Rustlers upset top-ranked Gauchos

With foreboding physicality, the Golden West College football team began the night knocking off helmets of opposing Saddleback players. But after the Rustlers capped a 20-17 upset of the top-ranked team in Southern California, the previously unbeaten Gauchos were throwing their own helmets to the turf in disgust.

Quinton Conaway made a 40-yard field goal as time expired to help Golden West prevail in a game it never trailed at Orange Coast College.

The Rustlers opened the scoring when Desmond Passi blocked a punt that Nick Ebanks recovered in the end zone. That stood up for a 7-0 halftime advantage.

Golden West (2-4, 1-0 in conference), which had lost four straight before a bye helped them mend physically and psychologically from the rough start, scored four plays after the Gauchos (5-1, 0-1) tied it midway through the third quarter, and held a 17-10 lead with 8:56 left in the game.

But Saddleback, which came in second in Southern California in yards per game (511.4) and No. 3 in SoCal in points per game (44.6), used a two-play drive to cover 64 yards and pull even with 2:42 left.

Saddleback forced a three-and-out on Golden West’s ensuing series and the Gauchos took over on their own 25 after a punt with 1:47 left.

The Golden West defense, which has crunched and contained the Gauchos for most of the night, moved the visitors backward to their own 16-yard line, forcing a punt that led to the winning field goal.

From its own 46-yard line, sophomore receiver Zimari Manning caught a short pass, stiff-armed a defender and gained 13 yards, before being hit while running out of bounds to prompt a 15-yard personal-foul penalty to the Saddleback 26.

Two running plays moved it to the 23 to set up Conaway, who was urged by Coach Nick Mitchell to take a “practice’ attempt, should Saddleback use its final timeout in an attempt to ice him.

Conaway hooked the post-timeout boot wide left, but, just like the Rustlers, shook off any negativity that came from failure to convert the game-winner, which was snapped with two seconds left.

“We talked about two halves of a season and winning the second half,” said Mitchell, after his team competed, but also struggled in the preconference season. “We accomplished our goal tonight.”

Manning, who opened the game at quarterback and completed one pass, finished with 70 yards on three receptions. He used a pump fake from quarterback Adam Vance to get behind a defender on a 41-yard touchdown bomb that broke a 7-7 tie with 5:56 left in the third quarter.

Vance completed 17 of 27 for 175 yards without an interception, which was even more impressive since he was harried all night by the Gauchos, who sacked him five times.

Manning added 37 rushing yards to a Golden West ground game that produced just 31 yards on 36 attempts.

But the Rustlers’ defense held Saddleback to 35 yards, 207 fewer than its average, on 34 attempts.

Saddleback finished with just 181 passing yards, 83 of which came on two plays, including a 34-yard scoring toss that knotted the score at 7-7.

The Rustlers produced seven sacks and had 10 more tackles for losses.

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SCORE BY QUARTERS

Saddleback 0 – 0 – 10 – 7 – 17

GWC 0 – 7 – 7 – 6 – 20

SECOND QUARTER

GWC – Ebanks recovers blocked punt in end zone (Conaway kick), 12:42.

THIRD QUARTER

Sad – Harris 34 pass from Gibson (Ball kick), 6:50.

GWC – Manning 41 pass from Vance (Conaway kick), 5:56.

Sad – Ball 26 FG, 1:45.

FOURTH QUARTER

GWC – Conaway 36 FG, 8:56.

Sad – Marshall 11 run (Ball kick), 2:42.

GWC – Conaway 40 FG, 0:00.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

Sad – Vander, 10-43.

GWC – Manning, 8-37.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

Sad – Gibson, 13-22-0, 151, 1 TD.

GWC – Vance, 17-27-0, 175, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

Sad –Marshall, 6-66.

GWC – Manning, 3-70, 1 TD.