SBCC will need another strong defensive effort to beat Ventura on Saturday in a 6 p.m. nonconference football battle at La Playa Stadium.
The Vaqueros (1-1) held Antelope Valley to 40 rushing yards on 27 attempts in last week’s 30-14 win on the road. Linebackers Manny Hernandez and Sam Shipley sparked the defense with 12 tackles apiece.
SBCC led 27-0 early in the fourth quarter after John Uribe hit Art Gonzalez with a 40-yard touchdown toss. Uribe was named Athlete of the Week by the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table, following his 19-of-29 passing performance that netted 246 yards and two TDs.
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Gonzalez, a sophomore from Bishop Diego High, caught nine of Uribe’s passes for 177 yards and a TD. He was the American Pacific Conference Player of the Week.
Alonzo Winn scored the first TD and had 112 rushing yards on 16 attempts for a healthy 7-yard average.
SBCC converted 8-of-16 third-down chances last week and ranks second in Southern Cal at 46.9 percent (15-32). The Vaqueros didn’t have a single turnover against AVC.
Ventura leads the all-time series 25-21-1 and has won the last three meetings, including 35-7 last season.
Ventura, ranked No. 16 in Southern Cal, is 1-1 after dropping a 40-27 decision to Fullerton, the state’s fourth-ranked team.
The Pirates are led by sophomore quarterback Antavius Sims, who had 390 of his team’s 460 yards last week. Ventura trailed Fullerton 20-6 at the half before Sims, who rushed 31 times for 140 yards and passed for 250, threw three TD passes in the third quarter to pull his team even at 27-27.
Fullerton scored its final two TDs on a blocked punt return and a 25-yard pass.
“Their QB will be tough to stop,” said SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos. “We need to be aware of him on every play.”
Ventura’s Michael Davis is the No. 1 all-purpose runner in Southern Cal with an average of 243..5 yards in rushing, receiving and kick returns.
Vaquero kicker Chaz Dalton had three field goals last week (22, 34 and 35 yards), boosting his Southern Cal-leading total to five for the year.
