Corsair Football win big against Southwest 32-6 to start the season

#6 Juston David defending against one of Southwest receivers.(Photo by Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

SMC's running back Ricky Hambright #1 looks to evade Southwest defenders as he runs for a touchdown.(Photo by Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

After making the reception #4 Akili Warren Jr. looks to make a play and gain yards.(Photo By Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

#18 Jardon Quarterman makes a tackle on one of Southwest receivers after the catch.(Photo by Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

Freshman Quarterback Zach Yanda #12 handing the ball off to running back Jack Lewis #28.(Photo By Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

#13 Tariq Brown takes the kickoff as his teammate #6 Juston David looks to block.(Photo by Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

#2 Melvin Hicks sheds off a tackle from a Southwest defender as he makes his way to a touchdown.(Photo by Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

Head Coach Kelly Ledwith speaks to his team at halftime as they get ready for the third quarter.(Photo by Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

#13 Tariq Brown fights off Southwest defenders as he tries to gain yards.(Photo by Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

#27 Kason Robertson sacks Southwest quarterback.(Photo by Kevin Tidmore/The Corsair)

Coming off of a poor performance in a scrimmage against West L.A., the Santa Monica College (SMC) football team looked to bounce back against Southwest College. The Corsairs elected to kick the ball off to start the game and their defense answered the bell. 

SMC’s defense was stout on the first drive, forcing the Southwest Cougars to turn the ball over on downs. That gave their offense good field position to start their first drive, which ended in a walk-in touchdown by No. 2 Melvin Hicks. The Corsairs’ defense came to play against the Cougars. SMC came out of their second defensive series with a safety. That drive in particular set the tone for what would be a long night for Southwest. 

An energetic SMC unit played with awareness and actively got to the ball carrier. On the next possession, Southwest gave up another safety to SMC due to the Cougars’ quarterback fumbling the ball in his own end-zone. Early in the second quarter, Southwest scored a touchdown on a 55-yard pass as they tried to gain some momentum. SMC was able to bounce back with an interception late in the first half to stop their momentum. 

That allowed Hicks to score his second touchdown, ending the first half of the game with the Corsairs leading the Cougars 18-6. The Corsairs stout defense continued as they forced the Cougars to punt on back-to-back possessions to begin the third quarter. 

SMC’s special teams wasn’t looking good at first, as they had some struggles in the second half. They started out with consecutive mishandled punts, which forced the punter John Rybus to try and get the first down himself. The offense also sputtered a bit, not playing with the same swagger they had in the first half. To end the third quarter, SMC quarterback Jack Faringer fumbled the ball. The play could’ve ended in a Southwest touchdown, but the ball carrier tripped.

The offense bounced back in the fourth quarter with touchdowns from receivers Dajone Averett and Lawrence Rawlings. The Corsairs had a commanding 32-6 lead over Southwest. With just over six minutes left in the game, Southwest had no chance. 

At what seemed to be right on cue, the Corsairs intercepted another pass from Southwest, which brought them to a total of six forced turnovers with 5:38 left in the fourth quarter. This was a strong outing for SMC. It was the fast start the Corsairs needed and were looking forward to. The defense showed how stout they can be, displaying an ability to bend but not break and not allow teams to score. SMC’s offense also showed capability to bounce back from occasional slumps. 

The Corsairs will look to continue their strong start when they face Desert College on September 14.