Bakersfield College running back Andre
Smith Jr. ran for a total of 181 yards
on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns
as BC defeated non-conference
rival Fresno City College 33-14 in BC’s
season opener Sept. 5.

The longest run for Smith was a 79-
yard touchdown run, which put BC
ahead 14-0 with 7:49 left in the first
half.

“We ran the ball effectively,” said BC
head coach Jeff Chudy. “I was really
happy to see how we perform under the
gun against a quality football team.”

BC first-year quarterback Logan
Kilgore threw for 140 yards and went
11-for-22 with two interceptions and
two touchdowns.

Chudy expressed why he picked
Kilgore to start against Fresno City.

“Logan has done the best job at minimizing
mistakes and putting our best offense
into play,” he said. “He has a very
good grasp of what we are attempting to
do offensively.”

However, in addition to Kilgore,
freshmen quarterbacks Lyle Negron and
Dalton Botts are prepared to play in any
situation, according to Chudy.

“We expect all three guys to play at
some capacity,” said Chudy.

Negron played in the third quarter
against Fresno City and went 0-for-2
passing, and the team committed two
penalties in the four plays.

A key turnover for the Renegades
came in the fourth quarter with the score
28-14 in favor of BC. Fresno City running
back Antoin DeWait fumbled the
ball due to BC sophomore defensive
back Tanner Webb’s tackle at the Fresno
City 42-yard line. BC’s Eric Jones recovered
the ball, which led to a BC field
goal from kicker Josh Gallington from
the 21-yard line. From then on, Fresno
City was kept out the red zone and the
game was sealed. In the fourth quarter,
Smith suffered a minor ankle injury but
Chudy confirmed Smith would return.

For the BC wide receivers, Rishar
Matthews caught six passes for 84
yards, Vincent Van Horne caught two
passes for 31 yards and a touchdown,
and Vince Misa-Amituanai caught two
passes for 13 yards, the last being his
touchdown in the first quarter, which
was BC’s first score of the game.

The win for Chudy meant moving in
the right direction.

“It gets us a little momentum. It’s a
nice way to start the [2009] season.”

However, the Renegades had mistakes
throughout the game, including a
failed goal kick, fumbles and two interceptions.

Chudy said about the mistakes, “No
question. We’re not perfect – there’s a
reason why we got to practice. We got to
clean some things up, without a doubt.”

Nonetheless, Chudy was pleased
overall, “All in all, it was a good effort.”

“We’re working extremely hard on
trying to improve our chemistry of our
football team. We seem to be getting
guys paddling in the same direction.”

Chudy made clear of what the expectations
are this season of the team.

“We’re making progress with what’s
going on and our expectations are that
we want to compete for a conference
championship. That’s our number one
goal.”

When asked how he felt about the rest
of the season playing the same teams as
last season, Chudy replied, “We got to
play one [game] at a time and our next
mission is L.A. Valley.”

The Renegades play L.A. Valley Sept.
12 at home and travel to Santa Monica
Sept. 19. BC will also travel to El Camino
on Sept. 26 before returning home to
face Pasadena on Oct. 3.