CLAREMONT, Calif. -- It was only fitting that a defense which had produced 3 game- winning goal-line stands during the course of the season rise to the occasion of perhaps the most historic game in Azusa Pacific history to lead the Cougars into the "promised land."
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon made for college football, the NAIA's No. 8-ranked Azusa Pacific defeated Pomona-Pitzer, 14-0, and in the process clinched its first-ever NAIA football playoff berth.
Eighteen years of frustration and flirting with the postseason came to an end for an Azusa Pacific program that has been trying to get into the NAIA playoffs since 1980.
Senior QB Geoff Buffum, who a year ago today was coaching high school football figuring that his college playing days were done, today basked in the most glorious moment of his college career, engineering both Cougar TDs against the Sagehens. His 1-yard plunge less than 3 minutes into the second quarter capped a 13-play, 63-yard drive that put the Cougars up 6-0 at the time. Buffum, who was 13-for-20 passing for 205 yards, then clinched the victory and Azusa Pacific's playoff berth when he hit Scott Thomas on a 90-yard bomb to give the Cougars their 14-0 cushion with 9:40 left in the game.
"We knew in practice that they were going to bring their safeties up and that the post pattern would be open," said Thomas on his scoring catch, which was 2 yards shy of the school-record for a pass play. "It was open the whole game but the coaches didn't want to go to it too often."
While Thomas, who doubles as a strong safety and wide receiver, certainly provided the offensive spark, he was also the leader of a Cougar defense the posted its first shutout since Oct. 20, 1990 (27-0 victory over Menlo) and its first road shutout since 1988 (18-0 at Whittier). Thomas had 7 tackles and an interception. While the game outcome remained in the balance throughout most of the afternoon, the Cougar defense continually stopped the Sagehens, holding Pomona-Pitzer to 5 second half drives that netted no more than 10 yards. In fact the Cougar defense held Pomona-Pitzer to just 141 yards in total offense for the game, including a mere 12 on the ground.
"We really stepped it up when we needed to," said senior linebacker Elbert Baker, who led Azusa Pacific with 9 tackles, including 4 for loss and a sack. "We've played well all season but we took it up another notch today."
Pomona-Pitzer penetrated the Azusa Pacific 30-yard line just once all afternoon, and that second-quarter drive ended at the 29-yard line on downs when Baker batted down a Tyren Sillanpaa fourth-down pass attempt.
"We really wanted to get the shutout for (defensive coordinator) Coach (Gary) Knecht," said senior linebacker Jamen Wurm, who as a 1994 freshman endured a 3-6 campaign and figured he'd never see the light of the NAIA playoffs in his collegiate career. "We had 2 tough losses early, but we cranked it up and won 6 in a row. Now we have 4 more wins to go. It's a good feeling to be a part of history."
Wurm, who leads the Cougars with 78 tackles on the season, tallied 7 tackles as did fellow senior linebacker Gabe Giordano.
Junior running back Jack Williams, who missed most of the past 2 games with dislocated ribs, returned to action and rushed for a game-high 111-yards on 27 carries. He now has 1,093 yards and becomes only the sixth Cougar ever to register a 1,000-yard season. Williams' 24-yard run late in the fourth quarter got the Cougars out from within the shadows of their own endzone and allowed Azusa Pacific to run down the clock.
Senior All-American wide receiver Dexter Davis had 7 catches for 62 yards to break his own single-season school record set last season. In 10 games this year, Davis has tallied 72 receptions for 927 yards and a team-leading 13 TDs. Davis took the opening kickoff and returned it 68 yards to the Sagehen 19-yard line. However, the Cougars could not convert Davis' return into any points after Jim Daichendt's 33-yard FG attempt was blocked.
Azusa Pacific, which is 8-2 and has tied the 1980 Cougars for the most wins in a season, now awaits word from the NAIA on its first-round playoff opponent and site of the game. The 16-team playoffs begin next Saturday (Nov. 21).
"We showed tremendous competitiveness and toughness today," said fourth-year Cougar coach Vic Shealy. "We didn't play with confidence on offense, and I was afraid of a letdown after the Occidental win. You couldn't ask for a better game to enter the playoffs. It's a great feeling to make it in, especially since the emotions were so high today. The saying goes that defense wins championships but offense entertains the crowd. We didn't entertain our crowd much today, but our defense won a game."
Scoring by Quarters
Azusa Pacific 0 6 0 8 -- 14
Pomona-Pitzer 0 0 0 0 -- 0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
SCORING
AP - Geoff Buffum (AP) 3-yard run(Jim Daichendt Kick failed)
AP - Scott Thomas (AP) 90-yard pass from Buffum (Justin Duarte pass)
PASSING
Geoff Buffum (AP) 13-20, 205 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Tyren Sillanpaa (PP) 14-32, 82 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT
Matt Vermeeren (PP) 2-7, 47 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT
RUSHING
Jack Williams (AP), 27 att., 111 yds
Ryan Hattersley (PP), 13 att., 33 yds
RECEIVING
Scott Thomas (AP), 1 rec., 90 yds
Dexter Davis (AP), 7 rec., 62 yds
Justin Duarte (AP), 4 rec., 45 yds
Ray Portela (PP), 4 rec., 54 yds
TEAM STATISTICS
APU PP
FIRST DOWNS 13 9
TOTAL YARDS 310 yds 141 yds
RUSHING 105 yds 12 yds
PASSING 205 yds 129 yds
FUMBLES/LOST 0-0 0-0
PENALTIES/YDS 7-73 4-34
3rd DOWNS 5-15 6-18
