College of the Canyons Upsets No. 4 Saddleback College

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. - College of the Canyons kicker Eric Kreitz hit a 36-yard field goal with 3:26 left in regulation to lead the unranked COC football team to a 31-28 upset over No. 4 Saddleback College on Saturday night at the 'Snake Pit.'

The Cougars (1-1), playing in a non-conference match up, entered the game outside of the top-25 teams in the state's California Community College Football Coaches Association, while Saddleback (1-1) entered as the fourth-ranked team and the second highest ranked team in Southern California.

The defense once again led the Cougars in the second half, holding the up tempo Gaucho offense to only seven points in the second half and forcing three different turnovers during key Saddleback possessions.

COC sophomore wide receiver Travion Tucker caught eight passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Matt Bowen had 12 carries for 71 yards to lead the Cougars. Jake Dashnaw completed 13-of-31 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns, but threw one interception.

Sophomore corner Lance Poole was just three tackles short of the COC single game record for most tackles in a game with 14 stops, including 10 solo tackles. He also forced a fumble and recorded three pass break ups. Sophomore linebacker Joey Cicoria notched COC's lone interception of the night to go with his 10 tackles and pass break up.

Saddleback opened the game by scoring two quick touchdowns in its first two possessions and took a 14-0 lead with five minutes left in the first half.

Dashnaw started the second quarter with a 29-yard pass to sophomore Louis Gipson. Four plays later and under great duress, Dashnaw scrambled towards the Saddleback sideline and eventually found Tucker for a 22-yard pass over a Gaucho defender in the end zone.

The Cougar defense held the Gauchos to three-and-out on the following possession, giving Canyons the ball on its own 49-yard line. On first down, Dashnaw flicked the ball to Gipson who threw a 51-yard pass to Tucker, for the wide receiver's second score of the night â€" tying up the game at 14-14.

On the following COC drive Dashnaw hit Tucker again for a 22-yard score, after having being sacked the previous play,

While the Gaucho offense was quiet for the rest of the game, the Saddleback defense intercepted a Dashnaw pass and returned it 51 yards for a score, taking a 28-21 lead over COC with 7:49 left in the third quarter

Canyons responded by orchestrating a 73-yard, five-play drive that took 2:27 seconds off the clock. The march concluded with a three-yard rush by Gabe Peralta that tied up the game at 28-28 with 5:15 left in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter started with Poole forcing a Gaucho fumble. However, Canyons failed to capitalize on the turnover and instead exchanged punts with Saddleback.

With 5:36 left in the game, the Gauchos were forced to punt, giving the Cougars good field position at the Saddleback 41-yard line.

A 14-yard carry by freshman running back Deshone Randall and an eight-yard pass from Dashnaw to freshman wide receiver Vincent Strange allowed the Cougars to move within field range for the eventual game-winning field goal.

College of the Canyons will return home to host Desert College in its season home opener at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at Cougar Stadium.