Bryan Scott
The Occidental football team opened the season with a 46-41 shootout victory over the University of Puget Sound Loggers in Tacoma on Saturday. Five of those touchdowns came off the right arm of quarterback Bryan Scott (junior), who also completed 33 of 45 passes for 421 yards. This performance builds on his outstanding 2014 season, in which he threw for 1998 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Scott attributed the offense’s success — that of the passing game in particular — to great play and communication.
“The passing game was effective because of the offensive line, they gave me a lot of time and that allowed me to pass the ball successfully,” Scott said via email. “The receiving corps, full of young and talented guys, also did a great job making plays out there for our team. We were all on the same page, communicating efficiently, which allowed us to execute on a high level.”
Scott capped his performance with perhaps the most important play of the game for the Tigers. With 4:11 left in the fourth quarter, he completed a 22-yard pass to Max Gruber, which gave Occidental a two-possession, 46-35 lead and dealt a crushing blow to Puget Sound.
According to Scott, the team dedicated the win to defensive back Christian Clark (sophomore), who broke his leg on the first play of the game.
In two weeks the Tigers will turn their attention to the Pacific University Boxers for their home opener.
“We hope to exceed our goal, and succeed as a team and protect our home field,” Scott said via email.
Kwame Do
The air attack was not the only thing working for the Tiger offense during Saturday’s shootout victory against Puget Sound. Veteran tailback Kwame Do (senior) picked up where he left off last year with 141 yards rushing on 31 attempts and two touchdowns to garner co-Athlete of the Week along with his signal-caller, Bryan Scott.
Do was consistent the whole game, but his 62-yard rush late in the fourth quarter set up Scott’s 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Max Gruber (junior). The score put Occidental up 46-35 and the Loggers were unable to battle back.
Do contributed the ground game’s success to his offensive line.
“Key to the running game always starts with the O-line,” he said via email. “Niko Lachman (junior), Mike Consuji (junior), Jim Partee (senior), Nick Lunn (sophomore) and Alec Garafolo (junior) played great. So I just played off that. Can’t do anything without my boys up front.”
Do, who set Occidental’s single season rushing record in 2013 as a sophomore, rushed for over 1,000 yards the last two years. He aims to play an integral role in the team’s prolific offense this season as well.
After two straight 5-4 seasons rejuvenated Tiger football, Do believes his team has a chance to continue their improvement in his final season.
“If we focus on what we do and keep getting better everyday, the sky is the limit,” he said.
*There were no women’s teams in action this week so The Weekly chose two male Athletes of the Week
