COLLEGE FOOTBALL REVIEW : OCCIDENTAL : Conference Title All Tigers Have to Show for Year

With 3 weeks remaining in the season, Occidental lost to Menlo, and afterward, Coach Dale Widolff said he was convinced that the Tigers would not be given a Division III playoff berth. Still, after Occidental beat Whittier in its final game to win the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, Widolff maintained a glimmer of hope.

“There’s an outside shot,” he said Saturday. “But we’re not banking on anything.”

The NCAA West regional pairings were announced Monday and Occidental (7-2 overall, 5-0 in conference play) was not included. Widolff says the decision might represent a trend.

“I’m starting to worry because I think there’s . . . . a prejudice against West Coast teams,” said Widolff, whose teams are 1-4 in postseason games.

The Tigers’ season began as it ended: on a sour note. Azusa Pacific mounted a last-minute touchdown drive to win the opener, 17-13, at Occidental. In addition to losing the game, Occidental temporarily lost senior quarterback Tony Werbelow, who suffered a bruised sternum that sidelined him for a week and bothered him for much of the season.

The nagging injury did not keep Werbelow from picking apart opponents’ secondaries when he returned, however. He finished the season as the top-rated passer in the conference, completing 69.1% of his passes. He threw but 2 interceptions.

Although Werbelow has another year of eligibility, this season might have been his last. He plans to graduate with his class this spring. If so, he likely will be replaced by Mike Bonetto, a freshman who started at strong safety and was the backup quarterback this year.

“He’s got great feet, great natural instincts,” defensive coordinator Mike Schmidt said of Bonetto.

Rick Freeman led all receivers with 32 catches for 423 yards and 5 touchdowns.

The Occidental ground game, traditionally the earmark of Widolff offenses, had troubles putting 2 strong performances together. Tailbacks Kevin Vegas and Mike Sandlin were tough at times but sputtered just as often. Sandlin, the team’s quickest back, was hampered by cracked ribs and a sprained knee and did not score until the Whittier game, when he exploded for a career-high 227 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Tiger defense did not allow more than 2 touchdowns in any game and held opponents to an average of 11.3 points. The linebackers, led by captain Tim Swanson, were the core of the defensive unit.

“All around, in terms of consistency and big plays, our four linebackers are the best in the conference,” Schmidt said.

Swanson was the biggest surprise.

“In the past, Tim would do his job and other people would make the tackles,” Widolff said. “This year he did his job and made the tackles.”

Swanson and nose guard Curtis Page will be gone next year, but the rest of the defense returns intact.

In his 7 years at Occidental, Widolff has built a 56-19-3 record and has won or shared the SCIAC title 5 times. But he doesn’t mind deflecting praise.

“I don’t think our coaches do anything different,” Widolff said. “I think we just have the best players in the league.”