Football finishes off the season 2-8
November 18, 2015
Generating points was a key problem for Bakersfield College prior to the bye week as the Renegades averaged 15.2 points through the first eight games of the 2015 football season.
In the last two regular season games for the Renegades, however, it took an upward leap.
Evidently, the bye week contributed to players regaining their health and composure, but the sense of urgency and willingness to end the season on a high note was clear.
From putting up 51 points in the final home game of the season on Nov. 7 in a 51-7 win over Pasadena, to nearly avoiding Ventura from claiming a share of the National Northern Conference title on Nov. 14, the old saying of “too little, too late” came into play.
Bakersfield was riding the same ship as Moorpark, which BC even beat in Week 7 in one of its two wins of the season, but Moorpark (5-5 overall, 4-2 NNC) managed to nearly clinch a bowl game berth after finishing off the season on a four-game winning streak.
Pasadena oppositely remained winless throughout conference and a date with the Renegades was their only shot of nabbing a win.
BC executed early and often on drives and capitalized on every opportunity with or without the ball.
“It was without a doubt our most complete effort. The guys did a really nice job playing together as a group,” head coach Jeff Chudy said following the blowout victory over the Lancers.
For the group of sophomores, the sendoff was just right.
Led by the running backs, sophomore Curtis McGregor rushed for 185 yard and three touchdowns on 15 carries, while freshman Cory Frison had 109 net yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, BC forced a lot of pressure, which resulted with Pasadena fumbling four times and throwing three interceptions.
Even special teams came up big as sophomore Dominic Frasch added an 84-yard touchdown return following a blocked field goal.
BC went into the locker room with a 37-7 halftime lead and never looked back, setting up a season finale showdown between the Renegades and the Ventura Pirates.
Last season, it was BC getting the edge over Ventura in the season finale, but this rivalry grew due to Ventura having six Bakersfield natives on the team.
Quarterback Noah Holle got his first start of the season looking for the team’s first road win of the season, and wasn’t afraid to attack the worst pass defense in the state.
He completed 27 of 38 passes and threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns.
“I didn’t have the best week of practice, but coming into this game I had nearly four years of being a backup and mentally preparing every week like I was the starter,” Holle said.
David Ross accounted for one of the touchdowns to tie it up at 28-all (Ross finished with 147 yards on seven catches), as Faizon Knight added two more and another one by Frison.
Meanwhile for Ventura, it was their running game that kept them ahead.
One of those Bakersfield products for the Pirates, DJ Martin, opened up the game with a 47-yard touchdown run on the first play. It was Martin’s lone touchdown, but he would finish with 175 yards on the ground.
Martin’s running mate Chris Beeson continued the impressive ground attack for Ventura as he added three touchdowns on 28 rushes for 210 yards.
The tight contest saw both teams tied up at 28 with about five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Ventura (7-3, 5-1 NNC) would nail three consecutive unanswered field goals by Jake Lanski to hold off BC (2-8, 2-4 NNC), 37-28.
