COLORADO SPRINGS, Calif. (Sept. 13, 2008) – On a gorgeous sunny day at 6,011 feet above sea level, the Occidental College Tigers football squad opened the 2008 season with a 41-0 shutout against Colorado College at Washburn Field today.

Colorado College won the coin toss and opted to receive, giving freshman Joshua Mun the first kickoff of his collegiate career. The first possession of the game didn't last long as the Oxy defense stopped CC quickly (allowing just three yards), giving Oxy their first offensive opportunity of 2008.

There was no lack of scoring for the Tigers, who never looked back after senior quarterback Justin Goltz ran the ball 60 yards on the first offensive play of the game. Sophomore running back Bryan Fiorito finished the drive with a two-yard rush into the end zone for the first touchdown of the season.

Goltz connected with Jason Lehman for a 27-yard completion on the ensuing Tigers possession before Lehman ran the final five yards into the end zone for the second score of the game.

With just seven seconds remaining in the first quarter, Goltz found sophomore transfer Brandon Ahlo for a 28-yard completion and the third touchdown of the day on the Tigers' third offensive drive.

Saunders took over after Goltz was shaken up on a quarterback keep during the Tigers'  first offensive sequence of the second quarter and completed 12 and 13 yard touchdown passes to junior wide receivers Chris Washington and Lehman, respectively, giving Oxy a commanding 34-0 lead going into the locker room.

Occidental's defense was solid in the first half behind leadership from Jim Hildensperger and Kyle Spaulding, who each tallied five unassisted tackles and three assists. Patrick Sarkissian finished the half with three solo stops and four assists.

Senior defensive back Daniel Tromello recovered a CC fumble, forced by Spaulding, and returned the ball 48 yards to set up the final score of the first half.

After a scoreless third quarter, Occidental managed to add another touchdown in the final minutes of the game behind a seven-yard charge into the end zone by freshman running back Jonathan Kirchner.

Despite a valiant last-minute effort by the CC Tigers, who drove 69 yards down the field in 11 plays, their threat was put to an end by the only Oxy sack of the day by freshman Greg Holsworth, for a loss of 10 yards.

The Oxy's kickers turned in a good performance overall as kicker Neil Martin converted five of six PAT attempts. Punter Alex Groh averaged 31.0 yards with two punts inside the 20-yard line in five attempts. Mun had seven deep kickoffs during his first game as a Tiger, which helped to pin the opposing Tigers. 

Hildensperger finished with nine total tackles (five solo stops and four assists) on opening day. Spaulding and Sarkissian each finished with eight total tackles. Zac Perkins tallied seven, while Mike McGarry and Josh Beck added five apiece (each recordings two unassisted tackles). 

Offensively, Goltz racked up 179 all-purpose yards, with 70 yards on the ground and 9-12 through the air for 109 yards and one touchdown in limited action. Saunders was 10-14 passing for 92 yards with a pair of touchdowns, adding 32 rushing yards in five attempts. His longest run was a 27-yard gain in the final offensive series of the game, which ended with a TD. Neither Oxy quarterback threw an interception in the game, but Saunders was sacked once for a loss of seven yards. 

Rushing Fiorito and Kirchner each carried the ball eight times for 65 and 37 yards, respectively. Lehman finished with three catches for 29 yards and five yards on the ground, resulting in a pair of TDs. Washington caught 10 passes for 62 yards with his longest at 19 yards.

Appearing for the first time in black and orange were a number of freshmen, including Randall Hook (four carries, 13 yards), Nick Saraceni (six carries, 21 yards; one solo tackle, two assists), Jordan Washington (two carries, 14 yards; three catches, 37 yards), Ayerton Bates (one solo tackle, one assist, broke up a play), Tyler Natfz (one solo tackle), Tucker Eason (one rush, two yards), Nic Arnold (one solo tackle, one assist), Greg Fryan (one solo tackle, one assist), and John Hansborough (one assist).

Occidental as a team picked up 23 first downs and totaled 460 offensive yards (259 rushing, 201 passing). They were 9-14 on third down conversions and were a perfect 5-5 in the red zone. CC finished with just 238 yards of total offense and were 2-5 on fourth-down conversions while going 0-2 in the red zone.

Today marks the ninth victory in as many meetings over Colorado College since 1999.

The Tigers return to the friendly confines of D. W. Patterson Field for their home season opener on Saturday, Sept. 20 against Menlo in non-conference play. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.