Pirates set to host Santa Barbara on Saturday

COSTA MESA -- While there some things to be excited about from last week's game against Moorpark, the Orange Coast College football team still needs to focus on the details to find that eventual success as the Pirates return to LeBard Stadium for Saturday night's 6 p.m. matchup with Santa Barbara City College.

"Effort was there and the numbers were better but for us, I think it will always come down to the execution part," OCC head coach Bubba Gonzalez said. "It's hard to win games if we're throwing pick-6's and having misfires like that. Defensively, we knew they were gonna throw the ball and we were ready for that but some guys missed some keys and that got them out of position which is why Moorpark had some success against us. We managed to find some success on offense and we had some stops on defense ... we just need to take advantage of those opportunities when we get them."

In addition to execution of the game plan, Coast will be looking for a better start to the game. In last week's 49-28 loss to the Raiders, Coast was down 14-0 less than four minutes into the contest, which puts a strain on both sides of the ball right off the bat. "We start our practices each day with a fast period, which is like a '2-minute-drill" type of feeling to show the guys the importance of starting each game off fast," Gonzalez said. "We're trying to show the guys the importance of not falling behind early, but even when we've gotten behind early, we've fought back, which I'm happy to see. The good thing is that the mistakes that we're making ... they're not that difficult to fix. It's more about technique,, using our eyes properly on defense, so hopefully we continue to teach these guys more on technique and where to be in the right places to avoid some of these mistakes."

Last week, the Coast offense managed to generate 466 yards of total offense -- 300 yards in the air and 166 yards on the ground. Baylor Ayres (170 yards) and Zach Congalton (130 yards) each had a touchdown and an interception. Congalton showed his versatility with 166 rushing yards as well, including a 43-yard touchdown run and a 65-yard scamper from scrimmage. "That's what made him successful in high school was his ability to use his legs," Gonzalez said. "While we like his ability to extend plays and gain positive yards when things aren't there, we'd also like to make sure he's not just depending on that skill. Make sure he's reading his reads properly and not just be a one-way threat. But he definitely kept us moving and kept us motivated and kept the kids fighting."

The schedule continues to keep on rolling for the Pirates as another tough opponent -- Santa Barbara -- makes its way to LeBard Stadium. After a 27-14 loss at Fullerton in Week 1, the Vaqueros responded with a 34-28 win over Saddleback at SBCC. The aforementioned "fast start" was on the side of SBCC, as the Vaqueros ran out to a 34-7 lead before a fourth-quarter comeback by the Bobcats came up a touchdown short.

SBCC quarterback Will Doherty threw for 152 yards, two TDs and an interception on 11-of-25 passing. His favorite target was Cameron Green who caught four passes for 105 yards. "There very similar to Moorpark, but I think they might run a little bit more," Gonzalez said."For us, it's going to be about stopping their run game. They've got a couple of good receivers who we need to corral, but if we can get pressure on their quarterback, we should be able to give them some fits and disrupt their offense."