Well-Grounded Stags Rush For 425 Yards, Six TDs in 50-13 Win Over Whittier

WHITTIER, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team had five rushing touchdowns in the first half from five different players, including two from wide receivers, as it jumped out to a big early lead and went on to a 50-13 win over Whittier on Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium.

With the win, CMS improves to 4-2 overall on the season and 1-1 in SCIAC play, bouncing back from a last-minute 22-19 defeat to Redlands in its league opener two weeks ago. Whittier slips to 0-6 overall and 0-3 in the league with the defeat.

Jacob Fenton ended up leading the CMS ground assault with 197 yards on 18 carries (10.9 per carry) and two touchdowns on the day, while Ben Rosen also ran for 116 yards on 20 carries. The Stags finished with 425 yards rushing, which would have been even more without a 50-yard loss that came when a snap got away on a punt, leading to one of the two Whittier touchdowns.

Jacob O'Connell, meanwhile, had a pair of third-quarter interceptions to lead the CMS defense. The Stags finished with 36 first downs, compared to four for Whittier, and had 44:33 in time of possession, compared to 15:27 for the Poets.

The first score of the game was a four-yard carry by wide receiver Mason Cotton for his first collegiate touchdown, as he came in motion before taking a quick handoff from quarterback Zach Fogel and ran around the right side of the line for an easy score with 11:26 left in the first, capping off an 85-yard drive.

The CMS defense held Whittier to three and out on its first possession, and Cotton returned the ensuing punt 26 yards to the Whittier 35. Justin Edwards then stretched the lead to 13-0 with an 11-yard scamper with 9:05 left in the first.

After another short Whittier drive, CMS went 75 yards in four plays, keyed by a 48-yard reception from Fogel to Brandon Becker. Anderson Cynkar capped it by scoring his second rushing touchdown of the season (to go along with three receiving touchdowns), on an 18-yard end around with 4:09 left in the first quarter to make it 20-0.

Fenton tacked on the fourth rushing touchdown for CMS on its first four drives when he plunged over from two yards out with 11:34 left in the second quarter, extending the Stags lead to 27-0. After CMS was stopped for the first time, an errant snap on a punt from midfield led to Whittier breaking the shutout when it recovered the loose ball in the end zone.

CMS came right back from that temporary setback with an 84-yard drive on seven plays to make it a 34-7 game, as Fenton carried three times for 39 yards, then gave way to  Rosen, who ran for 21 yards. Hank Harvego completed a 22-yard pass to Brandon Bova down to the two, and Rosen punched it in from the one-yard line over right tackle for his first collegiate touchdown.

Whittier answered with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Moises Gonzalez to Hakim Williams, Jr. on the first play of its ensuing drive, the Poets only offensive score of the day, to close the gap to 34-13. CMS drove the length of the field over the final five minutes of the half, and Alessando Maiuolo capped off the half with a 30-yard field goal, his sixth of the season in six attempts, to make the score 37-13 at the break.

At the half, CMS had 22:49 in time of possession, to just 7:11 for Whittier, as the Stags had 24 first downs compared to just two for the Poets. CMS also had 248 yards rushing at the half, including 114 from Fenton.

The second half began with O'Connell picking off his first pass of the night and returning it 19 yards to the Poet 19. Four plays later, Fenton scampered in from four yards for his second touchdown of the day. After CMS lost a fumble on its next possession, O'Connell had his second pick of the half, turning the ball back over the Stags on the Whittier 12-yard line. Rich Brutto then ended a 15-play, 76-yard, 8:23 drive with a 29-yard field goal for his first collegiate points. Brutto also added a 41-yarder to close out the scoring, making the two CMS kickers 8-for-8 on field goals on the season.

CMS will be back in action next Saturday when it travels to face Cal Lutheran for a 7 p.m. contest.