Football: OCC gets ‘SAC’ed by Mounties

Tony Altobelli

COSTA MESA - Orange Coast College football team’s two-game Mission

Conference Northern Division winning streak came to a screeching halt as

Mt. San Antonio College buried the Pirates in the home finale, 47-6,

Saturday afternoon.

“When you play any game and you’re outmanned like we were today, it

can be very humbling,” Coach Mike Taylor said afterward. “We played hard

all day, but we couldn’t match up with those guys. We were a little bit

out of their league.”

This was most evident in the matchup between OCC’s rushing offense

against the Mounties’ defense.

The Pirates (4-5, 2-2 in conference) were held to an astounding

minus-17 yards rushing for the entire game and it would have been much

worse if not for a 70-yard touchdown run by Raymond Ohrel late in the

fourth quarter for the Bucs’ lone score.

“They took advantage of the mismatch on defense and filled the box to

eliminate our running game,” Taylor said.

Taylor believed that his team would need to play mistake-free football

in order for success, but the Pirates committed six turnovers, which led

to 27 Mounties points.

The win gives Mt. SAC (7-2, 4-0) at least a share of the division

title and most likely a postseason bowl game.

“They’re the No. 1 team in the conference and now I see why,” Taylor

said.

Quarterback Jared Flint was sacked seven times and hurried countless

other times. He finished 13 for 27 for 154 and three interceptions.

“Jared threw a couple of bad balls, but that’s what will happen when

you’re running for your life all day,” Taylor said. “We just couldn’t get

in any kind of rhythm offensively.”

For the Mounties, Adam Tate, who didn’t play until the second half,

rushed for 68 yards and had two touchdowns, while big-play wide receiver

Andre Cyrus caught five passes for 120 yards and one touchdown.

The Mounties’ offense was well balanced with 188 yards passing and 264

yards rushing.

Quarterback Jeff Cordova was 10-21 for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

OCC managed to keep Mt. SAC off the scoreboard for most of the first

quarter, thanks to a blocked 33-yard field goal attempt by Bobby Johnson.

Johnson also returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown, but an OCC

penalty wiped out the return.

Banged up but not discouraged, OCC will wrap up its season on the road

against El Camino Saturday at 7 p.m.

“We’re a little banged and bruised up, but we’re hanging in there,”

Taylor said. “Our spirit will be up in practice during the week and we’ll

go up there and do it one more time.”