Defense Likely to Rest at Hall of Fame Bowl

Expect points.

Palomar College has averaged 57 points its past three football games, but with one big game remaining, Comet Coach Tom Craft is looking for one more big outing.

Palomar (6-4), the Mission Conference South champion, faces Antelope Valley, the second-place team from the Foothill Conference, at 1:30 p.m. today at Balboa Stadium in the fifth-annual Hall of Fame Bowl.

“I think we can score,” Craft said. “I think we’re going to have the opportunity to move the football. How we do it will be dictated by their defensive front.”

Craft has the nation’s leading quarterback, Brett Salisbury, coming off a national record-tying eight-touchdown performance against Grossmont.

“On offense, we will definitely test them with the pass,” Craft said. “If they’re going to go to a zone (defense) and rush three guys, we’ll probably go with five receivers and no running backs. . . . I think we can run it equally as well as pass.”

Running backs Odeious Pines (692 yards this season) and San Dieguito High graduate Eric Franssens (377) make up the Comet ground game.

Palomar has six receivers with at least 23 catches this season, including Jeff Radcliffe (Torrey Pines) with 54 and Choo Choo Walker (Vista) with 47.

Defensively, Palomar’s quickness must compensate for the size of Antelope Valley’s offensive line. The Comets boast defensive player of the year Tamasi Amituanai (Vista), first-team player Paul Goldberg, and second-team selection Peau Atoe (El Camino).