Business as Usual as Cougars Roll

The Cougar ground game leads APU to 30-10 victory at UCSB

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Jon Milhon scored 2 touchdowns, and Christian Okoye rushed for a game-high 138 yards with a TD as Azusa Pacific beat the club team of UC Santa Barbara, 30-10, Saturday afternoon in Harder Stadium on the campus of UCSB.

The victory runs the Cougars' record to 6-0, marking the first time in program history that APU has won the first 6 games of a season. Dating back to the 1984 campaign, Azusa Pacific has now won 13 straight, the longest winning streak in program history.

Led by Okoye and Milhon, the Cougar ground game ran downhill and was unstoppable all day, amassing 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. In fact, the Gauchos tackled an APU runner behind the line of scrimmage just once in 52 runs. Okoye collected his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season, while Milhon added 74 yards on 15 carries (4.9 avg.). His 2 second-half TDs, a 1-yard run and an 8-yard TD catch, broke open a tight game that had the Cougars up 17-7 at halftime.

The Cougars were sloppy with their play, turning the ball over 7 times, which included 6 fumbles lost. Okoye accounted for 4 of the fumbles himself, including one at the Gaucho 1-yard line early in the game. However, UCSB could not cash in on the Cougars' miscues, while Azusa Pacific, on the other hand helped itself to a few Gaucho offerings.

Senior DT Rod Price's sack of UCSB QB Paul Wright and subsequent fumble recovery on the game's opening drive set up Azusa Pacific's first score as the Cougars needed to move the ball just 20 yards, highlighted by Okoye's 3-yard blast that put APU up 7-0 just 2 minutes into the game.

UCSB answered on Wright's 27-yard strike to Chris Morrison to knot the game 7-7 late in the first quarter. A Mike Guipe 37-yard field goal, his seventh 3-pointer of the season, and David Russell's 1-yard QB sneak gave the Cougars a 17-7 lead late in the second quarter.

Russell completed 11-of-18 passes for 177 yards and the one TD toss to Milhon. Sophomore David Titchenal came off the bench to complete 4-of-6 passes for 25 yards. In all, Azusa Pacific registered 456 yards of total offense. UCSB accumulated 221 yards but just 35 on the ground.

With the loss, UCSB, which will move its program from club status to intercollegiate next year, falls to 1-5 on the season. Azusa Pacific is now 6-0 with visions of a first-ever NAIA playoff berth beginning to percolate. However, the Cougars are moving into the teeth of their schedule, visiting San Diego next week before coming home to host San Francisco State and Cal Lutheran.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Mike Guipe: PK; 6' 0"; Junior

#7 David Russell: QB; 5' 11"; Senior

#14 David Titchenal: QB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#28 Jon Milhon: RB; 5' 7"; Senior

#35 Christian Okoye: RB; 6' 2"; Senior

#64 Rod Price: NG; 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#6 Mike Guipe
: 6' 0"; Junior
: PK

#7 David Russell
: 5' 11"; Senior
: QB

#14 David Titchenal
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: QB

#28 Jon Milhon
: 5' 7"; Senior
: RB

#35 Christian Okoye
: 6' 2"; Senior
: RB

#64 Rod Price
: 6' 2"; Junior
: NG