Cougars Hold Off Citrus In COC's Home Opener
The College of the Canyons football team withstood a second half run by visiting Citrus College in COC's home opener, in a 38-24 win for the Cougars on Saturday night.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Citrus
(1-1)
|
0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
|
Canyons
(2-1)
|
24 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
Team Stats
Citrus
| Game Statistics | Citrus | Canyons |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 165 | 288 |
| Rushing Yards | 130 | 174 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 3 |
| Time of Poss. | 28:32 | 31:28 |
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - The College of the Canyons football team withstood a second half run by visiting Citrus College in COC's home opener, in a 38-24 win for the Cougars on Saturday night.
After the Cougars built up a 24-0 lead in the first quarter of the game against the Owls, COC fell flat and allowed the Fighting Owls to outscore College of the Canyons 21-7 in the second half. The run fell short in the final period, but put the Cougars in a position to have to struggle for the win. COC's Chris Rivas scored on a 13-yard pass from quarterback Justin Arias in the closing minutes of the third quarter, which was just enough to hold off Citrus, despite one more touchdown from the Owls in the fourth quarter.
Arias finished with 251 yards on 16 for 26 passing with three TDs and no interceptions. Rivas added a career-high 196 yards receiving and three scores. It was his second game of the season with more than 100 yards receiving. He had 137 yards on nine catches against Antelope Valley College in the first game of the year.
The Cougars set the tone quickly, scoring in the first 1:10 of the game on a 33-yard carry into the end zone by Emanuel Osuchukwu.
COC would score two more touchdowns and a field goal, including running back Joe Garba's first touchdown of the season, a 2-yard scamper on the Cougar's third possession, to take a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.
The Cougar defense shut down the Owls in the end zone for the first half, only giving up a 42-yard field goal to start the second quarter.
Citrus started moving the ball well in the third quarter and scored two touchdowns to start the half and cut into the Cougars lead, 31-17.
The end of the third quarter saw Arias hit Rivas for his third touchdown, which tied a single game school record, and gave COC a 38-17 lead.
Citrus would add one more score in the fourth quarter.
Linebacker Khalil Bass had another amazing night on defense, notching six tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a pass break up and a sack.
The Cougars will travel to East L.A. College next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.