Canyons is Bowl Bound after 14-10 Win Over Bakersfield

The College of the Canyons Cougars are bowl bound, after wrapping up the regular season with a scrappy 14-10 victory over host Bakersfield College on Saturday to qualify for a Southern California Football Association (SCFA) bowl game.

Canyons (5-5, 3-2) finishes the regular season in second place in the SCFA National Division, Northern League after winning three of its final four games. 

The Cougars also moved up in the rankings, and are now the No. 7 ranked team in the SCFA National Division, according to the season's final California Community College Athletic Association/California Community College Football Coaches Association Regional State Football Poll. COC shares the No. 7 designation with Moorpark College.

Canyons will now face No. 6 Mt. San Antonio College (7-3, 4-1) in the Golden State Bowl being held at Saturday, Nov. 19, at at Covina District Field located at 200 W Puente Street in Covina. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

On Saturday, the Cougars overcame four turnovers and 175 penalty yards to seize a must-win game and punch their postseason ticket vs. a Bakersfield (6-4, 2-3) squad that is also bowl bound.

The No. 8 Renegades will face No. 5 Long Beach City College in the 2016 Western State Bowl at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Despite a recent uptick in production, the Cougar offense could not get on track vs. Bakersfield and failed to score an offensive touchdown until late in the fourth quarter.

After trailing early on, COC freshman wide receiver/kick returner Marquise Brown provided a spark on a dazzling 73-yard punt return touchdown with 1:45 to play in the first quarter.

Brown also hauled in seven catches for 69 yards on the night. He finishes the regular season with 50 receptions for 754 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the Cougars in all three categories. He also has both a kick return and punt return touchdown this season.

The PAT by Kevin Neitzke made it a 7-7 game, which is where things stayed until Bakersfield kicker Jacob Young converted on a 28-yard field goal to give the Renegades a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. 

Offensively, the Cougars did manage to move the ball but continuously had their drives limited due to a combination of turnovers and momentum-swinging penalties.

COC quarterback Matt Moore finished the game 20-of-42 for 251 yards and four interceptions.

However, Moore used his legs to find the end zone on a one-yard touchdown plunge to put Canyons ahead 14-10 with 4:05 to play in the game after a second PAT from Neitzke.

The score was Moore's third rushing touchdown of the season.

Running back Tylan McBride added 54 rushing yards on the night to finish the season with a team-high 516 yards on 96 attempts, good for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. His five rushing touchdowns also led the team.

The Cougars' defensive unit limited the Renegades to just 266 yards of total offense, while recovering two fumbles. Bakersfield was also 0-for-15 on third down conversions.

But it was COC's final stand in the fourth quarter that was most crucial to the game's outcome. With under two minutes to play the Renegades drove the ball to the Cougar three-yard line, but were unable to get any further and eventually turned the ball over on downs.

Renegade starting QB Dalton Gallis finished 12-of-24 for 82 yards, and was sacked three times by COC freshman defensive end Dorian Gerald.

Gerald also recorded eight tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. His 12 sacks this season rank second in the SCFA.

COC sophomore defensive back Blake Austin had a game-high 11 tackles to go with a fumble recovery.

Sophomore linebacker Andrew Karatepeyan also recovered a loose ball for the Cougars, while adding five tackles. Freshman linebacker Noel Iwuchukwu finished with six tackles, including two for loss.

—Jesse Munoz/COC Sports Information

—Photo by John Bogna/COC Sports Information