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The goal of every football team is to finish the season strong, building momentum for the year ahead.
That’s exactly what the University of San Diego accomplished on the road Saturday, routing Morehead State, 37-14.
The Toreros closed the season in Morehead, Ky., with a four-game winning streak, finishing with an 8-3 record, 6-2 in the Pioneer Football League. USD finished second in the PFL to Drake (8-2, 7-1).
Morehead State (7-5, 5-3) was coming off its best game of the season, a 29-20 upset of Drake.
Of the late-season rush, USD head coach Brandon Moore said by phone: “It was awesome. It’s just a testament to the leadership and those guys made a decision to be great. We fought all year to try to get to that.”
Two graduate students led the Toreros. Running back Isaiah Smith gained 205 yards on 31 carries, scoring a touchdown. Smith also had five catches for 24 yards. Sixth-year quarterback Grant Sergent completed 18 of 24 passes for 184 yards and two TDs with no interceptions.
Smith was filling in for an injured Logan Gingg.
“He was excited about the opportunity, not the circumstances,” Moore said of Smith. “He carried the ball like a man on a mission. He had a different gear today.”
In his only full season as a starter, Sergent finished with 2,403 yards passing and 26 TD passes with only five interceptions.
“I just think he does a tremendous job of being a leader, managing the game, delivering all the balls,” Moore said of Sergent. “He can make every throw on the field. It’s great to be able to see him play with confidence.”
Wide receiver Ja’seem Reed, a leading candidate for PFL Offensive Player of the Year, had five catches for 48 yards and a TD. He finished the season with 77 receptions for 1,052 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The 77 catches rank third all-time in USD single-season history. The USD record for catches in a season is 102, set by John Matthews in 2008.
USD used some trickery to jump to a 7-0 lead, Bradley Schlom catching a 33-yard TD pass from freshman wide receiver Christopher Hall. It was Hall’s first pass attempt of the season.
USD would build its lead to 17-7 by halftime. By early in the fourth quarter the lead had swelled to 34-14. Josh Heverly scored on a 22-yard catch and Smith hit the end zone from 18 yards.
Kicker Adian Lehman completed a big senior season, hitting field goals from 36, 44 and 37 yards. He finished the season 16 of 21 on field-goal attempts.
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