OXNARD — Here’s one that would leave even a Harvard math professor scratching his head:
What is the probability that a football team scores 37 points on 486 yards of offense and loses?
The Santa Barbara Dons (1-4) don’t want to think about the answer. They just know it’s not fun when it happens.
“You’d think 37 points would be enough, and it’s just really a disappointment that we didn’t play better defensively,” said coach Will Gonzales after the Dons’ 38-37 loss at Pacifica (4-1) on Friday night.
Moises Barrera nailed a 42-yard field goal with 2:53 remaining to give the Tritons (3-1) their first lead of the game, and the ensuing Santa Barbara drive ended with an interception that gave Pacifica a memorable homecoming win.
“He did it to beat Simi Valley on a 29-yarder, so that’s two game-winners this year. He’s kicked 61-yarders in practice before,” said Pacifica head coach Donnie Rea of Barrera.
Santa Barbara’s offense was its high-octane self in the game, even without the services of star tight end Bryson Lloyd, who was sidelined due to a high ankle sprain but will be back for next week’s game against Dos Pueblos.
Rea praised the Santa Barbara offense while also recognizing that Lloyd’s absence was a big boost for his Triton team.
“They’re so dangerous, but the one thing that was fortunate from our point of view was that their big tight end was out. He’s just a great player and he probably would have made the difference. I’m a realist about things like that,” he said.
Ironically, the words “they’re so dangerous” were also used by Gonzales when describing the Triton offense, particularly quarterback Vince Moraga, who is a threat through the air and on the ground.
Moraga threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns with 59 yards rushing, and his mobility led to Pacifica being able to run some tricky reversal plays that paid dividends late in the game.
“When you’ve got a guy that can throw and run, it’s pretty lethal,” said Gonzales.
Rea had an interesting point about the Dons’ pass-happy attack.
“When you throw it every down you’re going to get your share of yards, but they didn’t get them when you really needed them.”
As it did against Righetti two weeks ago and Beverly Hills the week before that, the Santa Barbara offense wound up shooting itself in the foot, with untimely turnovers serving as the bullet. Combined with a late defensive letdown, the Dons lost their third second-half lead in five games.
Quarterback John Uribe rolled right and fired an 8-yard beauty to Freddy Maldonado for his fourth touchdown pass of the night, putting Santa Barbara up 37-28 with 5:42 left in the game. The extra-point attempt was blocked, which kept the lead at nine, a much more fragile margin than 10, to be sure.
Pacifica needed only three plays and 51 seconds to respond, scoring on a 15-yard jaunt by Luis Sanchez that cut the Dons’ lead to two points with 4:51 on the clock. The Dons had been scoring at will for much of the game, however, and a clock-eating drive to the end zone would have iced it.
Instead, they fumbled a handoff on their own 24-yard line, which eventually led to Barerra’s kick. Santa Barbara had 2:45 left to try and take back the lead, but a desperation throw by Uribe on 4th-and-22 was picked off by Pierre Gutter.
Besides the late turnovers, Uribe was exceptional in the game. He was actually on pace to improve on his seven-touchdown, 581-yard game against San Luis Obispo after one quarter at Pacifica, as he racked up 129 yards and threw touchdown passes to Kyle Leonard and Roberto Nelson in the period.
Nelson’s 50-yard reception came on a deep jump-ball amidst double coverage, which he shook off before waltzing into the end zone. Nelson would catch a 12-yard TD pass in the third, and Uribe took care of one on the ground with an impressive 12-yard run up the gut halfway through the quarter.
The Dons are hoping that a preseason full of heartbreak will turn into a Channel League campaign built upon lessons learned. You could hear the confidence in Gonzales’ voice.
“If you think you’re getting a 1-4 team on Friday night, you’re making a big mistake, he said. “We know we’re better than our record indicates, that’s for sure.”
PACIFICA 38, SANTA BARBARA 37
Santa Barbara…..14 3 14 6 — 37
Pacifica…………..0 7 14 17 — 38
First Quarter
SB — Leonard 4 pass from Uribe (Chandler kick), 4:29
SB — Nelson 50 pass from Uribe (Chandler kick), 1:21
Second Quarter
P — Razo 9 pass from Moraga (Barrera kick), 8:26
SB — Chandler 35 FG, 6:23
Third Quarter
P — Garcia 3 run (Barrera kick), 9:36
SB — Uribe 12 run (Chandler kick), 7:22
P — Razo 12 pass from Moraga (Barrera kick), 4:35
SB — Nelson 12 pass from Uribe (Chandler kick), 3:02
Fourth Quarter
P — Garcia 1 run (Barrera kick), 10:29
SB — Maldonado 8 pass from Uribe (PAT blocked), 5:42
P — Sanchez 15 run (Barrera kick), 4:51
P — Barrera 42 FG, 2:53
TEAM TOTALS SB P
First Downs 24 18
Rushes-Yards 23-110 34 – 212
Passing Yards 376 179
Total Yards 486 391
Comp-Att-Int 27-40-1 15-22-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards 6-54 4-35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — SB: Leonard 11-47, Uribe 9-51, Lucatero 2-3, Bisquera 1-9. P: Moraga 8-59, Garcia 11-60, Gutter 9-27, Estanol 3-29, Sanchez 2-29, N/A 1-8.
PASSING — SB: Uribe 27-40-1-376. P: Moraga 15-22-0-179.
RECEIVING — SB: Bisquera 4-65, Maldonado 4-66, Lucatero 3-39, Nelson 9-169, Leonard 7-37. P: Razo 6-81, Flores 3-25, Estanol 1-13, Garcia 2-6, Rivera 3-54.
MISSED FIELD GOALS — SB, 22.
TEAM RECORDS — SB 1-4, P 4-1.
