Rams lose 43-35 to Wolverines

By Brett Abel

babel2@mail.ccsf.edu 

ROCKLIN—

The Rams were eager for the chance at their first win of the 2024 football season on Saturday night, Oct. 5. City College of San Francisco had just scored a 50-yard touchdown with 4:35 left, making it an eight-point game.

Running back Daytuawn Pearson said he believed in his defense to make the stop and get him back on the field so the offense could send the game to overtime. But with no timeouts left and an unsportsmanlike penalty to give host Sierra College Wolverines an automatic first down as the clock ticked below 4 minutes, the air went out.

“It was demoralizing,” quarterback Christian Banks said.

The 43-35 loss to the Wolverines (2-3) ended a winless pre-conference campaign for the Rams (0-5) on Saturday. CCSF has a bye week before hosting San Joaquin Delta College (0-5) on Oct. 19 at 1 p.m.

In the five games before conference play, the Rams were outscored 155-111 by teams with a combined 16-8 record. Conference opponents are a combined 12-11.

“We’re gonna ice, rest and get back to basics,” interim coach Eduardo Nuño said.

Perhaps the most basic would be self-inflected penalties. The Rams were warned and then penalized twice for sideline interference while the offense was within its own red zone.

The running game kept the Rams optimistic most of the night, culminating in a big pass toward the end of the game.

Pearson and Banks combined for 322 of the Rams’ 336 rushing yards, with a rushing touchdown apiece. Running back Richard “Juice” Washington also had two one-yard touchdown runs. 

Banks finished his game with that one 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Aden Jackson, which made up almost half of his 110 yards on 6-18 attempts. Banks came in after Eric Waugh left the game after going 2-4 for 35 yards and a lost fumble. 

“Christian came in, stepped up, did a great job,” Nuño said.

The big play came after the CCSF and Sierra offenses traded three-and-out possessions. Banks stepped into the pocket to find Jackson in the middle of the field, who found the end zone with 4:35 left. 

Coming out of the Rams’ last called timeout one play after the ensuing kickoff, Sierra quarterback Maddox Varella found wide receiver Dontae Robinson for a short 2-yard completion on a screen pass, setting up a third down-and-eight from Sierra’s 27-yard line.

However, freshman defensive back Nah’shon Geeston-Vick was flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty after the play – his second, which disqualified him from the rest of the game and the next – giving Sierra a first down at the 42-yard line and the Rams no way to stop the clock. 

“It hurts as a teammate,” Pearson said. “I felt we had a chance at that game.”

Varella and Robinson were a tough combination to stop all night. Varella was 24-33 for 292 yards and four touchdowns, including his longest of 65 yards to Robinson who took it down the left side of the field off the CCSF sideline and broke tackles by Rams Chikala Warden and Kalique Cheeves.  

Robinson finished with 153 yards on 10 catches. Sebastian Sutton had two touchdowns and Favor Pitts had one for the Wolverines.

“Sierra did a great job on offense,” Nuño said. “Our offense moved the ball, unfortunately, we ran out of time.”