Depth at quarterback fosters Corsair victory

Despite the absence of starting quarterback Travis Williams, having suffered from a fractured wrist against L.A. Valley College in the game prior, the Corsairs managed to pull off a victory against the Glendale Gauchos 28-21. Freshman quarterback James Cammack struggled at times under center, completing only three of 15 passes and throwing for 41 yards. However, Cammack made up for the dismal air game with his versatility as a runner, making Santa Monica College's attack unpredictable to the Gaucho defense.

"We think James is a talented player," said Head Coach Lindheim Gifford. "Within the structure of the offense, he can do some things that Travis wasn't able to do; he's not as tall and as big, but he can make a lot of plays with his feet," he said.

Rushing for 46 yards and averaging 5.2 yards a carry, Cammack played a vital role in SMC's ability to complete long drives and convert on late downs.

The Corsairs started the contest off with a bang, driving down the field for 35 yards and capping off the series with a two-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Benjamin Irwin-Crayton in the first quarter.

The Gauchos would dominate the second quarter, keeping the Corsairs out of the end zone and scoring two touchdowns of their own, leading the first half 14-7.

But the second half would belong to the Corsairs, as their first score of the new half would come from a 40-yard kickoff return by freshman Deshawn Stewart.

"It was a tremendous boost," said coach Lindheim. "We're playing with our third quarterback of the year, and offensively we're struggling to generate points. I knew the special teams and defense had to pick it up and they did," said Lindheim.

The Corsair's running game continued to pick up speed as well, producing another touchdown by freshman running-back Brandon Tillis. The Corsair's running game would go on to rack up 135 total yards off of thirty-four carries and two touchdowns.

The passing game wouldn't stay quiet for too long either, and sophomore Chase Fletcher would later hook up with freshman Jonathan McNeal for a 28 yard touchdown pass.

After 14 unanswered points in the second half, the Gauchos were too far behind to make up the lost ground and fell short at the final whistle by one touchdown.

With the final game of the season this Saturday, the Corsairs will take on West L.A. College, looking to go 5-5 and .500 in the winning percentage column; something that seemed unheard of at week 7 of the season.

"I think going 5-5 would be a huge boost to our program, and winning the last two [games] going into the off-season would give us great momentum," said Lindheim. "We started the season off with a win and we want to finish with another one."