Football Preview: OCC vs. L.A. Pierce

Orange Coast (0-4) vs. Los Angeles Pierce (1-3)

When/where: Saturday, 6 p.m. at OCC

Key Pirates: So. WR Mark Munson (30 receptions, 435 yards, four TDs); So. MLB Paco Potter (35 tackles); So. DE Re’Shon Howard (35 tackles); So. OT Zach Bateman.

Key Brahmas: Fr. QB Sean Smith; Fr. RB Shakeem Wharton; So. WR Rashaad Shamburger.

Breakdown: The Pirates enter the nonconference game coming off a bye week, hoping to avoid the program’s first 0-5 start since 2004 ... Kevin Emerson is the first of seven Pirates coaches to open their tenure at the school with four straight losses ... OCC freshman quarterback Coby Whitaker, who was not listed on the preseason roster, has emerged as the starter, prompting former starter Alec Dombkowski to quit the team ... Whitaker set a school-single-game record with 55 pass attempts in his first start, a 46-31 loss to Fullerton on Sept. 27 ... Whitaker’s 27 completions were just one shy of the school record ... Few would argue that Munson, in his first season with the Pirates, has been the team’s best player thus far. He had nine receptions for 164 yards and two TDs against Fullerton ... LA Pierce, which plays OCC for the first time, has statistics for only three of its four games. Those numbers indicate the Brahmas rank No. 36 among seven Southern California teams in passing yards per game, No. 34 in total offense and No. 34 in team defense in SoCal ... OCC is tied for No. 32 in team defense, having allowed 489.5 yards per contest ... OCC is plus-one in turnover ratio ... Some believe that of OCC’s six remaining opponents, Pierce provides the best opportunity for a Pirates’ victory.

— Barry Faulkner