switched quarterbacks during the game but the Chapman defense was unfazed as they held the Leopards scoreless with only 73 yards in the second half — including one passing yard in the fourth quarter. Nic Ramos was a major factor for that stout defense. He led Chapman with eight tackles and added on a ½ sack with Tyler Boynton, who also had a sack of his own.
Along with Ramos, five other Panthers had at least five tackles in the game, including Andrew Buck and RJ Cannan with six each. This was especially impressive considering the Chapman defense had its hands full with Tyler McCown. He led La Verne with 95 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards.
Despite only a four point lead at halftime, Chapman pulled away in the second half for another double-digit victory over the Leopards. The Panthers have now won 13 games in a row over La Verne since 2015.
The Panthers will look to stay undefeated at home as they gear up to host the Homecoming Game next week against Whittier at 7 PM.
