Despite winning 10 of 11 games, taking the GNAC championship and at one point holding the bragging rights to the NCAA’s top rusher, holding bragging rights to the NCAA’s top rusher, Azusa Pacific’s football team did not make the playoffs in its first season as a full Division II member.
In the selection show on Nov. 15, the Cougars did not get a playoff spot because they were not in the top six in Super Region Three.
This ending to the season was not expected by the team, which had its second consecutive 10-game winning season. APU was undefeated in conference.
The Cougars started the season strong with a 26-23 win in double overtime against then-No. 2 ranked Grand Valley State in a nationally televised game. Senior running back Terrell Watson had three touchdowns and rushed for 202 yards in the victory.
Photo Credit: Blake Standal
Junior defensive end Matthew Hackett got a hand on Western Oregon’s potential game-winning field goal with just over 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Cougars barely edged the Wolves 19-18 in the Nov. 1 matchup, after the defense held onto the one-point lead gained with Terrell Watson’s 80-yard touchdown rush just two minutes before.
The team’s next game was its first and only loss of the season, a 30-10 defeat by Humboldt State on the road. Four games later, the teams met again, and the Cougars handed HSU a 55-21 loss.
“The Humboldt loss was a huge slap in the face,” head coach Victor Santa Cruz said. “These young guys experienced the mountaintop the week before, and then they were in the valley the next. It woke them up to the reality of how tough college football is.”
After that first loss, the team won its next nine games to finish the season, including two victories each over Simon Fraser and Dixie State. The Cougars ended the season with a 54-0 victory over Menlo College at home.
“We committed to the fundamentals,” Santa Cruz said. “The players and coaches adopted a hungry-and-humble attitude. They didn’t take practice for granted, and that showed up.”
Watson ended the season with 2,153 rushing yards and overwhelmingly led the team in touchdowns with 29 total. The second-highest scorers for the Cougars were junior wide receiver Tanner Henry and freshman quarterback Chad Jeffries. Watson was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row.
Santa Cruz was GNAC co-Coach of the Year. Other players earning conference honors included Cody Clay and Grant Widmer on first-team offense. On first-team defense were Tyler Thornton, Steven Fanua and David Kafovalu. On the offense second team were Jaylen Crutchfield and Ahmad Sunda. C.J. Broussard was on the second team defense. Earning honorable mentions were Jeffries, Henry and Ronald Douglas.
In addition, 11 Cougars earned a spot on the 2014 GNAC Academic All-Conference team.
On offense, Jeffries threw for 1,606 yards over the season. He started 10 of the team’s 11 games. He also threw for 11 touchdowns. However, the team will be losing linemen like Watson and Clay, which will be a big hole to fill going into next season.
“Our offense grew every game, every practice,” Watson said. “Now looking back, there were 11 guys willing to play for each other and focus on their job to get it done.”
The team’s defense finished with the ninth-highest turnover margin in Division II. Led by seniors Fanua and Thornton, some of the top defensive performers were relatively young, like sophomores Broussard and Jonathan Thropay. Fanua had 93 total tackles while Thornton had 68. Thornton had four interceptions.
“I think our last game is really where we came together,” Thornton said. “As a defense, we grew, and it showed.”
The loss of these seniors is going to be significant for the team, but the return of younger players like Broussard will help keep the defensive excellence going. The defense only allowed 222 points as opposed to APU’s 387 scored.
“The defense has grown a lot,” Watson said. “Grand Valley to Menlo, they’ve gotten really good at what they do.”
The team now faces a new season without Watson.
“Losing Terrell is obviously a big loss,” Santa Cruz said. “There will never be another Terrell, but Terrell and these seniors are passing on a legacy of what it takes to be a champion on and off the field.”
Santa Cruz said the coaches decided to redshirt their 2014 class this year. He also said that their recruiting is picking up.
“It was a great season overall,” Watson said. “We controlled what we could control. We played every game knowing the next isn’t promised.”