By: Miguel Dominguez
The Huskies searched for a fourth win but lost against the Allan Hancock College Bulldogs 31-23. The Huskies are now 3-3 for the season.
The Huskies started strong against the Bulldogs in the first quarter. The Huskies led the first half, but the Bulldogs came back in the second half.
The first scoring play was a 47-yard field goal by Christian Reyes, giving the Huskies a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Bulldogs fullback Keyshawn Pu’a fumbled the ball on their first drive of the first quarter and was recovered by the Huskies.
On the first play after fumble recovery, quarterback Trashawn McMillan had a 45-yard rush on the first play. This would lead to a field goal by Christian Reyes and extend their lead to 6-0 in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs fumbled the football toward the end of the first quarter in the red zone leading to a recovery by the Huskies. The Huskies missed a 41-yard field goal after recovering the football late in the first quarter. The second quarter ended with the Huskies up 6-0.
The Huskies took over immediately after the missed field goal when Allan Hancock was picked off on the first play by Cm’Reon Dean. On this drive, they scored a rushing touchdown by McMillan after faking a pass and making his way to the end zone for a touchdown. The Huskies led 13-0 early in the second quarter.
At this point, the Huskies had the Bulldogs cornered. Husky defense looked good.
The run game was working for the Huskies. Overall, they looked better than the Bulldogs early in the game.
The Bulldogs looked quiet throughout the first half, but a fumble from the Huskies during a punt return would give the Bulldogs an opportunity to score.
With 30 seconds left on the clock, quarterback Christian Tielu threw a fade pass in the endzone and was caught by wide receiver Mike McCoy for a touchdown to end the half. The Huskies still led 13-7 at the half.
On the first play of the second half, quarterback McMillan would fumble the football which would be recovered by the Bulldogs at the 24-yard line. After four plays for the Bulldogs, they scored a 3-yard touchdown by running back Maurice Smith. The Bulldogs took the lead 14-13 after the extra point was made.
The second drive for the Huskies looked promising after kick returner Anthony Felton returned the ball for 50 yards. On the current drive, the Huskies would be in the red zone after penalties were committed by the Bulldogs.
The Huskies missed a 33-yard field goal attempt after two incomplete passes by Quarterback Rudy Garcia.
The Bulldogs took advantage of the field goal miss by completing a play action pass to wide receiver Mike McCoy for 38 yards gained. Three plays later quarterback Esekielu Storer completed a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jaleel Walker.
Walker made a one-handed catch for the touchdown giving the lead to the Bulldogs 21-13 after the extra point was good. The Bulldogs extended their lead after kicker Colton Theaker converts a 33 yard field goal, making it 24-13.
The Huskies looked good in the final seconds of the third quarter after pickling off the Bulldogs quarterback for a 36-yard return. The Huskies closed the gap with the Bulldogs by scoring a 44-yard field goal by Reyes early in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs still led the Huskies 24-16.
The Huskies defense gave their offense an opportunity after forcing the Bulldogs to punt with 12 minutes still left to play in the fourth quarter. But the Bulldogs forced quarterback Trashawn McMillan to fumble the ball in Huskie’s territory. The Bullodogs recovered the ball at the 19-yard line. The Bulldogs scored a few plays later. Running back Maurice Smith rushed three yards for a touchdown. The Bulldogs led 31-16, after converting the extra point.
With under 10 minutes left on the clock, the Huskies made a 60-yard rushing touchdown by wide receiver Pedro Amosou. The Huskies still trailed 31-23.
The Bulldogs ran the ball and gave the Huskies little time left on the clock. The Huskies forced the Bulldogs to punt with a minute 42 seconds left on the clock, giving the Huskies an opportunity to come back.
After a few passes completed by the Huskies and a called timeout, the team was down to the final seconds of the game. Quarterback Rudy Garcia looked for wide receiver Colbe Stribling in the end zone, but Stribling was unable to make the catch. The Huskies made a final attempt with ten seconds left but were intercepted to end the game.
The Huskies looked good in the first half but were not able to keep the offense going in the second half. The turnover in the first play of the second half hurt them. The two missed field goals by kicker Christian Reyes could have made a difference in the final play if the Huskies converted the touchdown.
The Huskies have an opportunity to bounce back when they visit Long Beach College. They play this Saturday at 6 p.m. The game will also be streamed on Sportnetusa.net.