JC Football: Pirates can’t keep up

SANTA ANA — The last time Cameron Biedgoly faced Santa Ana College, the quarterback made his first start for Orange Coast College. He went on to set single-game school records for passing yards and touchdowns.

That was last year. A lot has changed since Biedgoly’s debut.

Biedgoly saw Santa Ana again on Saturday. He came nowhere close to his record-setting day from a year ago.

Biedgoly is no longer the starter. When he got his chance, he played about two quarters.

Biedgoly’s second quarter in action is when the Dons ran away from the Pirates. Santa Ana posted 24 points in the third quarter en route to a 38-16 Southern Conference victory at Santa Ana Stadium.

It turned out to be a long afternoon for the Pirates (2-5, 0-3 in conference) and whoever threw the ball for them. Jack Foster started at quarterback for the third time this year. Sixty seconds into the game, the freshman threw a pick six.

“That’s schoolyard football,” OCC Coach Mike Taylor said of Foster’s shovel pass that resulted in a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown. “That wasn’t a designed play. He was trying to make something out of nothing. You don’t like taking sacks, but you can’t flip the ball up and have the guy run it down your throat.”

The guy who picked off the pass almost played for the Pirates. Santa Ana Coach Geoff Jones said Kevin Joseph, a cornerback, transferred to the Dons a couple of years ago.

The way Foster threw the ball to Joseph, it seemed like Joseph was dressed in Pirate gear. The sophomore intercepted Foster a second time in the opening quarter. Joseph also recovered a fumble in the second quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Taylor said the Pirates decided to give Biedgoly a chance to turn things around against a team that had lost four in a row. Why not? He threw for 417 yards and five touchdowns in a 45-38 overtime loss against Santa Ana last year.

Biedgoly at least didn’t throw passes right at the Dons. He completed eight of 15 passes for 70 yards in the first half, but the Pirates trailed, 14-3, at halftime.

With Biedgoly, the Pirates managed to put three points on the scoreboard. Griff Amies converted a 38-yard field goal with 4:46 left before halftime. The former Corona del Mar High standout failed to hit his previous two tries, one from 49 yards and the other from 51 yards.

The misses proved to be costly. Instead of trailing Santa Ana, 14-9, at halftime, the Pirates were behind by two scores.

“We moved the ball really well in the first half,” said Taylor, whose team ran 50 offensive plays for 163 yards, compared to Santa Ana’s 28 plays for 91 yards. “[We] didn’t get any points. [We] missed a couple of field goals that were long enough, but they were wide.”

What widened in the second half was the Pirates’ deficit. They fell apart in the third quarter, as Santa Ana outscored the Pirates, 24-0.

Jones saw it coming at the start of the second half and his Dons took advantage, earning their first conference victory. Jones noticed the Pirates’ lack of intensity.

“I’ve seen them more fired up, you know,” Jones said. “As a team, we’re just standing here and they’re kind of slinking out, it’s like, ‘Man, I think we got them.’ A lot of times it’s an emotional game. If you can play with a little more emotion than they [do], and then make plays and execute at the same time, then you’re going to be OK.”

Santa Ana (2-5, 1-2) opened the second half with an impressive 12-play, 70-yard drive. The Dons ran nine times and threw three times.

Quarterback Shane Truelove completed each pass, the longest a 20-yarder to wide receiver Jordan Brown. The one that put the Dons ahead, 21-3, was a 13-yard touchdown pass to Kameron Taylor. Truelove had only completed two of his nine attempts in the first half.

Truelove turned it on in the third quarter, finishing nine of 18 for 182 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. He threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to running back Kyle Merritt and he rushed for a 22-yard touchdown.

At the end, Truelove outperformed the Pirates’ two quarterbacks. Foster completed 13 of 24 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns, the scores went to receivers D.J. McFadden and Spencer Ludin in the fourth quarter. Biedgoly was 12 of 27 for 95 yards and the Dons sacked him four times.

Truelove also outgained the Pirates on ground. He rushed seven times for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

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Santa Ana 38, Orange Coast 16

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Orange Coast 0 – 3 – 0 – 13 – 16

Santa Ana 7 – 7 – 24 – 0 – 38

FIRST QUARTER

SA – Joseph 29 interception return (Miller kick), 14:00.

SECOND QUARTER

SA – Truelove 1 run (Miller kick), 13:36.

OCC – Amies 38 FG, 4:46.

THIRD QUARTER

SA – Taylor 13 pass from Truelove (Miller kick), 10:16.

SA – Miller 36 FG, 7:06.

SA – Merritt 38 pass from Truelove (Miller kick), 4:56.

SA – Truelove 22 run (Miller kick), :50.

FOURTH QUARTER

OCC – McFadden 21 pass from Foster (Amies kick), 9:45.

OCC – Ludin 24 pass from Foster (kick blocked), 1:03.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

OCC – Williams, 14-48; Murtha, 4-19.

SA – Truelove, 7-82, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

OCC – Foster, 13-24-2, 107, 2 TDs; Biedgoly, 12-27-0, 95.

SA – Truelove, 9-18-1, 182, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

OCC – McFadden, 4-47, 1 TD; Ludin, 3-45, 1 TD; Caceres, 6-43.

SA – Brown, 2-75.