5 Things to Know: Football at Chapman

5 Things to Know: Football at Chapman

Here are five things to know for Saturday's matchup in Orange.

1) After being bottled up for just 27 total points in the first two SCIAC games, La Verne's offense got back on track in a big way against Occidental. The Leopards exploded for 57 points on 655 yards of total offense as they edged the Tigers in a 57-56 thriller. La Verne gained 441 yards on the ground on 53 attempts and completed 15-of-20 passes for 214 yards.

Chapman presents another enticing matchup for the Leopards. The Panthers are allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 68 percent of their passes for 277.8 yards per game and has given up 10 touchdowns through the air. They're also giving up 182.8 rushing yards per game and allowed nine rushing touchdowns so far.

2) La Verne is also getting a good matchup on defense on paper. Chapman is averaging just 17.4 points per game while gaining 336.6 yards per game, both of which rank second-lowest in the SCIAC. The Panthers rank last in the SCIAC in third down conversion and have thrown more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (5).

The Leopards, who haven't yet recorded a takeaway in SCIAC play, will look to make some big plays on defense.

3) Zachary Tomlinson, who broke out for four touchdowns in his first career start last week, is slated to start again. Against Oxy, he threw for 205 yards on 14-of-19 passing, which was good for an excellent 10.8 yards per attempt.

UPDATE (Friday, 4:02 p.m.): Josh Evans has been cleared to play and will start at quarterback for La Verne. Evans is averaging 174.3 passing yards and 74.3 rushing yards per game. He has seven total touchdowns (4 pass, 3 rush) on the season.

4) Dallas Parent went off for 298 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries against Occidental to earn D3football.com Team of the Week honors. 

In the last year's matchup between the two teams in which La Verne won, 49-42, the Leopards ran for 421 yards and scored all seven of their touchdowns on the ground on a Chapman defense that had given up only 146.5 rushing yards going into that game. Parent ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries in that matchup.

5) Quarterbak Ricky Bautista will lead Chapman's offense. The junior has completed over 70 percent of his passes and is averaging 135.2 yards per game. He has thrown three touchdowns and four interceptions. He is also the team's second leading rusher, having compiled 111 yards on 35 attempts.