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Sophomore QB Cruz Castillo - MenloOaksSports.com
Football - Fri, Sep 3, 2010



















Game 1: Menlo College (0-0) at Occidental College(0-0)
Date: Saturday, September 4
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: D.W. Patterson Field (2,400; FieldTurf); Los Angeles, Calif.
Next Week: Menlo hosts Chapman University at 12 p.m.; Occidental hosts University of Puget Sound at 7 p.m.

 

TV/Radio: Live radio play-by-play will be provided by the Occidental radio broadcast team of Craig Dunkin, Tim Walsh, and Kevin Walsh. The game streams live at OxyBroadcast.com.

 

Series History: Menlo is 9-6 all-time against Occidental, though the Tigers have won the past three encounters since the series returned from a five-year hiatus in 2007. The Oaks fell to No. 23 Occidental 17-0 in both teams season opener last season at Connor Field. Menlo's last win in the series was a 54-20 road triumph during the 2001 season.

 

What to Watch For:
 

MENLO - After increasing its win total for the second consecutive season, the Oaks look to take a big step forward in head coach Fred Guidici's second season in charge. Menlo begins its first season as an NAIA Independent led by a defense which returns six First or Second Team All-Northwest Conference selections, including 2010 NAIA Preseason All-Independent selection Beau Bussani at safety.

 

Bussani led Menlo in tackles (71), interceptions (3), and blocked kicks (2) as a sophomore; senior LB Shawn Winters recorded 12.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2009 while fellow linebacker Devon Jonsson, along with defensive linemen Damien Girard and Greig O'Conner, and defensive back Derek Bosia all garnered postseason conference honors and return for the Oaks.

 

Offensively, Menlo looks to have found its signal caller in sophomore Cruz Castillo, who threw for 999 yards and nine touchdowns while posting a 125.26 efficiency rating. When Castillo goes to the air he'll have some electric options at his disposal. Sophomore wide receiver Kenny Cavness led the team with 43 catches for 601 yards and six scores as a freshman and will be joined in the starting lineup by freshman receiver Michael Alexander and sophomore Kyle Campas. Alexander starred at La Salle High in Pasadena, playing his way onto the 2010 NAIA Independent Newcomers Watch List. Senior running back Payton Bell led Menlo with 364 yards on 99 carries in 2009.

 
OCCIDENTAL - Coming off a 7-2 season and a five-year stretch during which it went 49-5, Occidental has its sights set on a return to the NCAA Div. III Playoffs after missing out last season. University of Nevada transfer Luke Collis will be under center to lead a Tigers offense looking to replace its top passer, rusher, and receiving duo. While Oxy will rely on a number of new starters in the backfield, it will have its path paved by an offensive line that returns three starters, including 2009 All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection Nick Danielson at center.

 

All-SCIAC defensive linemen Alex Wertheimer and Jim Hildensperger could pose problems for the Oaks offensive line. The senior duo combined to make 102 tackles and 13 sacks in 2009 and will be backed up by All-SCIAC linebacker Kyle Spaulding, who finished the season with 42 tackles and two sacks. The Tigers lost 20 players for last year's team, though it was a squad that lost two games by a total of 14 points to nationally-ranked foes Linfield and Cal Lutheran. Oxy received 33 votes in last month's Preseason D3football.com Top 25 Poll.