The Corsairs Dominate in Sixth Consecutive Victory
The Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs put on a show in their final home game with a win against the Glendale Vaqueros on Nov. 11. The offense, led by quarterback Dylan Moreno, was able to close the game out at a score of 27-14, but the Corsairs’ defense was who really shone on Saturday.
Glendale was first to score early in the first quarter. In only four plays over two minutes, the Vaqueros marched 80 yards downfield to give Glendale a 0-7 lead. However, SMC was quick to strike back. Moreno and the offense drove 65 yards in just eight plays, topping off their scoring possession with a two-point conversion to make the score 8-7.
Glendale started the second quarter with the ball, slowly grinding up the field. Just outside the red zone on SMC’s 24-yard line, Glendale quarterback Braden Brimhall threw an interception in the end zone to Naiem Powell, defensive back for SMC.
After a brief sequence of back and forth turnovers, linebacker D’Anthony Coleman got a tackle-for-loss in Glendale’s endzone, earning a 2-point safety for SMC and turning the ball over. In the final moments of the first half, Moreno found wide receiver Bryson Wood for a 26 yard catch-and-run for another SMC touchdown. The first half wrapped up at 17-7 in SMC’s favor.
The third quarter was a defensive showcase for both teams, amounting to only one field goal by SMC to make the score 20-7. Here, the Corsairs put their red zone defense on full display.
Glendale’s last drive of the third quarter was a long and grueling one, consisting of mainly short passes. However, Glendale’s fatal flaw proved to be their overreliance on the passing game. On a crucial 4th-and-8 in the redzone, Brimhall threw another interception in the endzone, this time to SMC defensive back Tyler Thompson.
During the final quarter, each team earned one more touchdown. Going back to their passing game, the Vaqueros struck first with a 34-yard catch-and-run to make it 20-14. Just as things seemed to be potentially heating up, SMC's running back, Christopher Washington, answered with a touchdown. With nine minutes left to play, the score remained 27-14 in favor of SMC.
Glendale seemed to be rolling down the field with blistering speed, completing a 54-yard pass that took the offense from its own 35 all the way to SMC’s 8-yard line. However, the story of Brimhall’s day wouldn’t change. With the game on the line, Brimhall threw another interception to defensive back Thompson, the showstopper of Saturday's bout.
The Corsairs’ win against the Vaqueros was an assertion of domination. SMC controlled possession of the ball for more than 75% of the game, earning 354 total yards of offense and 21 first downs.
Saturday’s game marked the sixth consecutive victory for the Corsairs, putting them at 8-1 overall with a conference record of 4-0. Their final match of the season is a conference game against the West L.A. College Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 8, at West L.A. College.