HOME OF BULLDOG FOOTBALL - 28 SCIAC Championships, including 10 since 1990

Bulldog Football Kicks off 100th Season with 36-3 Victory over East Texas Baptist

The No. 22 University of Redlands football team kicked off the 2009 season with an impressive win over East Texas Baptist University as the Bulldogs tamed the Tigers by a score of 36-3. The victory adds to the excitement of the 100th season of Bulldog football, giving Redlands much to celebrate during opening night at Ted Runner Stadium in front of 1,250 fans.

Despite a shaky start by the Bulldogs, who turned the ball over on their first two drives, they settled down late in the opening quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Sean Quinn (El Paso, TX). Quinn went on to lead the game with 81 yards rushing on 22 carries. Senior wide receiver Brendan Barkate (Bakersfield, CA) ran the two-point conversion into the end zone to put the Bulldogs up by five points.

From that point on, Redlands never looked back, squelching any chances for the Tigers to avenge last week’s loss to the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.

During the second quarter, the Bulldogs scored on every drive except one. Barkate initiated the offensive explosion when he connected with senior quarterback Dan Selway (Villa Park, CA) on a seven-yard pass into the end zone early in the period.

Less than five minutes later, Selway found senior wide receiver Evan Reuter (Cameron Park, CA) for a five-yard score. The Tigers again fell victim to the two-point conversion as Barkate cruised past the goal line for the third time in the half.

With a 20-point lead, junior kicker Joe MacMillan (Pasadena, CA) connected on a 20-yard field goal to finish out the second quarter.

During the third quarter, Redlands continued to control the game but faced a tighter defense as the Bulldogs’ only score came on a well-struck 45-yard field goal by MacMillan.

Holding a 29-point advantage, Head Coach Mike Maynard utilized a variety of ball-carriers and receivers as well as senior quarterback Steve Smith (Lake Oswego, OR). He went 2-for-2 for 21 yards and handed the ball off to senior running back Daniel Allen (Felton, CA) for a one-yard touchdown with 8:25 to go in the game.

On the night, Selway racked up 239 yards passing with 20 completions on 35 attempts.

Throughout the game, the Redlands defense remained stingy, allowing ETBU’s three quarterbacks to combine for just five catches and 79 yards of total offense. Leading the Bulldogs, sophomore linebacker Ian Sluss (Vista, CA) racked up five total tackles, including a major hit for a loss of 14 yards. Junior defensive back Mike Nicolini (Novato, CA) also added five tackles and tallied 2.5 for a loss of 10 yards.

Redlands (1-0) heads to Whitworth University (WA) next week for an in-region game against the Pirates at 1 p.m. ETBU travels to Sul Ross State for its opening conference game.