The University of Redlands opened its season by giving its fans a little drama.
The Bulldogs drove 78 yards in 1:06 with less than 2 minutes remaining to beat North Central College of Naperville, Ill., 35-29 in front of an opening night crowd of 2,137 at Ted Runner Stadium.
North Central got an 18-yard field goal Nick Dace with 1:41 left in the game, giving the Cardinals a 29-28 lead.
But the Bulldogs responded with an 11-play drive, capped off by a 5-yard run by Chad Hurst, sending the Redlands crowd home happy.
North Central came into the season ranked fourth in the country in NCAA Division III rankings posted by D3Football.com, a national publication covering Division III football.
Hurst, the Bulldogs' quarterback, had a hand in four of the Bulldogs' five touchdowns, running for two and throwing for two more. He accounted for 335 total yards for Redlands.
