Orange Coast seeks offensive punch

Barry Faulkner

A little more than two weeks into fall practice, Orange Coast College

football coach Mike Taylor is still getting to know his players. As

important, he is still studying their transcripts, hoping to resolve

the eligibility issues that can cloud the already unstable process of

forecasting team performance at the two-year level.

So, as the Pirates prepare for Saturday’s opener against Glendale

(5 p.m. at Newport Harbor High, as the LeBard Stadium renovation

continues), Taylor and his staff will need all the time they can get

to sort out who is and is not available.

On the ineligible list, thus far, is defensive end Justin

Williams, who had 10 1/2 sacks en route to first-team All-Mission

Conference honors last fall.

Competition at several positions has also made lineup predictions

tenuous, as the Pirates come off their second straight 4-6 campaign

burdened by a four-game losing streak.

Losing has become increasingly common for the Pirates, who have

produced just one winning season in their previous 10 (a 6-5 mark

that included a Mission Conference title and a bowl appearance in

2000).

Taylor, entering his sixth season at the helm, has a new offensive

coordinator -- Mike Mitchell -- to try to improve on a paltry 16

touchdowns last season.

OCC was last in the 12-team conference in total offense last fall

(just fewer than 257 yards per game), last in rushing and 10th in

passing. The Pirates averaged just 14.9 points, just 9.7 in their six

losses.

The lack of production virtually wasted a season of strong

defense, in which the Pirates led the conference in fewest passing

yards allowed (155.2 per game), were sixth-best against the run and

finished third behind Saddleback and Mt. SAC in total defense (270.6

yards per game).

“Only scoring 16 TDs in 10 games, you’re not going to win too may

games” Taylor said. “Our defense played hard last season and, this

year, I think we’ll be as good or better.”

Injuries, including the loss of starting quarterback Beau Budde

(now about 85% recovered from surgery to repair two torn knee

ligaments, Taylor said), contributed to the offensive funk last

season.

Budde’s experience gives him the early edge in a quarterback

battle that includes sophomore Fordham transfer Kyle Basanez and

freshman Chad Schmigel.

Budde completed 29 of 59 passes for 359 yards with three

interceptions last season. His dad, Brad Budde, a former USC

All-American offensive lineman who played in the NFL, has joined

Taylor’s staff as the tight ends coach.

Basanez played in seven games at Fordham in 2002, while Schmigel

may have the strongest arm, Taylor said.

An offensive line that returns starters Ryan Pahua, a 6-foot-5,

315-pound tackle, center Kyle Collins (6-3, 290), Ricky Mercado (6-2,

235) and Blake Sorber (6-3, 334), looks for vast improvement.

Jon Ioane (6-5, 390), who altered his plans to play at Oregon

State, is a freshman who could also be a standout up front.

Sophomore tight end Jon Garcia caught 11 passes for 142 yards last

season, which makes him the leading returning receiver. He was

second-team all-conference in the American Division (the 12-team

conference is split into two divisions).

Last year’s leading rusher (Chris Vega with 459 yards) has moved

on, leaving sophomore Jimmy Niutapuai (10 yards on five carries) as

the leading returning ground gainer.

Taylor anticipates a committee will handle the rushing chores this

season.

“We have guys who run hard, but aren’t big-time breakaway guys,”

Taylor said. “But I think we’re more athletic [in the backfield] than

last year.”

Among the candidates is 5-8 sophomore Robert Aoki, whom Taylor

said is among the strongest players on the team. Aoki can bench press

225 pounds 30 times, Taylor said.

Freshmen Matt Padilla, Matt Downs and Patrick Harrigan are

additional tailback candidates, while freshman Qualic Vargas joins

Niutapuai as the primary fullbacks.

Russ Willison, like Garcia, is a quality tight end, Taylor said,

while a corps of wideouts includes sophomores Dan Matsumura, Brian

Johnson and Ismael Isais.

Defensively, Aaron Miller, a bounce-back from UNLV out of Mission

Viejo High, could join a linebacking crew that includes sophomore Joe

Mitchell, a second-team all-conference performer in 2003, outside.

Sophomore Scott Drake and freshman Dave Ronning are the

front-runners at middle linebacker, while Taylor believes this year’

secondary is better than the group that helped the Pirates top the

conference in pass defense last season.

“We’re faster back there than we’ve been,” said Taylor, who

singled out sophomore safety Chucky Linman as the leading catalyst.

Sophomore Ryan Davis (6-1, 270), a second-team all-conference

choice last fall, freshman Mike Mataafa (6-2, 300), freshman Alex

Mulu (6-0, 280) and Fresno State bounc-back Ricky Miller are among

those expected to spearhead the defensive line.

The coaches’ preseason poll tabbed OCC fifth in the six-team

Mission Conference American Division, behind Mt. SAC, Palomar,

Cerritos and Long Beach, respectively, and ahead of Golden West.