Another Close Game Slips From Grasp of CLU

If there is a will, there is a way for the Cal Lutheran football team.

The problem is, it’s usually the wrong way. That is, if the game is close, the Kingsmen seem to find a way to lose rather than win.

On Saturday, Cal Lutheran found itself trailing by just four points, 24-20, but fumbles on consecutive possessions took the Kingsmen out of the game and allowed Southern Utah State to post a 34-20, nonconference victory before a homecoming crowd of 2,614 at CLU’s Mount Clef Stadium.

Cal Lutheran (2-6) turned the ball over nine times in dropping its homecoming game for the fourth year in a row.

The most critical fumble occurred in the fourth quarter when CLU attempted to run a reverse on a kickoff, with Eddie Hoffman handing off to Craig Ashley. But the exchange failed and Southern Utah’s Tim Shedrick fell on the ball at the Kingsmen nine-yard line.

Three plays later, Southern Utah quarterback Rick Carter tossed a three-yard pass to a wide-open Thane Marshall in the end zone.

“Amazingly, we were still in a position to win the game until the fumble on the kickoff,” CLU Coach Bob Shoup said. “We’ve used it before, and when it works, it’s real nice. And when it doesn’t, it’s a disaster.”

It appeared that the Thunderbirds, who were coming off a 36-26 upset of Portland State last week, were going to roll to an easy victory after piling up a 21-0 lead late in the first half. But with one minute, 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter, CLU drove 70 yards in seven plays, with quarterback Dan Nagelmann tossing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Lapinski with 14 seconds left.

But even with 14 seconds left in the half, CLU allowed Southern Utah to get on the scoreboard again as Herkey Marxen kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired for a 24-6 Thunderbird lead.

The Kingsmen made a game of it in the third quarter on touchdown runs of nine yards by Nagelmann and one yard by Hoffman. The fourth quarter, however, was Cal Lutheran’s worst nightmare as the Thunderbirds forced five turnovers.

“They ran the ball effectively, and fortunately we came up with the key turnovers while we reduced ours to only one,” Southern Utah State Coach Jack Bishop said.

Ashley led the CLU ground game with 111 yards in 13 carries and Nagelmann completed 13 of 26 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. But he also threw four interceptions.

Kelvin Minefee led the Thunderbirds in rushing with 180 yards in 26 carries. Carter completed eight of 19 for 136 yards.