OCC blanks Vaqs

The Orange Coast College football team had plenty to talk about on

the three-hour-plus bus ride home after defeating host Santa Barbara

City College in the nonconference season opener Saturday.

But the Pirates, most assuredly, also talked about nothing.

The latter refers to the OCC defense’s shutout in the 11-0

victory, the first zero posted by the Pirates in 19 games and only

the program’s second shutout in 114 contests.

As rare as blanking an opponent is, however, it was not totally

unexpected.

“We have some guys back on defense who weren’t happy with the way

things went last year [a 2-8 campaign],” OCC sophomore returning

middle linebacker Dave Ronning said. “We wanted to take it upon

ourselves this year to win games with our defense.”

The Pirates did exactly that, though the offense was not without

positives in the program’s second straight victory, dating back to

last year’s season finale.

OCC freshman cornerback Cory Nicol returned an interception 32

yards for a touchdown with 1:37 left in the first quarter for the

game’s only TD. The Nicol pick, on a ball that went through a Vaquero

receiver’s hands, came on the third play of Santa Barbara’s first

possession.

So, in essence, it took the OCC defense three plays to do what the

Pirates’ offense could not with its 20-play game-opening drive that

fizzled on an unsuccessful 29-yard field-goal attempt.

OCC widened the lead on its first possession of the second half,

as freshman Kyle Vandenbos coaxed a 30-yard field goal through the

uprights with 3:51 remaining in the period.

Pirates Coach Mike Taylor said afterward the three-pointer caromed

off either a Santa Barbara player’s hands or a helmet to find its way

onto the scoreboard.

Fittingly, the OCC defense put the game away late in the fourth

quarter.

The first of the aforementioned crucial plays came when freshman

Keola Asuega, a Costa Mesa High product, intercepted and returned it

25 yards to halt a promising Santa Barbara scoring threat that had

advanced to the OCC 23-yard line.

After OCC ate some clock, before punting the ball away and pinning

the hosts at their own 2-yard line, sophomore end Justin Williams

provided the exclamation point to a dominant defensive effort.

Williams, who was academically ineligible last season after

earning first-team all-division honors in 2003, pounced on

quarterback Justin Lucas in the pocket on first down. Lucas managed

to get a pass off, but was called for intentional grounding in the

end zone, which resulted in an automatic safety with 1:41 left.

Williams, as well as all-division returners Ronning, outside

linebacker Aaron Miller and strong safety Mordy Ornguze, out of

Corona del Mar High, were among several Pirates who made plays

defensively.

Sophomore end Paul Bartsch, sophomore tackles Alex Mulu and Joe

Okoturoh, sophomore outside ‘backer Ryan Miller, sophomore free

safety Nick Snowden and freshman corner Paul Barnes also were

consistently in position.

Ornguze partially blocked a punt and Barnes fell on the ball to

set OCC up at the Vaqueros’ 28 midway through the second quarter.

Williams produced the first of his two sacks late in the opening

half, while the entire front seven combined to stuff Santa Barbara

for a 2-yard loss on a fourth-and-two, ending a 13-play drive that

followed the second-half kickoff.

Santa Barbara produced just 51 rushing yards and 91 passing yards.

Its longest run was an 18-yard scramble by starting quarterback Pat

Williams and the hosts had only one other run of more than 9 yards.

The Vaqueros, coming off a 1-9 campaign, had only three pass

completions of more than 8 yards, with a long of 20.

OCC stopped Santa Barbara for negative yards on eight running

plays and eight other Vaquero plays resulted in either zero or 1

yard, including one pass completion.

“[Defensive Coordinator Scott Orloff] did a great job,” Taylor

said. “Our offense isn’t as far along as our defense, which has all

those returning starters. To have guys like Ronning, Aaron Williams

and Ornguze really gives us some anchors and it’s nice to have Justin

Williams back in the mix. And we think Nicol [out of Woodenville,

Wash.] is the best corner we’ve had here in a number of years.”

The OCC defense, which produced the winning touchdown in the

team’s first victory last fall (a Marcus Dailey interception return

in the third quarter to break a 10-10 deadlock in a 17-10 triumph

over Long Beach City), didn’t corner the market on strong play.

The OCC offense, which failed to commit a turnover - something it

could not accomplish in any game last season -- kept the defense off

the field. The Pirates had 34:29 in time of possession, nearly 10

minutes more than the hosts.

“The offense moved the ball,” Taylor said.

Sophomore tailback Robert Aoki pounded for 58 rushing yards on 20

carries, while Patrick Harrigan and Joe Harris combined for another

56.

Sophomore quarterback Chad Schmigel completed four of his first

five passes and finished 6 of 12 for 44 yards.

Chad Brown missed a 38-yard field-goal try wide left near the end

of the first half.