Pirates set sail to Santa Barbara for Saturday matchup

COSTA MESA -- Another week, another trek up the 101 Freeway for the Orange Coast College football team as the Pirates head up the coast to take on Santa Barbara City College on Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m.

Both teams are searching for their first win of 2024, with both the Pirates and Vaqueros coming in at 0-2. SBCC played at Saddleback last Saturday and fell to the Bobcats, 38-24, while OCC played at Moorpark and lost, 28-26.

"We found success on both sides of the ball and we were able to do the things we wanted to do against Moorpark," OCC head coach Bubba Gonzalez. "What we really need to fix are the fixable mistakes that are happening to us a crucial times. But after two weeks, any questions in my head about whether we can compete have been answered and the answer is 'Yes we can.'

"We need to keep moving forward and continue to fix our mistakes, whether that's a better route on offense, or eliminate the penalty at the crucial time and make sure our special teams takes care of their business so we don't give up a short field to the other team. We fell behind, but our guys kept fighting and we battled through our mistakes and scored late to give us a chance. Those are the things we can build on and we will have to figure out a way to work through the kinks and continue to improve."

The right arm and legs of quarterback Zach Congalton did the majority of the offensive damage for Coast against the Raiders in Week 2 as he threw for 125 yards on 15-of-26 passing and also ran for 129 yards and two TDs on 18 carries. "He took advantage of his opportunities to use his legs in certain situations and he's also got the athletic ability to run when he has no other choice and he did both of those well last week," Gonzalez said. "He had a tough interception, which is one of those things we'd like to see him improve on, but our defense told him 'We got you" and I loved seeing guys compete and fight for one another.

The rushing game for the Pirates racked up 232 total yards and 14 first downs and Gonzalez was quick to praise his entire offensive line for opening up holes and allowing his play-makers to make plays. "They've done such a good job of maturing and putting that load on their shoulders," Gonzalez said. "Any time you rush for good numbers, that's a big feather in the cap for the big guys up front."

On the defensive side of things, Gonzalez was quick to spotlight transfer linebacker Rocky Jack, who led the way with 11 total tackles. "He's a bounceback from Arkansas Pine-Bluff and he's got experience not only as a linebacker but as a defensive lineman, so he has the ability to make plays upright, or down in stance,' Gonzalez said. "He gives us that type of versatility and he brings a tremendous intensity to that defensive unit. We expect him to play well."

As for the Vaqueros, their offense begins with the quarterback tandem of Will Doherty and Benni Collins, who have combined to throw for 463 yards through the first two games of the season. Doherty had the start for the Vaqs against Saddleback last week and threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions on 20-of-42 passing. 

The SBCC running game is led by freshman Donovan Harris with 24 carries for 87 yards through the first two games. Harris also leads the Vaqueros with 10 receptions for 91 yards with sophomore WR Easton Clements close behind with 9 grabs for 77 yards. 

"They want to run the ball first and set things up around that, but they also have some big-play guys we need to pay attention to," Gonzalez said. "We need our defensive front seven to step up and stop the run and apply pressure and our defensive backs have to eliminate that 'big-play' opportunity when it comes up. Offensively, we need to keep running the ball and allowing (Congalton) to make good decisions. Again, our fixes are not complicated ... we just need more consistency throughout the entire game and we are chipping away at that idea. We will get there."