After facing the top rushing attack in the American Pacific Conference last week, SBCC’s talented defense hopes to slow down the potent passing attack of first-place L.A. Pierce in Friday’s football game at La Playa Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and players and fans are encouraged to wear pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness. The Alpha Resource Center of Santa Barbara with Robby Moore will represent the Vaqs as Honorary Captains.
SBCC (3-3, 2-1) is No. 2 in Southern Cal in scoring defense (18.7), No. 3 in yards allowed (314.7) and No. 4 in passing yards allowed (181.7).
Pierce (5-1, 3-0), which has won its last four games, leads all Southern Cal teams in passing yards (411.8 per game) and third-down conversions (54 percent). The Brahmas are No. 3 in the APC in scoring offense at 37.8.
SBCC and Pierce both use a no-huddle offense.
“It will be a challenge,” said sixth-year SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos. “We have to make sure we do the little things that we’re supposed to do. By the same token, the offense has to hold up their end of the bargain and keep the ball away from their offense.”
Santa Barbara is coming off a tough 20-13 loss to Antelope Valley while Pierce beat L.A. Valley 24-6. SBCC linebacker Morgan Nevin was voted APC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 15 tackles (8 solo) and a sack.
Nevin is No. 1 in Southern Cal with 11.7 tackles per game. Safety Colin Christian has 44 tackles and linebacker Thomas Borchert 40. Cornerback Delency Parham has 12 pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Pierce quarterback Nick Arbuckle, a freshman from St. Bonaventure High, is the No. 1 passer in Southern Cal at 351 yards a game. He’s thrown for 1,756 yards and 19 touchdowns with a sterling 71 percent completion rate. In the last four games, he’s racked up more than 1,000 yards and 12 TDs.
His favorite target is Jaelen Strong, the top-ranked receiver in So Cal. Strong has 34 catches for 716 yards and nine TDs. Strong is a 6-5 freshman from West Catholic in Philadelphia, the same school that produced SBCC quarterback Jarred Evans.
“It would be nice to get out to an early lead and minimize their big plays,” noted Moropoulos. “Our defense has to continue to play solid. If they’re going to score, we need to make sure they go small and do in short bursts.”
