Southwest, Citrus Battle to a Draw : Community colleges: Cougars hold on in final minute after Owls run out of timeouts and fail to attempt a potential game-winning field goal.

For 59 minutes Saturday, the Los Angeles Southwest and Citrus college football teams played with skill, sharpness and poise. But in the game’s final minute, those qualities were conspicuously absent.

In a 21-21 tie at Southwest, the final minute was punctuated by turnovers, penalties, a near safety and several mental miscues, the most damaging of which kept Citrus from attempting a game-winning field goal.

Here’s how the final 57 seconds transpired:

* Southwest’s Robert Avery has a 95-yard punt return negated by a clipping penalty that brings the ball back to the Cougar 14.

* On the next play, reserve quarterback John Cotton, subbing for injured Bobby Savannah, rolls out and is tackled at the one-yard line.

* The ensuing handoff by Cotton to fullback Takim Brown is fumbled and the ball rolls to the Citrus 14. The Owls recover with 32 seconds remaining.

* After a running play into the line, Citrus quarterback Curtis Robinson attempts to call a timeout. Robinson is unaware that the referee has told him the Owls have used their time outs. The running clock doesn’t disturb Citrus Coach Mike Merandi, who also believes his team has a timeout.

With eight seconds remaining, Robinson attempts to call another timeout, but is again told they have none remaining.

Time runs out with the score tied.

Merandi was livid.

“I asked the official on the sideline and was told we had one timeout,” he said. “Not only that, if you use your time outs, the official and the referee usually come over and tell you you’re out of them. That didn’t happen either. The way I see it, two things went wrong.”

In community college football, officials are not required to inform coaches of the number of timeouts they have remaining.

“I knew that they didn’t have a timeout, so I was aware that they were unaware,” Southwest Coach Henry Washington said. “It was confusing, but it was confusing in our favor.”

Brown scored two touchdowns and ran for a team-high 57 yards. Savannah, who suffered a shin injury in the fourth quarter, passed for 161 yards and scored on a two-point conversion. Wide receiver Keith Neal caught six passes for 122 yards.

The Cougars (0-0-1) scored with 32 seconds remaining in the first quarter when tailback Katia Ransom scored on a 12-yard run. The kick failed.

Citrus (0-1-1) took the lead on the next series, then increased it to 14-6 on a touchdown pass by Robinson in the third quarter.

Brown’s two-yard touchdown run and Savannah’s conversion tied the score and the Cougars reclaimed the lead on a one-yard run by Brown early in the fourth quarter.

Citrus tied the score with 6:45 remaining on D.J. Hoyt’s 1-yard run.

The Owls outgained the Cougars, 377-258, and had a decided advantage in rushing yards, 285-97.

Robinson completed seven of 14 passes for 92 yards and led Citrus rushers with 83 yards. Tamoi Hicks came off the bench to run for 71 yards.