Bakersfield Uses Fast Start to Subdue Glendale

Bakersfield College wasted little time asserting itself against Glendale in a Western State Conference football opener Saturday night.

The Renegades posted a 39-21 victory before 10,127 after opening a 22-0 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half on quarterback Brent Paul’s 60-yard pass to tailback Aaron McDonald.

Bakersfield (1-1) scored another touchdown with 22 seconds left in the second quarter to take a 29-0 lead at intermission as Glendale did nothing right in the first two periods.

After Bakersfield had taken a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter, Glendale scored an apparent touchdown on a 67-yard pass from Jason Stanley to Rommel Carter on a fake punt, but an illegal-procedure penalty nullified the score. On the next play, the snap from center sailed over Glendale punter Brad Faunce’s head, and by the time Faunce fell on the ball, it was five yards deep in the Vaquero end zone for a safety.

Two offensive series later, a fumbled handoff between Glendale quarterback Mike McMullen and tailback Bobby Webster on a second-and-10 play from the Vaquero two-yard line resulted in a Bakersfield touchdown when defensive lineman Shane Dees recovered the ball in the end zone. Jon Baker’s point-after gave the Renegades 12-0 lead.

“They didn’t do nothing fancy,” Glendale fullback Rafik Thorossian said. “We just made a lot of mistakes and they capitalized on them.”

Glendale (0-2) drove to the Bakersfield 45 after McDonald’s score, but Webster (12 carries for 39 yards) was held to a two-yard gain on a fourth-and-three play.

Bakersfield drove 27 yards for Baker’s 46-yard field goal, and then scored on McDonald’s catch and run on the Renegades’ following possession.

Bakersfield’s final score of the half came on a 45-yard pass play from Paul to Antonio Morgan.

“They just seemed to get all the calls in the first half,” said Thorossian, who gained 44 yards in 15 carries. “Everything just seemed to go their way.”

Glendale narrowed its deficit to 29-15 early in the fourth quarter, but Bakersfield countered with a field goal and a touchdown on its next two possessions for a 39-15 lead with 5:09 remaining.

The Renegade touchdown--a nine-yard run by McDonald--came four plays after Glendale’s Leon Gable fumbled on the kickoff return.

Gable rushed for a team-high 63 yards in four carries. He scored the Vaqueros’ first touchdown on his first carry of the game--a 44-yard gallop with 10:05 remaining in the third quarter.

Tight end Jeremiah Carroll scored Glendale’s other touchdowns on receptions of 20 and seven yards.

McMullen completed 14 of 27 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.