The LBCC football team fell to 0-2 in frustrating fashion on Saturday evening in their home opener at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Vikings got off to a 10-0 start in the first quarter, but were outscored 28-0 over the rest of the game as their offense sputtered in a 28-10 defeat.
“I expected us to be more efficient,” said coach Brett Peabody. “We have guys running wide open and we throw behind; we have guys open and we’re missing simple reads. We’ve got to get that ironed out, and we’ve got to settle down a bit at the (quarterback) position. We’ve got some guys who do some things well, guys who do other things well. Whether we package them or whatever it is, it’s got to be better.”
The Vikings’ offense under Peabody has generally been a joy to watch, blending quick-hitting spread looks with power running. But after jumping out to a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter, the Vikings were held scoreless, turning to four different quarterbacks and not finding much success with either.
“I personally expected us to come out and win, and we didn’t get it done,” said Peabody. “I was proud of the defensive turnaround from a week ago. But we need more consistency and at (quarterback) in particular, and on the O-Line for sure.”
LBCC opened up with a promising start to the game, after an interception from Cordae Jones that set up the Vikings’ offense in prime real estate. They were held to a field goal but still took a 3-0 lead on the 24-yard try by Eric Zavala less than four minutes into the game.
The Vikings’ defense forced a three-and-out and then quickly struck again on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jett Peddy to Matthew Berenji, putting them up 10-0 midway through the first quarter. What looked like it might turn into a Vikings rout quickly became a competitive game as the Renegades answered the 10-0 lead with 14 unanswered points, including a touchdown on their ensuing drive, as Malachi Statler threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to cut into the lead.
The two teams traded punts for most of the second quarter, before Jalen Hankins took in a one-yard touchdown run to put Bakersfield up 14-10 with 2:30 remaining in the first half.
Things didn’t improve for the Vikings in the second half, as they threw two interceptions. LBCC’s defense did a great job of keeping the lead where it was, not yielding a single point in the third quarter. But eventually field position and time of possession did their trick, as Bakersfield scored another touchdown, kicked two field goals, and scored a safety in the fourth quarter to break the game open.
LBCC (0-2) will travel to Southwestern next week looking for their first win, and will return to host San Bernardino Valley on Sept. 28.
