By: Aliocha Perriard-Abdoh
The Clan had their first home game of the season in a non-conference match against Texas A&M Kingsville. Even though the Clan was defeated 35–7 by Texas A&M Kingsville University this Saturday afternoon, they still put up a stellar performance with an incredible touchdown from wide receiver Justin Buren. Thanks to quarterback Miles Richardson, the ball circulated well across the field and showcased the attacking line’s noteworthy performance. Some strong plays were made by Jalen Jana, Gavin Cobb, and Justin Buren.
Buren scored SFU’s only touchdown in the second quarter after an impressive 91-yard run off of a pass from Richardson. The two played really well together, with Buren receiving a total of 114 yards over three passes, and Richardson passing a total of 267 yards, including the 91-yard long pass which led to Buren scoring the touchdown for the Clan.
Richardson’s passing skills came in handy as he was able to get the ball to the hands of SFU’s wide receivers. The passing game continued to show promise in this one, with a total of 39 attempted passes, 20 successful, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
The Clan’s defensive line, although very young, also made a great contribution to the game. Thanks to them, Texas A&M Kingsville were held scoreless in the first quarter. They only had one notable scoring opportunity during the first, which the SFU defensive line ended at the 22-yard line.
Defensive back Matt Duda rose up to the challenge with a total of five successful tackles. Linebacker Jordan Leech also left a mark in the opposite team’s offence with seven tackles, and defensive lineman Brad Lyons contributed to the SFU defence with seven tackles as well.
The Clan did a good job rushing their opponents during the game. According to senior wide receiver Justin Buren, “The game was winnable, [SFU] just didn’t execute on offence like I know we could have, and our [defence] kept us in the game.”
It wasn’t until the second quarter that Texas A&M Kingsville was able to score any touchdowns against the Clan. In the second quarter, defensive lineup Kyle Wilson stopped Texas A&M Kingsville’s first play with an impressive tackle by the 26-yard line. In spite of the Clan’s best efforts, Kingsville still ended the second quarter of the game with a 21–7 lead.
This was a good performance for the young Clan athletes as Texas A&M Kingsville University is a very strong team. The 31–7 loss marks a strong improvement from last season, when they lost 68–7 against the same opponent. This home game performance is a very promising one for the start of the season, especially considering that the majority of the team are only first- and second-year student athletes. SFU’s football team has a chance to grow into a promising one at the very least.
Their next game will be against Humboldt State University on September 16, with kickoff at 6 p.m. in Arcata, California.
