Pirates' comeback bid comes up short in shootout with Desert

COSTA MESA -- A 24-point, fourth-quarter deficit was nearly swallowed up by three straight touchdown drives by the Orange Coast College football team. But in the end, the Pirates came up one two-point conversion short in a 52-50 loss to visiting College of the Desert on Saturday at LeBard Stadium.

It was the highest-scoring game (combined score) in school history, surpassing the 2008 finale between OCC and Long Beach City (LBCC 50, OCC 46).

The Pirates (3-3) were down 52-28 to the Roadrunners (2-3) with just over 11 minutes left in the game when the comeback bid began.

First, backup quarterback Cameron Biedgoly (11-for-21, 303 yards, three touchdowns) hooked up with Buzzy Yokoyama (five catches, 147 yards, two TDs) on a 56-yard strike. After a successful two-point pass from Biedgoly to Tyler Duncan, the Roadrunner lead was cut to 52-36.

COD was forced to punt deep in its own end and Kellon Truxton came up with a big block, giving Coast excellent field position. Five plays later, running back Robert Penny (16 carries, 47 yards, three TDs) plowed in from 4-yards out and after another two-point hookup from Biedgoly to Duncan, Coast was within eight at 52-44 with 5:57 remaining.

Another Roadrunner drive was stalled and after a 17-yard punt, Coast was again inside COD territory with a chance to tie the game.

Four plays and 45 yards later, Penny again found the end zone -- this time from 2-yards out, making it 52-50. 

Coast called timeout and went for the game-tying two-point attempt. However, Biedgoly's pass to Buzzy Yokoyama did not connect and the Roadrunners were able to run out the remaining time off of the clock.

The Roadrunners amassed 637 yards of total offense, while the Pirates accounted for 430. COD dominated the ground game with 362 yards on 69 carries. Leading the way for the Roadrunners was Tyewan Johnson, who ran for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Nephi Garcia rushed for a touchdown and returned a first-quarter punt for a score.

For the Pirates, their offensive success came through the air, thanks to 430 passing yards gained. Tyler Duncan caught six passes for 163 yards and one touchdown. Duncan and Yokoyama became the first WR tandem to each gain over 100 yards since Damola Adeniji (161) and Jimmy Thorson (126) in 2005 against Diablo Valley.

The OCC defense, battered and bruised throughout the day, played great down the stretch when it mattered the most. Among the leading tacklers for the Pirates were Hunter Vanderpool (17 tackles, six solo), Nick Cody (13 tackles, seven solo, one sack) and Chris Aguilar (12 tackles, seven solo).

The Pirates will return to action on Saturday at LeBard Stadium against Santa Ana, beginning at 7 p.m.