Pirates look to bounce back on Saturday in home opener

COSTA MESA -- While it definitely was NOT the way the Orange Coast College football team wanted to start its 2023 season, last week's 73-14 loss at Allan Hancock is what it is. Now, coach Bubba Gonzalez and his Pirate team look to regroup and get back on track this Saturday as they take on Moorpark (6 p.m.) in the 2023 home opener at LeBard Stadium. (TICKETS)

"The mood of our program this week is one of accountability," Gonzalez said. "The players take ownership in what happened, my coaches take ownership and I take ownership. I don't think last week's score reflects on how hard these guys or my coaches have worked this offseason and we also have to give a TON of credit to Allan Hancock for being a big, strong, talented team. This week's practices have been some of the most energetic and positive I've seen in all my years here. There is no finger-pointing ... everyone had a piece in what happened last week and everyone has an opportunity to turn it around against another tough opponent in Moorpark."

Last week's game got away from the Pirates early and even though the score was out of reach, Gonzalez saw his team continue to fight as hard as they can. "It's so easy to just call it quits when the score gets out of hand, but I never saw any quit in my team," Gonzalez said. "Obviously we have several things we need to improve on, but I really think the ability and toughness of this team is there. I have faith in my guys that if we can continue to learn from our mistakes and do what we can to fix and eliminate them, I believe we are going to get it done on the field. 

"I set the goals for our program on Monday ... 'What are we going to do now?' This has to be personal. 'What did I do to contribute to the score last week and what can I do to fix it so that never happens again?'"

In shared duties last week, quarterback Baylor Ayers was 5-of-10 for 75 yards and a touchdown, while Zach Congalton was 8-of-17 for 73 yards. The six-player, running back committee combined for just 62 rushing yards. "I'd like to see our offensive line hold their blocks better, which will allow both our offense to have a bit more time to find success," Gonzalez said. "For lots of our players, this was their first-ever college game and getting used to the speed and power at this level takes some getting used to. There has to be a quick adjustment period for our freshmen and hopefully they can build off of what they learned last week. We had moments during the game where we showed we could compete and match up against a tough team like Hancock and hopefully they can carry those positive moments into this week's game. 

"As for our passing game ... same idea. Week 1 adjustments and improvements into Week 2. We need to run better passing routes and have the QBs and WRs on the same page out there. Again, it takes some time to get familiar to the speed and pace for these first-year players."

As for Saturday's opponent, the Moorpark College Raiders enter Saturday's game 0-1 after a hard-fought 31-23 loss to Palomar in their season opener. The Raiders showed they could rack up yards against a tough Comets' squad, finishing the evening with 481 yards of total offense, including 439 of those yards through the air. But three scoring drives which had to be extended with a solid running game turned into field goals, leaving the Raiders short on the scoreboard.

Quarterback Macloud Crowton threw for 439 yards and one touchdown (two interceptions) on 37-of-67 passing, but the Raider running game was held by Palomar's big defensive unit to just 42 rushing yards on 25 carries.

"We need to have our defensive line bring a strong, aggressive rush to avoid their quarterback from picking us apart back there," Gonzalez said. "I believe in our defensive line and our defensive backs have the ability to keep with their receivers and make plays when they need to.

"On Saturday, we just need to play our butts off ... one play at a time ... one series at a time ... one quarter at a time."