Orange Coast College

Football: Pirates return to action on Saturday against Grossmont

Thursday, October 23, 2008

KICKING OFF: The Orange Coast College football team continues its SCFA National Division, Southern Conference schedule against the visiting Grossmont College Griffins. OCC holds a 14-3-1 all-time series record against the Griffins dating back to 1962. The last time these two teams played was 1993 and the Pirates prevailed, 37-20. Coast has won seven of the past eight meetings between the two schools.

D-FENSE … D-FENSE: Tonight’s contest matches the top two defenses in the Southern Conference. OCC comes in ranked No. 1, allowing just 18.2 points per game, while Grossmont is close behind, averaging 20.7 points per contest. Breaking the numbers down further, Grossmont has the top pass defense, allowing just 138.1 yards in the air per game, while the Pirates have limited the opposition’s ground game to a conference-low 3.1 yards per carry and four touchdowns.

FLAG-A-PALOOZA: While both teams do battle with one another, perhaps the biggest factor in tonight’s game will be each team’s ability to control and limit their penalty accumulations. Coast is currently fourth in the Southern Conference, averaging 103.8 yards of infractions per game, while the Griffins are last with a whopping 124.3 penalty yards per game. In fact, the Southern Conference has celebrated “Flag Day” just about every game this year, with a 10-penalty, 98-yard average per team, per game.

HUGHES INC.: It’s been a solid first half of the season for sophomore quarterback Taylor Hughes. The Corona del Mar High School graduate is third among all SC passers with 1,135 yards and is second in the conference in pass completion percentage at 61.4 percent. Hughes has thrown touchdown passes in five of Coast’s six games this season.

DEAN OF DEFENSE: Sophomore defensive end Dean DeLeone has been racking up some impressive numbers this year for the Pirates. In six games this year, DeLeone has averaged a conference-best 8.2 tackles per game and his six sacks are tied with Santa Ana’s BJ Bell for the top spot.

GRIFFIN REPORT: The Grossmont offense has been sparked by running backs Garen Demery and Jamar Reed. Demery is third in the conference with 637 rushing yards on 94 carries, while Reed has added 303 rushing yards and conference-best seven touchdowns to the mix. Freshman linebacker Pat Kelly anchors the Griffins’ defense with a team-best 40 tackles (33 solo).

NEXT WEEK … The Pirates will travel to Mission Viejo to take on Saddleback College on Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m.