TOUGH START PREPARES CLU FOR NOW.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

For a month they kept saying their record was not indicative of their talent.

The way the Kingsmen have performed since conference play started showed the Cal Lutheran football team was right about its 0-3 start. The Kingsmen are alone in first place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the first time joining the conference in 1992. An even better indication of CLU's ability and how well the intentionally tough nonconference schedule paid off comes today when the Kingsmen travel to La Verne for a 1 p.m. contest against the team that spent the first six weeks of the season atop the SCIAC.

``There's always been a feeling we were better than what we started out,'' said junior defensive back Sean McGaughey, a member of CLU's last SCIAC co-championship team in 1997 and calls this year's Kingsmen a more unified and team-oriented group.

A win today would give CLU (3-3, 3-0) four consecutive wins for the first time since 1991.

``I think it is to our advantage we played the tougher teams even though the outcome at the time wasn't favorable,'' McGaughey said. ``Like coach said, it toughened us up.''

The toughness showed last week when CLU rebounded from a 16-3 halftime deficit to dominate the second half for a 23-16 win at Occidental, the Kingsmen's first road victory since October 1997. The same wide-spread attack that made up for inconsistent passing by Chris Czernek (11 of 28 for 84 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions) and a running game that was shut down early will be needed against the SCIAC's best total defense (226.2 yards a game) in La Verne.

Dorian Stitt and the rest of CLU's top-ranked rushing offense faces a defense ranked first in the conference and second nationally against the rush.

The Leopards (5-1, 3-1) like to run themselves, but are not afraid to use an aerial attack paced by senior quarterback Dan Blahy, who has completed 84 of 156 attempts for 1,378 yards with three interceptions and 11 touchdowns. Wide receiver Rashard Magee is second in the SCIAC in all-purpose yardage (137.5) with 550 yards in four games.

CLU knows La Verne is beatable after the Leopards squandered a 21-7 fourth-quarter lead and ended up losing 22-21 when Redlands scored in the final three seconds last week. A solid Kingsmen defense that had four different players make sacks at Occidental is also key. However, CLU knows first hand how hungry a team can be to come back and prove its ability after a loss.

``There's a lot of positive energy,'' McGaughey said. ``We know we can play at a high level and we know we can win, but we're not overconfident.

CAL LUTHERAN vs. LA VERNE

Kickoff: 1 p.m., at Roland Ortmayer Stadium

Records: CLU 3-3, 3-0 in SCIAC; La Verne 5-1, 3-1.

Outlook: Momentum is on CLU's side after the Kingsmen came from behind last week to win their third straight and take over sole possession of the SCIAC lead for the first time in eight years. The 23-16 win at Occidental also ended a two-year road losing streak for the Kingsmen. La Verne is coming off its first loss of the season after squandering a 21-7 lead and giving up a touchdown in the final three seconds for a 22-21 loss to Redlands. CLU leads the all-time series against La Verne 18-8-1, including a 38-31 win last season, but the Leopards hold a 5-2 advantage since the teams joined the SCIAC in 1992.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, box

PHOTO (color) Running back Dorian Stitt (44) and Cal Lutheran will rush headlong into La Verne, the nation's second-ranked defense against the run.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

Box: Cal Lutheran vs. La Verne (see text)