VALPARAISO, Ind. (Interstat) — The San Diego Toreros used a dominant ground attack and a stingy first-half defense to secure a 43-27 victory over the Valparaiso Beacons on Saturday at Brown Field.

Running backs Adam Criter and Matt Colombo combined for 238 rushing yards and four touchdowns as the Toreros improved to 6-4 on the season. The Beacons, despite a valiant effort and three touchdown passes from quarterback Rowan Keefe, fell to 1-9.

San Diego set the tone early, controlling the clock and capitalizing on field position. The Toreros opened the scoring with a 39-yard field goal from Emiliano Salazar midway through the first quarter. After a Valparaiso three-and-out, a 33-yard punt return by Yosei Takahashi set up San Diego’s first touchdown, an 11-yard pass from Dom Nankil to Colombo.

The Toreros led 10-0 after the first quarter and extended their advantage to 13-0 with a 43-yard Salazar field goal in the second quarter. Valparaiso’s offense, stifled for much of the half, finally found a rhythm late in the second quarter. Keefe engineered a 75-yard drive, capped by a 28-yard touchdown strike to Devin Yeats with 10:32 remaining.

After forcing a San Diego punt, the Beacons threatened again but Keefe was intercepted by San Diego linebacker Jack Munro. The Toreros managed only a field goal off the turnover, and Valparaiso responded with a swift, 61-yard drive in the final two minutes. Keefe found Michael Rumoro on a 3-yard scoring pass with 12 seconds left, cutting San Diego’s halftime lead to 13-14.

Any momentum Valparaiso carried into the break was quickly extinguished. San Diego marched 75 yards on the opening drive of the third quarter, with Criter plunging in from 9 yards out to make it 20-14.

The Beacons fired back instantly as Ryan Ricketti returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, closing the gap to 21-20 and energizing the home crowd. The Toreros, however, answered with a methodical 75-yard drive of their own, finished by Colombo’s 3-yard run. A failed two-point conversion left the score at 26-21.

San Diego’s defense then forced a punt, and the offense went back to work, grinding out a 13-play, 56-yard drive that consumed over five minutes of clock and ended with a 21-yard Salazar field goal early in the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to 29-21.

Valparaiso’s next promising drive ended when Keefe was intercepted in the end zone by safety Ruben Lopez. The Toreros effectively put the game away with a 7-play, 86-yard drive highlighted by a 29-yard Colombo run and finished by his 36-yard touchdown sprint, extending the lead to 36-21 with six minutes remaining.

Keefe connected with Noah Long on a 34-yard touchdown pass with 3:43 left, but a failed two-point conversion kept the score at 36-27. Valparaiso’s attempted onside kick failed, and San Diego sealed the victory with a clock-draining drive, culminating in Criter’s 2-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds remaining for the final margin.

Criter finished with 117 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, while Colombo rushed for 121 yards and two scores on 15 attempts, adding a receiving touchdown. Nankil efficiently managed the game, completing 21 of 29 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown.

For Valparaiso, Keefe completed 19 of 30 passes for 234 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Ricketti was a bright spot, catching six passes for 58 yards and returning four kicks for 198 yards, including his 100-yard touchdown.

The Toreros will host Butler next Saturday, while the Beacons are set to welcome Stetson.