Same old story for OCC

COSTA MESA — Sophomore tailback Ray Holley still considers the Orange Coast College football team a work in progress.

In Saturday’s 10-6 win over visiting Glendale, the Pirates’ vaunted defense did more than its share of the work, while Holley, as he has all season, handled most of the progress.

OCC (4-0, ranked No. 17 in the state, No. 10 in Southern California), which came in with the state’s top rushing defense, continued to make opponents take steps backward.

Glendale, whose sophomore tailback Jorge Chaidez entered as the state’s No. 3 rusher, averaging 150 yards per game, had minus-13 yards on 10 carries.

The Vaqueros (3-1), ranked No. 23 in the state and No. 13 in Southern California, finished with minus-29 yards on 34 rushing attempts.

Holley, who entered as the state’s No. 2 rusher with 537 yards in three games, had 161 of his 171 rushing yards in the first and fourth quarters. His 59-yard run to the Glendale one-yard line early in the fourth quarter keyed the Pirates’ four-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that he capped with his eighth rushing touchdown of the season.

Holley’s heroics helped OCC overcome a 6-3 deficit, as the defense blanked the Vaqueros for nearly the final 40 minutes.

Glendale quarterback Steve Miller ran hot and cold, completing 10 of 12 passes, including seven straight from early in the second quarter to early in the third. To begin the aforementioned seven straight completions, Miller threw four consecutive strikes, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Brian Williams on fourth-and-20 to give the visitors their only lead with 9:54 left in the first half.

But after Miller began the second half as hot as he was late in the first, OCC, which sacked him six times and stopped seven of his eight rushing attempts at or behind the line of scrimmage, turned up the pressure.

Miller failed to complete any of his final 10 passes, two of which were intercepted, as OCC improved to 4-0 for the second straight year. Outside of his 10-for-12 stretch, he was two for 19.

“It was a little ugly at times,” said OCC Coach Mike Taylor, whose team failed to score on nine straight possessions in between Lucas Vandeman’s 28-yard field goal on the opening drive and Holley’s one-yard touchdown plunge with 11:29 left in the game. “We came back. We had to score in the second half to win and we ended up getting a great run out of [Holley] and got the ball in the end zone. We played well when we had to play.”

The defense played well all night, as linebackers Travis Sanford and Jimmy Keating, tackles Kevin Borton and Justin Niutupuai, as well as ends Kevin Holmec and Aaron Henry, led a swarming front seven that has now held foes to minus-71 yards rushing in four games.

“I tell you those guys are fun to watch,” OCC defensive coordinator Scott Orloff said of his run-stuffers.

Holley agreed.

“Our defensive run-stoppers are amazing,” Holley said. “It’s a great group of guys and they know how to fill up all the lanes.”

Glendale Coach John Rome was also impressed.

“Very stout,” Rome said of an OCC defense that allowed a season-low 132 passing yards, 112 fewer than its average. “They did a great job. They played hard the whole game.”

Rome said he was mildly surprised his team could not get anything going on the ground.

“We’ve always been able to [run the ball], but we lost two starters up front for the season to injuries and we were going with a couple freshmen there, so it’s rough.”

Rome said he was not surprised that Holley eventually broke loose.

“We knew he had it in him,” Rome said of the 5-foot-9, 190-pound workhorse. “We were stunting him, but he’s not the second-leading rusher in the state for nothing.”

OCC safety Kiahi Raikes, who along with Anthony Curry accounted for OCC’s two interceptions, was also impressed with his defensive front seven, as well as Holley.

“Our D-linemen put the pressure on the whole game,” Raikes said. “Without them forcing [Miller] to scramble and panic, we probably don’t get any picks.

“And big ups to Ray Holley. He’s a beast. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think we would have won this game. No. 22 will make things happen for you. You can count on Ray Holley.”

OCC quarterback Kyle Manning was nine for 22 for 87 yards with one interception.

Orange Coast 10, Glendale 6

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Glendale 0-6-0-0--6

OCC 3-0-0-7--10

FIRST QUARTER

OCC – Vandeman 28 FG, 11:20.

SECOND QUARTER

Glen – Williams 26 pass from Miller (run failed), 9:54.

FOURTH QUARTER

OCC – Holley 1 run (Vandeman kick), 11:29. 

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Glen – Youngblood, 11-22; Dawkins, 5-0; Chaidez, 10-minus 13; Miller, 8-minus 38.

OCC – Holley, 27-171, 1 TD; Kunitomo, 1-25; Ivey, 2-3; Manning, 5-minus 21.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Glen – Miller, 12-31-2, 132, 1 TD.