April 19, 1997

Cal Tops Indiana 65-12 in Championship Play

LOS ANGELES - Cal beat Indiana University 65-12 in the first round of the national championship play offs Saturday and will fight Air Force for a final four berth Sunday.

Fly half Dave Stroble scored four tries and made three conversions for 26 points, while prop Peter Su scored twice. Flanker Mark Hildebrand, winger Ryan Fried, lock Chris Varnell, fullback Katsu Takei and No. 8 Brian Mieux also joined in the score fest with a try each.

Once the Bears established control of the game, coach Jack Clark made numerous substitutions, resting players for Sunday's 1:00 p.m. match. "We must be ready to play twice as hard," he told his players. "Air Force plays a very different style to us and it could be difficult to establish the pattern of play we want."

The academy sported a potent back line in its 22-13 victory over Arizona in Saturday's early match. Despite having possession of the ball for more than two thirds of the game, the Wildcats could not score a try for the first 60 minutes. Air Force, meanwhile, made the most of its limited attacking opportunities.

For Cal, the win over Indiana was gained in the forwards rather than the backs. The loose forward trio of Scott Yungling, Mark Hildebrand and John Taylor repeatedly made damaging runs from rucks and mauls, drawing in the Hoosier defense and presenting the Bears' backs with scoring opportunities.

Scrum half Charlie Masters added pressure with his kicking game. The winner of the Cal - Air Force showdown will advance to the national championship Final Four tournament,to be played at Berkeley on May 3 and 4.

The Bears are seeking a seventh consecutive collegiate title and, if they win Sunday, may face Stanford and UC Davis in the Final Four. Both of the Bears' rivals won their first round matches convincingly in other regional tournaments.

Cal     34 31 = 65 vs.
Indiana  0 12 = 12

Scoring: First Half -Dave Stroble Try (5) & Conversion (2) 13.50; Dave Stroble Penalty Kick (3) 17.14; Ryan Fried Try (5) 22.17; Mark Hildebrand Try (5) Dave Stroble Conversion (2) 25.05; Chris Varnell Try (5) 28.05; Katsu Takei Try (5) Dave Stroble Conversion (2) 35.57. Second Half -Dave Stroble Try (5) & Conversion (2) 4.00; Dan Younger (Indiana) Try (5) 6.06; Dave Stroble Try (5) 11.43; Peter Su Try (5) 16.14; Peter Su Try (5) Nic Sliffe Conversion (2) 27.03; Brian Mieux Try (5) Nic Sliffe Conversion (2) 38.58; Dan Younger (Indiana) Try (5) Mike Morris Conversion (2) Injury Time.

Cal Record: 13-3