Glendale Runs Citrus Defense Into Ground, 23-16

Glendale College took a run at the state’s top-ranked defense Saturday. Literally. Keeping the ball on the ground for 58 of their 70 offensive plays--including all nine on the winning drive--the Vaqueros ground out a 23-16 victory over Citrus College in the Southern California Bowl at Citrus on Saturday.

Glendale gained 437 yards against the Fighting Owls (227 yards allowed per game), including 306 on the ground. But the last 59 were the most important.

Glendale (9-2) started its decisive drive on the Citrus 41 with 6 minutes 23 seconds to play. Fullback Rafik Thorossian keyed the march, carrying four times for 30 yards. Bobby Webster capped the drive, going over from the three with 1:11 left.

“There wasn’t much to it,” said Thorossian, a redshirt freshman who gained 70 yards in 12 carries. “The offensive line just did a great job opening some holes for us. All Bobby and I had to do was run through them.”

Webster, a freshman who rushed for a school-record 1,360 yards during the regular season, finished with 150 yards in 30 carries Saturday, and sophomore fullback Wes Bender added 87 yards in 12 carries.

Thorossian, whose 20-yard touchdown run narrowed Glendale’s deficit to 10-7 midway through the second quarter, rumbled 12 yards to the Citrus three-yard line to set up Webster’s game-winning score.

But even then, Glendale wasn’t safe until Frank Solchaga’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 16 seconds left.

Solchaga (14 of 27 for 199 yards, one interception) completed three consecutive passes to give the Owls (8-3) a first down at the Glendale 28 with 39 seconds remaining. But he was sacked twice and threw two incomplete passes on the next four plays.

Both teams entered the game riding eight-game winning streaks. Glendale, the Western State Conference Northern Division champion, gave up 284 yards to Foothill Conference champion Citrus but only 92 in the second half.

Trailing, 13-10, early in the third quarter, Glendale tied the score on a 23-yard field goal by Martin Boskovich with 4:36 left in the quarter, then took a 16-13 lead on Boskovich’s 47-yard kick with 13:54 left in the game.

Ervie Barnes returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to the Glendale 30, however, and Mike Reyes kicked a 24-yard field goal six plays later to tie the score, 16-16.