Seeing La Verne Not Everything as Toreros Get Ready for Game

SAN DIEGO —  University of San Diego football Coach Brian Fogarty couldn’t help but chuckle when he listened at a news conference to the commotion about San Diego State and Cal State Long Beach not exchanging films before their game last week.

“We’re going into our third game without having any film on our opponent,” Fogarty said.

And that hasn’t seemed to bother USD much. The Toreros are 2-0 heading into this afternoon’s game at 1:30 at La Verne. USD beat Occidental, 20-12, in its opener, then defeated Claremont, 31-7, last week.

La Verne, Occidental and Claremont are members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, which has a policy against exchanging game films if the other team on the film is a future opponent of the team receiving the film.

In lieu of video aids, Fogarty and USD will have to rely on previous encounters, knowledge, statistics and a crew that scouted La Verne’s opening loss to Redlands, 22-13, last week.

Of previous encounters, there have been plenty. La Verne Coach Roland Ortmayer is in his 43rd (and final?) year at the school and has a 186-182-6 record.

“This is his last year, evidently,” Fogarty said. “But we’ve been hearing that for the last five or six years. It’s also their 100th anniversary for the school. Those things concern us, in terms of motivation for their team.”

Fogarty, who is 35-33-2 in his eighth year and became USD’s winningest coach with last week’s victory, should not need to motivate his team much. USD has an opportunity for one of its best seasons.

Through two games, the defense and offense have been characteristically solid. Opponents are averaging 222 yards against USD, but only 47 in the second half. The rushing game has produced an average of 283.5 yards per game, and the passing game 91.

Because of the strength of USD’s running game, the Toreros haven’t had to pass much. But when USD has thrown, it has been successful. Quarterback Brendan Murphy has completed nine of 15 passes for 138 yards, and John Eck is two for two for 44 yards on the halfback option.