Cougars Hold On To Nip Menlo

ATHERTON, CALIF. -- It's an odd spot to find the school's No.2 all-time rusher, but Azusa Pacific's Marcus Slaton is getting used to his reserve role, and as long as he can continue to have success like the kind he enjoyed Saturday, then he can rest easy as a back-up.

Slaton came off the bench in the fourth quarter to spark the Cougar offense and lead Azuza Pacific to a 24-14 nonconference victory over Menlo Saturday afternoon. He rushed for 114 yards in the fourth quarter alone when he took over for workhorse tail back Elijah Rapheal.

"I know it's been a different role for me," said Slaton, "but my prayer has always been to do the best that I can when I'm called upon. I know I can do it because I've done it numerous times before in my career at Azusa Pacific. I have to stay mentally strong on the sidelines and stay focused on the game."

Slaton drove the nail in the coffin of upset-minded Menlo when he carried four consecutive times, collecting 56 yards, including 12 on a TD jaunt that put Azusa Pacific up 17-7 with 13:51 left in the game.

Slaton finished with 115 yards on just 10 carries. Rafael, who entered the game averaging 113.9 yards rushing a game, rushed for 131 yards and 25 carries and 2 TDs. It's the third time this season the pair have each posted 100-yard rushing games in the same contest.

"Were a pretty good combination," added Slaton. "Our styles of rushing are so different that we open up a lot of things on offense."

Azuza Pacific, which is ranked No. 16 in the NAIA, struggled against a vastly improved Menlo through the first half of play, mounting nothing more than a career 42-yard Jim Daichendt field goal as time expired on the first 30 minutes of play.

Menlo took a 7-3 lead midway through the third quarter when back up QB John Deville capped a nine-play, 63-yard drive with a one-yard dive.
The Cougars answered with a four-play, 48-yard drive highlighted by Raphael's 5-yard run to put the Cougars back up 10-7 with 1:25 left in the third quarter.

"There are about four factors that explain why we've done well in the fourth quarter this year," said Azusa Pacific Head Coach Vic Shealy. "One of those factors is confidence. Our guys believe they're going to win. Even when Menlo took the lead, our guys didn't say 'Oh no!,' but rather 'Come on, let's take it up another notch.' And that's what they did."

Rafael added a late TD with 2:05 left in the game when he took a JD Fox screen and scampered 23 yards for the score on fourth down. Rafael is averaging 13.1 points a game, fourth best in the NAIA.

The victory pushed Azusa Pacific's winning streak to six straight, second only to the school record set by the 1985 Cougars who won the first seven games of that season. Azusa Pacific is now 7-1 on this season and next week tries to match the school record for wins in a season, originally established by the 1980 Cougars, in a home contest against the University of San Diego. Menlo, which had three-game winning streak snapped, falls to 5-2.

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