Pirates let one slip away

Barry Faulkner

If Saturday night was, in fact, the first and last time Orange Coast

College played a football game at Newport Harbor High, Pirates Coach

Mike Taylor might not be able to drive by the venerable venue ever

again without experiencing a gnawing feeling of regret.

For after a 24-17 nonconference loss to visiting Glendale in the

season opener for both teams, the Pirates will have to forever live

with one that not only slipped through their fingers, but sailed

between their legs.

The latter description involves a handful of errant punt snaps,

including a 31-yard loss that set the Vaqueros up for a 22-yard field

goal early in the second quarter.

Even more costly, however, might have been a penalty for too many

men on the field that negated a bad Glendale punt snap and subsequent

scramble. That play would have given the Pirates possession only 15

yards away from a potential tying or winning touchdown and conversion

with just more than two minutes left.

In addition, a would-be 66-yard touchdown run by OCC freshman

tailback Matt Padilla on the first snap after Glendale took a 24-17

lead with 6:34 left in the game, was negated when the Pirates were

flagged for holding and clipping on the play.

Critical OCC mistakes also included an ill-advised pass that was

intercepted and returned to the Pirates’ 35, leading to the

aforementioned go-ahead TD.

Further, Glendale’s first touchdown, a 44-yard pass from

quarterback Ken McDaniel to Darion Donnelly two plays into the second

quarter, was first bobbled by OCC safety Nick Snowden, who appeared

in prime position to intercept the underthrown long ball, only to

stop retreating and see the ball arc over his head and off his

upraised hand.

“It’s a tough way to lose,” said OCC Coach Mike Taylor, who

compared the seesaw affair that went down to the final play to a

poker game.

“It was like both teams just kept throwing more chips in as the

game went on.”

The Pirates still had a chance to compose a winning hand in the

closing seconds, but their last-ditch drive ended at the Glendale 21

after four incomplete passes exhausted the clock.

“I don’t know if we had 12 men on the field or not,” Taylor said

of the crucial special teams penalty. “There was a [Glendale]

receiver uncovered and I think someone ran off the sideline to cover

him. Without that penalty, we would have gotten the ball at [the

Vaqueros’] 15, which is a huge difference.”

The 15-yard infraction, on fourth-and-14, gave Glendale a fresh

set of downs with which to burn more clock. The Pirate defense, which

provided most of the highlights for the home team, whose campus

stadium was unavailable due to renovations including the installation

of a synthetic playing surface, forced a punt that gave OCC the ball

on its own 42 with 1:23 left.

Sophomore quarterback Kyle Basanez, who was benched early in the

second half in favor of freshman Chad Schmigel, was sacked to begin

the final possession. But Basanez threw three straight completions

for 5, 10 and 21 yards, the final connection to Ryan Lauderdale.

After a first-down spike stopped the clock with 15 seconds left, Basanez threw just long to receivers in the end zone on second and

third down, then misfired down the middle as time expired.

Basanez finished 11 of 29 for 144 passing yards, accounting for

the bulk of the Pirates’ 197 yards of total offense.

Counting the 31-yard backward punt snap, which sailed over punter

Brian Campos’ head, forcing him to retreat to recover the bounding

ball and be tackled by defenders, OCC managed only 18 yards on the

ground on 24 attempts.

Three sacks were included in that total, signaling a carryover

from last year, when the Pirates averaged just 78 rushing yards in 10

games.

If OCC’s offense continues to struggle, the Pirates may still be

able to stay in games, if their defense can sustain the level it

achieved in the opening quarter Saturday.

Sophomore tackle Ryan Davis, a returning second-team All-Mission

Conference (American Division) performer, exploded into the spotlight

early. He was in on two tackles that resulted in 2-yard losses on

Glendale’s first three offensive plays, then participated in two

sacks before the first quarter expired.

The Pirates sacked McDaniel seven times for 40 yards in losses,

twice forcing him to fumble, recovering both times to account for the

Vaqs two turnovers.

Sophomore outside linebacker Joe Mitchell, another second-team

all-conference returner, shared one sack and combined on another

2-yard loss. He also recovered the second McDaniel fumble to halt a

drive at the OCC 23.

Freshman Joe Okoturoh recovered a McDaniel fumble that led to a

four-play, 40-yard TD drive capped when Matt Downs went 9 yards off

right tackle. Adam Kleckner, who also booted a 28-yard field goal to

pull OCC to within 10-3, kicked the conversion to give OCC its first

lead with 8:18 left in the third quarter.

OCC forged a halftime tie when sophomore tailback Robert Aoki

scored on a 22-yard screen pass keyed by a downfield block by guard

Blake Sorber.

But OCC couldn’t hold the lead, extending its losing streak to

five and allowing Glendale (2-8 in 2003) to halt its losing streak at

three.

McDaniel finished 15 of 17 passing for 168 yards, while Chris

Berroud rushed for 119 yards on 33 carries for the Vaqueros.