Pirates lose first-half lead, fall to Dons in OT

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College football team was its own worst enemy during Saturday night's 45-38 overtime loss to rival Santa Ana at LeBard Stadium.

On a night that featured several school records in single-game passing by the Pirates, it was self-destructive penalties and negated several big plays and allowed the Dons to gain easy chunks of yards in crucial situations.

OCC committed 21 penalties for 205 yards -- the most in both categories since 2009 against L.A. Southwest (20 for 197).

The Pirates (3-4, 1-2 in Southern Conference) lost a 17-point halftime lead late in the fourth quarter, but regained the lead when quarterback Cameron Biedgoly hooked up Tyler Duncan on a 68-yard touchdown pass with 34 seconds left, putting the hosts ahead 38-31.

But OCC was charged with excessive celebration -- a 15-yard penalty that pinned the Pirates back to their 20-yard line on the kickoff.

Santa Ana started near midfield and after a 14-yard run by quarterback Beau Perry, Coast was flagged for a late hit out of bounds, putting the Dons on the OCC 29-yard line.

Three plays later, with two seconds remaining, Perry threw into the end zone, where receiver Joshua Webb hauled in the game-tying touchdown with no time left on the clock.

The Dons scored on their opening series in overtime and after the last of several false start penalties by the Pirates started their drive on the 30, Santa Ana delivered the knockout punch with a pair of sacks and two forced incomplete passes to end the game, giving the "Victory Flag" back to the Dons for the second time in three years.

Biedgoly finished with a school-record 417 yards passing and five touchdowns on 28-of-50 passing. His 28 completions broke the previous record of 24 (Jared Flint in 1999 and Keith Jarrett in 1987) and his 417 yards topped Jarret's previous best of 378, set in 1987. His 50 attempts tie the school record, joining Alvin White (1972) and Kyle Manning (2009).

Duncan, who finished with 204 receiving yards and two TDs, finished just five yards off of the school record, held by Junior Tagaloa in 1987.

The Pirates racked up 586 yards of total offense -- the most in a single game since a 628-yard performance against Golden West back in 2000.

Coast jumped out to a 28-7 lead and looked to be completely in control of things late in the first half. But a 98-yard punt return by Webb in the final minute of the first half breathed new life into the Dons (5-2, 2-1) and they carried that momentum into the second half.

After both teams exchanged field goals to make it 31-17, the Pirates had a chance to pad their lead when Jackson Dionne attempted a 20-yard field goal.

However, the kick was blocked and Julian Boulware picked up the free ball and dashed 95 yards for a touchdown, turning a potential 17-point lead into a 31-24 score.

After being held without a catch for most of the night, Webb found some freedom and Perry connected with him on a 55-yard touchdown with 4:16 left in the game to tie the score a 31.

Perry finished the night with 147 yards and two TDs on 9-of-18 passing for the Dons. On the ground, SAC's Areseo Lakey led the charge with 155 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

For the Pirates, Robert Penny rushed for 118 yards and one receiving touchdown on 28 carries.

Orange Coast will return to action on Saturday at Saddleback College, beginning at 6 p.m. OCC's next home game will be on Saturday, Oct. 27 against Golden West at 6 p.m. in the annual West-Coast Showdown.