Toreros top Stetson, finish season with fifth straight win

Stetson ran off 41 more plays than the University of San Diego on Saturday. The Hatters hogged the ball 12½ more minutes than the Toreros.

Which only proves that some statistics are absolutely meaningless.

It’s not so much how long you possess the football as what you do with it. And USD kept taking it away. The Toreros returned an interception for a touchdown and forced four turnovers in all, two others leading to touchdowns. The result: USD dismantled Stetson 42-8 at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand, Fla.

The season-ending victory wrapped up a five-game winning streak as USD finished 8-4, 6-2 in the Pioneer Football League, tied for second place, one game behind Drake (8-3, 7-1).

While USD finished the season with a rush, the five wins coming by 12, 18, 16, 22 and 34 points, coach Brandon Moore admitted there was disappointment. Two early narrow losses in league prevented USD from winning the PFL and advancing to the FCS playoffs.

“It’s very disappointing,” Moore said by phone. “I think we are the best team in the league. We’re the most talented group by far. We proved that from time to time, but a loss is a loss. Those things came back to bite us in the end.”

USD jumped to a 28-0 halftime lead against Stetson (3-9, 2-6), which ends the season on a five-game losing streak.

A Trey Sena-Ortega fumble recovery at the Stetson 14 set up USD’s second touchdown.

Up 28-8 entering the fourth quarter, USD’s Mo Vanderweil returned an interception 25 yards to make it 35-8. Two plays from scrimmage later, Stetson’s Chis Stephenson served up another pick, this one by Ruben Lopez, his fifth interception of the season.

That one set up a 37-yard Matt Colombo touchdown run. A USC transfer, Colombo ended his career memorably, gaining 129 yards on 23 carries and scoring four touchdowns, the others coming on runs of 14, 1 and 3 yards.

Colombo was one of USD’s emotional leaders and finished the season with 704 yards rushing and 10 TDs. He missed four games with a broken foot, including the PFL losses to Marist and Drake.

“He’s one of the best backs in the league,” said Moore. “If he’s in those games (he missed), I think that’s the difference in wins and losses. His influence and his fight and ability to come back from the injury so soon speaks to his character, who Matt Colombo is.”

An NFL linebacker for seven seasons, including two games with the Chargers in 2010, Moore was proud of his ball-hawking defense.

“I think our defense has been the anchor the last two years. They play consistently. When they’re on we’re a hard team to beat,” he said.