City College’s Oct. 17 1:00 p.m. game was held in Oroville, Calif. against the Butte College Roadrunners, last year’s national champions. Both the the Roadrunners and the Rams are 5-0 so far this season, and ranked no. 1 and 2 in the conference, respectively.
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San Joaquin Delta College wide receiver Garrett Andrews slips out of an attempted tackle by Rams’ linebacker Michael Tupai at the Hawaiian Punch Bowl on Dec. 6. The Mustangs won the game with a final score of 36-14. ERIC SUN / SPECIAL TO THE GUARDSMAN
By Bontã Hill
Editor
In a season that had its ups and downs, the Rams didn’t envision the 2008 season to end the way it did on Dec. 6. The Rams, riding on a four game winning streak coming into the Hawaiian Punch Bowl, lost 36-14 to the San Joaquin Delta College Mustangs.
The Rams finished the season with a record of 7-4, the program’s worst record in 20 years.
Turnovers, missed tackles and critical penalties all proved too much to overcome as the Rams dug themselves a hole they could not manage to climb out of.
The Mustangs took control of the game early as they recovered a fumble on a punt return by Myles Gates at the 13-yard line. During the next play, Delta quarterback Alesana Sausau completed a 13-yard pass to receiver Zuri Nance for a quick 7-0 lead.
“Things didn’t go well from the first punt on,” Head Coach George Rush said. “The first series, we made them go three and out, they punted, and it went downhill from there. [We] have no excuses. Their [the Mustangs’] kids played great.”
The Rams could not find an offensive rhythm with their first three offensive possessions, all ending with turnovers.
Rams running back Andre Patterson and quarterback Kevin Vye each threw interceptions, and on fourth-and-one at the end of the first quarter, running back Monte Davis was stuffed short of the first down.
Midway through the second quarter, the Rams’ offense was still struggling. Delta took the advantage and scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass to receiver Garrett Andrews from quarterback Peitro Murdaca. Andrews went on to score four touchdowns that day. During the play, the Rams’ defense was unable to react after an offsides penalty was thrown, allowing Delta to take a 16-0 lead with just under five minutes of play left in the first half.
“We thought it was a false start,” Rams Jarrell Harrison said of the touchdown play. “ I think D.J. [Gomes] saw something else that made him jump up, and the receiver kept going. It’s real unfortunate.”
With the Rams feeling a sense of urgency, they quickly drove 82 yards to get themselves back in the game. Vye hit Patterson on a screen pass, and with some great blocks down field, Patterson took the catch 32 yards for a touchdown bring the Rams closer with a score of 16-7.
Delta though, playing with nothing to lose drove right back. Quarterback Murdaca came and hit Andrews for a 42-yard touchdown to put the Mustangs up 22-7 going into halftime.
“With the early turnovers, we basically couldn’t build up any rhythm offensively,” Vye said.
Beginning the second half, Vye threw another interception halting a Rams drive, but the defense tightened up and forced the Mustangs to punt. The Rams then got in gear as Vye completed a 25-yard pass to receiver to Daniel Cannon. A play later, Vye threw to receiver Randell Washington for a touchdown cutting Delta’s lead to 22-14.
Whenever the Rams would seize the momentum, Delta had an answer. Delta quickly drove into Rams territory, and again Murdaca hit Andrews down the right sideline for a 44-yard catch and run. It was Andrews third touchdown of the game as he beat All-league cornerback Gomes for the third time of the day, making the score 29-14, seemingly sucking the life out of the Rams.
“For the first time in a long time we didn’t tackle well and our pass coverage wasn’t what it normally was,” said Rush. “For the most part [pass coverage] was pretty good.”
Delta scored another touchdown making the score 36-14 as the Rams remained offensively out of sync. With the Rams struggling to run the ball and showing no passing rhythm, the Rams fought to the final whistle, but it wasn’t meant to be.
“I have no problems with our players, they played real hard,” Rush said. “What they need to remember is what they did to get here playing shorthanded. They won some big games down the stretch. I’m real proud of our kids with the way they fought.”
“It’s disappointing for players and coaching staff because we had such a great run to get here, but I’m real proud of how we played, we played hard,” Rush said. “In the end, it just wasn’t our day.
The Rams’ Corey Jackson looks for an opening as he returns the Mustangs’ kickoff in the Hawaiian Punch Bowl at Rams Stadium on Dec. 6. The Rams would go on to lose to the Mustangs 36-14. ERIC SUN / SPECIAL TO THE GUARDSMAN
Rams running back Andre Patterson looks to juke Santa Rosa's defensive back Terrance Brannic. ANNE-MARIE STARK / GUARDSMAN
By Bonta Hill
Editor
In a game that came down to the last play, the Rams defeated the Santa Rosa Junior College Bear Cubs in a thrilling victory to win their fourth straight game 23-21.
“Our offensive line matured and pass-blocked real well today. [Kevin] Vye did a nice job throwing the ball,” said Head Coach George Rush. “They had a high powered offense and they eked out 21 points. I’m very pleased with the way we played.”
Santa Rosa came into the game averaging 45 points per game and over 450 yards of total offense and started things off quickly as they took the opening kickoff 75 yards to go up 7-0 on a six-yard touchdown pass from Bear Cubs quarterback Adam Froman to receiver Matt Larson.
The Rams answered right back with Vye hitting tight end Melvin Blue for a juggling seven-yard touchdown, evening the score with Santa Rosa. Vye finished the game 12-19 for 124 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
“I’m starting to feel more comfortable with this offense,” said Vye. “We had a really good game plan today.”
The Rams took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter with kicker Jens Alvernik’s 27-yard field goal. After a Bear Cubs’ fumble, five plays later Rams running back Andre Patterson scored from a yard out, giving the Rams a 16-7 lead. The Rams would go into halftime leading 16-14.
Skipping ahead to the fourth quarter, the Bear Cubs attempted a 37-yard field goal that was blocked by the Rams, with Devin Mays returning the ball to the Bear Cubs’ 21-yard line. Two plays later, Vye hit receiver Darius Bright in the back of the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown, bringing the Rams to 23-14 with 10 minutes left in the game. The Bear Cubs answered right back with a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Froman to make the score 23-21.
Cornerback D.J. Gomes made his fourth interception halting another Bear Cub drive, but with the offense stalling, Rams punter Alvernik made some great kicks to keep the Bear Cubs pinned deep in their own territory.
“Those interceptions were key points in the game, but I thought our special teams were absolutely outstanding,” Rush said.
The Bear Cubs took over on their own 4-yard line with 3 minutes remaining, and Froman made some huge plays that brought the Bear Cubs to the Rams five-yard line.
With 16 seconds to go, Santa Rosa completed a pass in the middle of the field but with the Rams swarming the Bear Cubs receiver at the 4-yardline, and Santa Rosa having no timeouts left, the clock ran out, sending the Rams rushing the field in celebration.
“We didn’t give up on each other,” said Mays. ” We were 1-2, defending national champs with our backs against the wall, but we took it one game at a time. “That’s what we did.”
The Rams will next host the Hawaiian Punch Bowl, facing off against San Joaquin Delta on Dec. 6 here at home in Rams Stadium.
City College Rams' cornerback Kenronte Walker and safety Jarrell Harrison tackle College of San Mateo's quarterback Wes Price at Rams' Stadium on Nov. 1. ANNE-MARIE STARK / GUARDSMAN
By Bonta Hill
Editor
With rainy weather, poor field conditions and wind blowing through Rams stadium, the City College Rams gutted out a 14-7 win over the College of San Mateo Bulldogs on Nov. 1. The win was the Rams’ second in a row, and put them back on track for the conference championship (5-3, 1-1).
The Rams’ special teams came through with four blocked punts while the defense did the rest to keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone, which preserved the victory. Even with poor weather conditions, Rams’ Head Coach George Rush was pleased after the game with his team’s performance.
“I’ll be real honest, I don’t know when the last time somebody held that [San Mateo] offense without a score,” Rush said. “It’s been a tough year, but we got right back in the mix.”
In the first quarter, the Rams’ first touchdown came after their first blocked punt. Running back David Henderson took the hand-off from quarterback Kevin Vye and scampered around the right for a 14-yard touchdown.
Rams safety Jarrell Harrison, who had another strong game with an interception at the goal line, blocked the third punt allowing the offense to get the ball in a great position on the field, but the Rams’ failed to capitalize.
On the fourth down from the two-yard line, Rush elected to go for the field goal. Center Daniel Curtin snapped the ball over the kicker but after a game of hot potato with a slick ball Bulldogs linebacker Ratu Rabela finally got hold of it and took it all the way to the end-zone to briefly tie the game 7-7. Rush didn’t second guess himself about the decision to not go for the touchdown.
“In this weather, they may not score another point, and that may be the difference in the ball game,” Rush said. “Unfortunately we didn’t get it through the goal post.”
Corner back John Mark Henderson was able to pick up the loose ball on the fourth and final blocked punt with the help of the Rams’ defense. The Bulldogs then lined up in their offensive formation and tried to fool the Rams by attempting a quick kick, which was soundly blocked, and cornerback Henderson scooped up the loose ball giving the Rams the lead at 14-7.
In the second half, the Rams took away the Bulldogs’ running game and forced them to pass. The Bulldogs looked very uncomfortable passing and couldn’t get anything going to tie the game. The Rams were just having a fun day in the rain.
“It was real fun out there and it made the game even more intense,” said Rams’ corner back Devin Mays, who had an impressive interception in the end zone to thwart another Bulldog drive. “The front seven made it easier for the secondary to stop the pass.”
Beating the Bulldogs puts the Rams in a second place tie with Foothill College, whom they play this Saturday at Foothill.
“Special teams won this game for us,” said Vye. “Now we’re just going to come to practice, study up on Foothill and go from there. Hopefully we can get three in a row.”
Hopefully the weather will be better, but as the Rams proved against San Mateo, they can win in almost any circumstance.
Offensive lineman Martin Falk (56) blocks a Cabrillo College defensive lineman after he snaps the ball to quarterback Chris Forni (90) during the season opener Sept. 6. ANNE-MARIE STARK / GUARDSMAN
By Bonta Hill
Editor
City College of San Francisco opened the 2008 football season with a bang, crushing the Cabrillo Seahawks 44-2.
Rams’ Quarterback Chris Forni completed 19 of his 26 pass attempts for 330 yards passing, and threw touchdowns to five different receivers. The defending national champions dominated both sides of the ball, rolling up 514 yards of total offense, and limiting Cabrillo to 214 yards.
“You know overall [Forni] played well, and did well under pressure,” said George Rush, who is in entering his 32nd year as City College Head Football Coach. “Defense gave up a couple pass plays, missed a couple tackles, but overall we shutout their offense.”
Forni added, ”The young offensive line did a great job of protecting me. We didn’t look too bad at all for our first game.”
The Rams started the scoring when Forni dropped back and hit a pass to tight end Melvin Blue. As Blue was heading to the goal line he fumbled, but wide receiver Randall Washington was in the right place at the right time. Washington recovered the fumble in the end zone to put the Rams up 6-0.
On the ensuing possession, the ball was turned over on downs after the Seahawks failed to complete a fake punt attempt. The Rams took over with great field position, and quickly struck again. Forni faked a hand-off and threw a strike to streaking receiver Michael Hill which resulted in a 25-yard touchdown, putting the Rams up to 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The offense wasn’t the only one having fun as the defense wasn’t allowing Cabrillo anything. Throughout the game, the Rams’ defense was making things uncomfortable for Seahawk quarterback Nick Wanner, constantly staying in his face when he would try to drop back for a pass.
“[W]e were flying around, did some nice things, but we need to clean it up when we face better competition,” said Rams’ safety Jarrell Harrison. “If we stick to what we’ve been coached we should be okay.”
In the second quarter, the Rams’ offense took over at their own 15 yard line. Cabrillo then put the Rams’ in little trouble by sacking Forni at his own 3-yard line. The quarterback threw a short pass to David Henderson, a running back out of San Francisco’s Lincoln High School.
Henderson produced a highlight that you rarely see outside of video games: Henderson seemed to be trapped on the left sideline, but stutter stepped and froze two Seahawk defenders, cutting all the way around to the right side of the field. As Henderson got to the right sideline with blockers in front of him, he put on his sprinting shoes to dart in front of the Cabrillo sideline and score an amazing 97-yard touchdown to give the Rams’ a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Cabrillo’s only points came during the third quarter when a Rams player kicked the ball out of bounds on a block punt. This lead to a penalty against the Rams and resulted in a safety for the Seahawks.
BY BONTA HILL
EDITOR
Since the early 90s, expectations are high for the 2008 City College Rams football team. Being ranked number one in the nation only adds to the pressure of being the defending national champions, and having a bull’s-eye on its back.
With 2008’s schedule being one of the toughest the Rams have encountered, this year’s City College team is not looking ahead, nor listening to the expectations that have been placed on them.
“ Overall, this year’s team has a lot of great athletes, and were faster overall than last year on offense and defense,” says Head Football Coach George Rush, who is entering his 32nd season coaching the Rams football here at City College. “ It is way, way too early to look ahead. We have a lot of improving to do,” Rush said.
This year’s squad includes a lot of young kids, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive line is big, athletic, yet inexperienced with right tackle Dwayne Barton being the only returning starter. The receiving core is deep, fast and talented with Michael Hill, and redshirt freshman Darius Wright leading the group.
“We’re young, and there is a lot of hype on us,” says Hill. “Were hoping we can go out there and score a lot of points, and let the defense relax. I believe we can get the job done,” says Hill.
With last season’s talented quarterback Jeremiah Masoli moving on to Oregon, the keys to the Rams high powered attacked have been given to sophomore quarterback Chris Forni. That pressure doesn’t seem to be getting to Forni, as he is focused on getting better with each play.
“I’ve been just taking it one practice at a time, and that’s been the best way for me to block out the pressure,” says Forni. “With the schedule we have this year, and with us being a young team, we have to take it one practice at a time,” Forni added.
At running back, Andre Patterson leads a slew of running backs. Patterson came off the bench last season to help the Rams bring home the championship by rushing for 145 yards, and a touchdown in the title clincher.
On the defensive side of the football, the Rams bring back their entire secondary from last season including defensive championship game MVP, cornerback D.J. Gomes. Returning defensive lineman Edwin Herbert anchors a big defensive line. The linebacker’s unit is young and inexperienced, but is fast and athletic.
“Last year we were probably further along as far as our progress, but we’ll get to where we want to be,” says Gomes.
Rush also added, “ I’m a little concerned about the physicality so far in our team. We have to get a little more physical, but with a lot of young guys getting adapted to the college game, we’ll get there.”
