Boo Molinary intercepted a pass and ran 40 yards untouched into the endzone with 2:40 remaining to put the game out of reach and give Menlo a 35-25 lead. After the defense stepped up again and took the ball over on downs near midfield, the Oaks turned to senior running back Payton Bell, who churned away at the Tigers front seven, dashing 15 and then another 18 yards to the two yard line before punching in the game's final score from there with just 1:27 on the clock.

Menlo took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter when Bell capped off an eight-play, 67-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run. Bell started the drive with a 20-yard scamper and sophomore quarterback Cruz Castillo connected with freshman tight end Devin Young on completions of 15 and 22 yards, respectively. Menlo moved ahead 21-17 with 14:19 left to play.

After the Oaks defense allowed one first down and then forced Occidental to punt on its ensuing possession, Menlo's offense kept with its effective ground attack. Bell had runs of six and seven yards around a 14-yard completion from Castillo to senior running back Andrew Stevens to start the drive. Another senior runner, Jaronimo Wright, ran for 14 yards into Tigers territory and then gained another seven yards with his feet. Bell ran for 12 yards before Wright was hit for a loss on a first-down run.

On second and long, Castillo turned away from a heavy pass rush and heaved a perfect strike down the right sideline to junior wide receiver Dimitri Vigil, who snagged the pass between two Occidental defenders and pulled them the final two yards into the endzone for what would become a 28-17 lead following Kevin Kurtz' point-after kick with 6:27 remaining.

Occidental stayed in the game thanks in part to an iffy late hit penalty on the Oaks sideline at the end of a nine-yard completion that quickly moved the ball into Menlo territory. The Tigers were then called for intentional grounding, but Luke Collis threw a 50-yard bomb to Bobby Phillips on third-and-16 for a touchdown. Collis found Ryan Nastor on a two-point conversion pass to pull Occidental within 28-25 with 5:25 still on the clock.

Menlo's reliable running game came up empty on a third-and-two play when the Oaks got the ball back. The Oaks punted the ball back to the Tigers, who had a chance to go for the win, but on second-and-10 at its own 38 Collis threw a pass into the right flat that Molinary picked off in stride and returned for the clinching score.

Occidental drove 80 yards in eight plays on its first possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Collis hit Phillips from 24 yards out for the first touchdown of the night.

Sophomore wide receiver Kenny Cavness jump started the Oaks when he returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Tigers 32. Seven plays later, Bell hit paydirt from three yards out following a key third-and-five conversion in which Castillo ran for six yards. It was 7-7 with just less than five minutes to play in the first quarter.

A quick three-and-out by the Occidental offense turned into more points for the Oaks when junior safety and special teams dynamo Beau Bussani blocked a punt that Steven Lopes recovered to set Menlo's offense up 21 yards from the goal line.

Bell carried the ball on four consecutive plays for a combined 13 yards. Following a false start by the Oaks otherwise impressive offensive line, Castillo hit Cavness from 13 yards out for a go-ahead touchdown. Menlo took its first lead at 14-7 with 1:12 on the clock.

Occidental finally pulled even on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Collis to Matthew Tuckness with a shade more than six minutes left in the half. Menlo had earlier thwarted a Tigers threat, taking the ball over on downs at its own 11 to start the second quarter.

The Tigers jumped ahead on a 34-yard Joshua Mun field goal late in the third quarter, but Menlo answered in a big way for the entirety of the fourth quarter.

Bell had a career night, finishing with 189 rushing yards on 34 carries and three touchdowns. Menlo totaled 209 yards on the ground on 47 carries, which is in stark contrast to the Oaks struggles running the ball in recent years. Castillo completed 13-of-26 passes to six different receivers for 162 yards and two scores.

Lopes, a junior defensive back, senior linebacker Shawn Winters, and junior defensive lineman Chris Tosello tied for the team lead in tackles with seven apiece. The Oaks held Occidental to just 86 rushing yards on 29 attempts. Collis - a University of Nevada transfer - threw for 297 yards, but completed only 17-of-44 passes.

Menlo won its season opener for the first time since defeating McMurry 14-0 to begin the 2006 season. The Oaks return home to take on Chapman next Saturday at 12 p.m. at Connor Field. Chapman defeated Menlo 21-7 last season, but will be playing its first contest of the season. Occidental, which received the 34th most votes in the Preseason D3football.com Top 25 Poll, is 0-1.