Camel Foe – Week 7, San Diego

After a week off, the Fighting Camels return to action with a cross-country trip to beautiful San Diego, CA.

University of San Diego

Location: San Diego, CA (population: 1,301,607 as of 2010 census, the 2nd-largest city in California and 8th-largest in the United States)

Established: 1949 as the San Diego College for Women. The San Diego College for Men and a law school were opened in 1954 and all were merged into a co-ed institution in 1972.

Enrollment: ~8,300

Nickname: Toreros. Torero comes from the Spanish term toro, the bull, and from the word torear, to fight bulls. All of the contestants in the ring are called toreros. Torero is a general term describing a bullfighter and signifies courage, honor and fidelity. Before 1961, the USD nickname was the Pioneers.

Mascot: Diego Torero is the mascot and has a terrific mustache.

Affiliation: San Diego is a football-only member of the Pioneer Conference. Most sports compete in the West Coast Conference. The women’s softball program competes in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference and the women’s swimming and diving teams compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Random Fact #1: The philosophy of USD’s founder and her fellow religious folks relied on the belief that studying in beautiful surroundings could improve the educational experience of students. Thus, the university’s buildings are designed in a 16th-century Spanish Renaissance architectural style, paying homage to both San Diego’s Catholic heritage and the Universidad de Alcalá in Spain.

Random Fact #2: The Kroc School of Peace Studies opened in fall 2007. The Joan B. Kroc (wife of McDonald’s financier Ray Kroc) Institute for Peace & Justice was established thanks to Mrs. Kroc’s gift of $75 million “to not only teach peace, but make peace”.

Random Fact #3: In 2007, Toreros’ quarterback Josh Johnson threw for 43 touchdown passes and just 1 interception, a school record. Johnson was taken in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Johnson, who was recruited to USD by former head coach Jim Harbaugh (2004–06), is the first USD football player to be drafted by an NFL team. In 2012, Johnson signed a free-agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers, the team currently led by Harbaugh, the 49ers’ head coach, although Johnson was released prior to the start of the season.

Random Fact #4: Athletics facilities include the Jenny Craig Pavilion, made possible by a multi-million dollar gift from the weight loss tycoon.

Random Fact #5: The 13th-seeded Toreros upset the University of Connecticut in the first round of the 2008 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament on March 21, 2008. This marked the first time USD had advanced in the tournament, as well as the first time UConn was eliminated in the first round while coached by Jim Calhoun. It was the first NCAA Basketball Tournament win for any San Diego-area university.

Notable Alumni:

• Los Angeles Lakes head coach Mike Brown
• former NBA GM and head coach Bernie Bickerstaff
• former MLB GM Bill Bavasi
• former MLB OF Brady Clark
• former NBA head coach Eric Musselman
• actor Jim Parsons, Sheldon from “Big Bang Theory”

San Diego is a big place, so we’ll stick to 10 San Diegans.

• NFL Hall of Fame RB Marcus Allen
• actor James Avery, Uncle Phil from “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”
• actress Mayim Bialik, Blossom from “Blossom”
• Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane
• Miami Dolphins RB Reggie Bush
• screenwriter, director and producer Cameron Crowe
• actor Robert Duvall
• actor Ted Danson
• actress Cameron Diaz
• Wyatt Earp

[Ed. Note: I only made it to the end of the E’s before I had ten. I’m sure there are many more awesome people I left out.]

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

• San Diego is 2-3 (1-1 in the PFL), with losses coming to undefeated and ranked Cal Poly (a scholarship program), undefeated and ranked Harvard and conference foe Drake. Their wins are over D-II Western New Mexico and PFL opponent Valparaiso.
• San Diego committed 6 turnovers last weekend in losing to Drake 38-10. Drake was a 35-7 victor over Campbell two weeks ago.
• The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 1-1. Campbell won 48-24 last year in Buies Creek while San Diego triumphed 43-7 in 2008.
• QB Mason Mills threw for 216 yards and a TD last week but also tossed 4 interceptions, while Kenn James ran for 98 yards and Logan Smith had 8 receptions for 99 yards.
• Zach Devaney led the defense with 7 tackles while Zach Dunaj added 6 tackles and a sack.
• Junior WR Sam Hoekstra leads the PFL in punt returns (11.8) and senior kicker Ernie Collins is tied for first in the conference in field goals made (1.20/gm) and second in points scored (6.4/gm).
• San Diego was picked in the preseason to win the PFL, a task made much more difficult following the loss to Drake (picked 2nd in the preseason).
• Collins is 6-8 on FG this year including a career long of 51 yards and two others of 48 yards. He also handles the punting duties, averaging 39.5 yards on 21 attempts.
• In the loss to Harvard this season, Mills set USD records for pass completions (38) and attempts (63) while throwing for 354 yards and 1 TD.
• Head Coach Ron Caragher was a four-year letterwinner at UCLA and an assistant at UCLA and Kentucky prior to being hired at San Diego.
• Offensive line coach Hank Fraley spent 10 seasons in the NFL, starting 123 games for the Eagles, Browns & Rams.
• Stat Leaders:
  • Passing: Mills – 121 of 184 for 1,253 yards with 9 TD and 8 INT
  • Rushing: James – 50 carries for 268 yards (1 TD); Darrion Hancock 2 TD (34 carries, 132 yards)
  • Receiving: Brandon White 31 receptions, 341 yards, 4 TD
  • Defense: Dunaj 38 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries; Steve Gargiulo 3.5 TFL and 2 sacks; Drew Harris 2 INT; Troy McClelland 4 pass breakups
• Best Name Nominees:
  • QB Bo Stompro; RB Bug Rivera; FB Luke Holler; DT Josh Huckleberry; OL Tarez Lemmons
  • The winner – Bug Rivera

Prediction:

San Diego, the preseason conference champion pick, likely has a bad taste in their mouth after losing to Drake by 4 touchdowns last week. If you believe in revenge, they may also remember last year’s shellacking in Buies Creek. Regardless, the Toreros’ only losses have come to two undefeated and ranked teams and the (now) PFL conference favorite. Meanwhile, the Fighting Camels have struggled to continue the momentum from last year’s winning season. A long trip across the country to face an angry San Diego squad is not the tonic Campbell needs. San Diego will not come close to replicating the 6-turnover performance of a week ago and will get back on track with a victory. On the flip side, our Camels will drop to 1-5 as the season heads into the second half. It says here the final score will be 33-14.