WHITTIER, Calif. (Nov. 14, 2009) – In a game that saw players shine on both sides of the ball, Occidental College players, including 21 seniors, left everything on the field with a 44-23 victory over Whittier College in the season and Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference finale. With the win the Tigers also retain possession of the coveted "Shoes", tying the all-time series 33-33.

After bringing home "The Drum" last weekend, the Black and Orange duplicated their offensive out-put, recording 44 points for the second consecutive week. The Tigers racked up 419 yards, surpassing the 400-yards plateau for the third time in 2009.

As 21 senior players suited up for the final time they were determined to make it one to remember, and they did just that. Whittier won the coin toss and opted to receive, but the Tigers' defense forced a three-and-out situation, setting up the offense on their own 41 yard line after Chris Washington returned the punt 10 yards.

Scott Saunders connected with Jason Lehman four times on Occidental's first drive before Running back Jason Haller lit up the scoreboard for the first of two times with a four yard carry .

Again the Tigers' drive started on their own 41, this time after Jordan Washington ran the Poets' punt back 14 yards after again being forced to punt by the defensive unit on fourth down. Saunders led the Black and Orange back down the field with a pair of completions to Jordan Inabnit with Haller again finishing things off with a one yard run on a handoff from Lehman. Neil Martin added a pair of PATs to put the Tigers up 14-0 just 3:23 into the game.

At the start of the second quarter, WC found its way into the end zone, cutting the lead to 14-7, but Occidental quickly scored again. Saunders rushed twice and hit C. Washington twice, the second time for a 15-yard TD, capped off by Martin, giving Oxy a 21-7 advantage.

On the ensuing drive, Dillon Tucker nabbed an interception, his third of the season, which culminated with a 40-yard field goal by Martin.

For the fourth time of the game, Oxy held Whittier to three plays, five yards, and forced a punt, which again set up a Tigers' score. Saunders hit Inabnit for a big 19-yard completion on third down before rushing twice for 17 and 24 yards, the latter ending with six more points for Occidental. Martin's kick pushed the lead to 31-7.

Whittier got the ball back with 1:16 to play in the half, but any thoughts of a late first half score were squashed when Alex Wertheimer sacked Whittier's QB for a loss of nine yards on a third-and-one. 

The second half started with a spark when Saunders found Lehman, who escaped a Whittier defender in the middle of the field to find himself momentarily alone in the end zone before teammates swarmed after a 59 yard reception, his longest catch of the season.

Whittier added a score after an Occidental fumble, which the Purple and Gold recovered. The Tigers bounced right back with another field goal, as Martin nailed a 31-yard chance, adding to the lead, 41-15. In similar fashion, the next Occidental possession ended with a 28-yard field goal off the foot of sophomore kicker Joshua Mun, who also kicked off for Occidental today, pinning the opposition deep in their own territory all afternoon.

Occidental had one more possession after Trace Wallace grabbed the first interception of his career, putting the ball in the hands of senior Kyle Kazarian. His only pass of the day was a completion to Trevor Duessen. Dorian Vaughn also rushed for a yard on the final play of the game, and his final appearance on the gridiron.

The defense was led today by Jim Hildensperger who recorded 10 tackles. Wertheimer finished with a pair of sacks for a loss of 22 yards and six total tackles, five solo, and battery mate, Jesse Fischer completed his collegiate career with five tackles, one for a loss. The trio brought pressure to the WC offense all afternoon as they have done all season.

Zac Perkins, who was named to the d3football.com Team of the Week, tallied nine tackles against the Poets and Kyle Spaulding finished with seven, hurrying the QB once. Wallace had four tackles to go along with his pick. Aaron Stanton got three stops and broke up a play while Daniel Rucker, Clary Jeffrey and Greg Fryan each had a tackle in his final appearance for Oxy. Rucker and senior Michael Jorgenson also played important roles on kickoffs during the game.

Rounding out the senior class are Tommy Andre, Thomas Bergstrom, Alex Groh, Chris Jackson who were all sidelines due to injuries.

As a team, Oxy collected 22 first downs. They scored in each of its five red zone opportunities and were successful on their only fourth down conversion try. The Tigers were 5-for-11 on third down conversions. In his final game, Saunders was 21-for-31 passing for 267 yards with no interceptions. He added 71 yards on the ground, second to Haller who gained 72 on 14 touches. C. Washington and Inabnit each caught four passes while Lehman led the way with 10 receptions as he led all players with 130 all purpose yards. C. Washington was next in line with 112. Saunders added a 49 yard punt to his stat line as well.

Occidental outgained the Whittier 419-237 and averaged 7.0 yards per play to WC's 4.2. Oxy limited the Poets to 67 yards on 32 carries. A well disciplined team, the Tigers committed just two penalties, while the Poets were called for eight, resulting in 72 yards in favor of the Tigers. Each team had two fumbles, but only one resulted in a change of possession.

Occidental concludes the 2009 season with an overall record of 7-2 and a second place finish in the SCIAC. Cal Lutheran University claimed their first outright SCIAC title since becoming part of the SCIAC in 1991, with a 30-21 victory over the University of Redlands Bulldogs, and will advance to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time in school history.

The senior class will graduate having recorded 32 victories and just six losses with a pair of SCIAC Championships and two trips to the NCAA Playoffs. Congratulations, gentlemen and best of luck in your future endeavors.