SHRINE POTATO BOWL : Defense Leads Fullerton Past Santa Barbara

Fullerton College answered one question Saturday afternoon, clearly proving it was the better team by beating Santa Barbara, 45-13, in the Shrine Potato Bowl.

But whether Hal Sherbeck had coached his last game remained in doubt. “I can’t answer that,” he said about retiring after 31 years at Fullerton. “There are a lot of things I have to evaluate.”

Evaluating the performance of Fullerton’s defense against Santa Barbara (9-2), considered one of the best offensive teams in the state, was much easier.

Santa Barbara quarterback Poncho Renteria completed 14 of 31 passes for 185 yards, his poorest performance of the season. He also was sacked six times and had two passes intercepted.

“He normally throws quickly,” Fullerton defensive coordinator Jeff Jespersen said. “We wanted to make him take some time to throw. We changed up coverages and pressured him; both worked.”

Fullerton had little trouble with Santa Barbara’s defense. The Hornets (8-3) amassed 439 yards in offense, 299 rushing. Brian Williams led the way with 132 yards in 18 carries.