Football: Jerry Neuheisel battled stomach ailment

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Jerry Neuheisel didn’t start at quarterback for Los Angeles Loyola on Friday at L.A. Valley College after missing practice earlier in the week because of a stomach ailment, Cubs Coach Mike Christensen said.

It probably wouldn’t have mattered who was Loyola’s quarterback during Mission Viejo’s 42-7 victory, but the Cubs were lethargic on offense when they had a chance to take an early lead.

Mission Viejo fumbled the ball on its first offensive play of the game, giving Loyola possession at the Diablos’ 25-yard line. But quarterback Ryan Develle and running back Jared Baker were stuffed for no gain on third- and fourth-down runs from the one-yard line, respectively, and the Cubs never threatened again until the outcome had been decided.

‘Offensively, we’re obviously having some struggles,’ said Christensen, whose team has scored two touchdowns combined in two games. ‘We just have to continue to work on that and get better.’

Develle completed eight of 16 passes for 53 yards and Neuheisel completed eight of 10 passes for 91 yards with one interception, though Neuheisel was going up against Mission Viejo’s second-string defense.

‘He came in and did a good job moving the ball,’ Christensen said of Neuheisel, who completed an 11-yard pass to his younger brother Jack, a sophomore tight end. ‘It wasn’t on their starters, but at this point it was irrelevant. We just wanted to have some success, and we did. We’ll be fine next week.’

Loyola next plays Newport Harbor at L.A. Valley College on Sept. 17.

--Ben Bolch